Refrigerant Reclamation Assessing Potential Emissions Impact of R-410A Refrigerant Reclamation in the United States' Residential HVAC Sector Draft Report / September 2024 Authors and Acknowledgments Authors Ankit Kalanki Yulin Lou Ian McGavisk Raghav Muralidharan Hadia Sheerazi Gareth Westler Authors listed alphabetically. All authors are from RMI unless otherwise noted. Contacts Raghav Muralidharan, rmuralidharan@rmi.org Gareth Westler, gwestler@rmi.org Ankit Kalanki, akalanki@rmi.org Copyrights and Citati ...

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry. Core Insights - The application of green hydrogen is a key lever for low-carbon and zero-carbon transformation in the industrial sector, with significant potential in steel and chemical industries [8][12][14]. - The report proposes a "cluster development" model to optimize the supply chain of green hydrogen, ensuring large-scale, continuous, and cost-effective supply in industrial applications [11][21][24]. Summary by Sections Section 1: Cluster Development for Large-Scale Green Hydrogen Application - Green hydrogen is crucial for carbon reduction in industrial sectors, with potential to significantly reduce emissions, estimated to achieve over 8 billion tons of cumulative reductions from 2020 to 2060 [12][14]. - The steel and chemical industries are identified as having the highest potential for green hydrogen application, with projections indicating that by 2050, hydrogen-based production could account for 20% of total steel output [12][14]. - Industrial applications require large-scale and stable hydrogen supply, with steel production facilities needing up to 60,000 tons of hydrogen annually, significantly more than other sectors [15][16]. Section 2: Considerations for Building the "Cluster Development" Model - The report outlines the importance of optimizing the "production-storage-transportation-usage" chain of green hydrogen to achieve economic efficiency [11][21]. - Various technologies for hydrogen production, particularly alkaline electrolysis, are analyzed for their economic viability, with costs projected to decrease significantly by 2030 and 2050 [27][29]. - Storage technologies are categorized into physical, chemical, and geological methods, with geological storage being favored for large-scale applications [38][41]. Section 3: Case Studies and Business Model Construction - The report emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach among stakeholders, including industrial enterprises, hydrogen suppliers, and infrastructure providers, to create a sustainable business model for green hydrogen [26][24]. - Successful case studies from countries like the UK and the US are referenced to illustrate effective business models and stakeholder roles in the green hydrogen ecosystem [26][24].

Breaking Barriers in Carbon Dioxide Removal with Electrochemistry Insight Brief / August 2024 Authors and Acknowledgments Authors Silvan Aeschlimann Charithea Charalambous Authors listed alphabetically. All authors are from RMI unless otherwise noted. Contributors Rudy Kahsar, Daniel Pike, Emily Rogers, Noah Shannon, Guy Wohl, and Isabel Wood All contributors from RMI unless otherwise noted. Contacts Silvan Aeschlimann, saeschlimann@rmi.org Charithea Charalambous, charithea.charalambous@rmi.org Copyrights a ...

MRMI A Marketplace for Equitable Building Report / August 2024 Retrofits How Lessons from Massachusetts Can Help Scale Decarbonization to Meet Climate Goals iStock photo Authors and Acknowledgments Authors Ella Mure Eva Rosenbloom Lucas Toffoli Authors listed alphabetically. All authors are from RMI unless otherwise noted. Contacts Eva Rosenbloom, erosenbloom@rmi.org Ella Mure, emure@rmi.org Lucas Toffoli, ltoffoli@rmi.org Copyrights and Citation Eva Rosenbloom, Ella Mure, and Lucas Toffoli, A Marketplace f ...

AARMI Advancing Zero-Emission Fuels in Washington's Shipping Sector Roadmap to 2050 Report / July 2024 Authors and Acknowledgments Authors Aparajit Pandey Jane Sadler Andrew Waddell Authors listed alphabetically. All authors are from RMI unless otherwise noted. Contributors We would like to thank the following organizations for their valuable feedback and contributions to this study: • Consortium for Hydrogen and Renewably Generated E-Fuels (CHARGE) — Vishal Agarwal, Melanie Eng, Aaron Feaver, Aida Urazaliy ...

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry. Core Insights - The climate impact of contrails is significant but solvable, with targeted solutions available for contrail-induced warming [17][18] - Collaboration among stakeholders in the aviation sector is essential to advance understanding and management of contrail impacts [7][21] - The report emphasizes the need for parallel efforts in reducing both CO₂ emissions and non-CO₂ effects, including contrails [53][26] Section A: The Fundamentals - Contrails are line-shaped clouds formed by aircraft in cold and humid air, which can significantly warm the climate by creating artificial cirrus clouds that trap outgoing heat [22][59] - The aviation industry is responsible for about 2% of global CO₂ emissions and aims for net-zero emissions by 2050, with contrail management being a critical component of this strategy [54][57] - Existing models for predicting contrail formation are being developed, but there is significant uncertainty due to a lack of accurate humidity data at cruising altitudes [19][29] Section B: The Present - Ongoing flight trials are crucial for understanding the operational implications of contrail avoidance and improving prediction models [19][36] - The report discusses the importance of metrics in decision-making for contrail avoidance, highlighting the need for a consistent climate equivalency metric [33][34] - Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks are essential for quantifying the climate impact of contrails and ensuring compliance with climate goals [37][38] Section C: The Future - Scaling up contrail avoidance presents challenges for airspace management, including potential reductions in airspace capacity and increased complexity for air traffic controllers [39][40] - The costs associated with contrail avoidance include operational expenditures and capital expenditures for equipping aircraft with necessary sensors [42][43] - The report suggests that contrail avoidance may be a cost-effective strategy for mitigating aviation's climate impact when compared to the social cost of carbon [44]

MARMI HIRD A | DERIVATIVE Crowdfunding for Climate Tech Startups A Global Analysis and the Opportunity Ahead Report / July 2024 Authors and Acknowledgments Authors Pilar Carvajo Lucena Weiting Li Emma Loewen Cheryl Webster Authors listed alphabetically. All authors from RMI unless otherwise noted. Contacts Emma Loewen, eloewen@third-derivative.org Pilar Carvajo Lucena, pcarvajolucena@third-derivative.org Copyrights and Citation Emma Loewen, Weiting Li, Cheryl Webster, and Pilar Carvajo Lucena, Crowdfunding ...

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the battery minerals industry Core Insights - Battery minerals are projected to peak in demand within a decade due to advancements in efficiency, innovation, and circularity, potentially allowing for a transition to a circular economy by 2050 [6][7] - Six solutions are identified to mitigate the need for mineral mining, including new battery chemistries, energy density improvements, recycling, extending battery lifetimes, vehicle efficiency enhancements, and improved mobility efficiency [6][23] - The report emphasizes that the transition from a linear extraction model to a circular loop will yield significant benefits for climate, security, health, and wealth [6][8] Summary by Sections 1. The Battery Mineral Challenge - The battery demand has been growing at an annual rate of 33% for the past three decades, with total battery sales expected to reach 5.5–8 TWh by 2030 and 12 TWh by 2050 [19][21] - The report highlights that batteries will drive 97% of the increase in lithium demand, 78% for nickel, and 80% for cobalt [16][17] 2. Continuing the Current Trend - Continuing current trends will lead to peak virgin battery mineral demand in the mid-2030s, with net demand for lithium, nickel, and cobalt expected to peak at different times: lithium in 2038, nickel in 2034, and cobalt in 2028 [7][49] - The report indicates that the demand for lithium in 2030 could be reduced by about 25%, nickel by 40%, and cobalt by 75% compared to a scenario without solutions [49] 3. Accelerating the Trend - An accelerated trend could lead to net-zero battery mineral demand by 2050, with significant reductions in peak demand for lithium and nickel [55][71] - The report suggests that with the implementation of all six solutions, the peak lithium demand could be reduced by 46% and nickel demand by 31% [71] 4. Implications of Meeting the Battery Mineral Challenge - Successfully addressing the battery mineral challenge will transform mining into a one-time effort, with an estimated need to mine approximately 125 million tons of minerals to achieve circular self-sufficiency [78] - The total value of these minerals is estimated at around $1,080 billion at current prices, averaging about $50 billion per year through the mid-2040s [79]

Industry Investment Rating - The report focuses on the steel and concrete sectors, highlighting the urgent need for decarbonization and the potential for innovative procurement mechanisms like Book and Claim to drive lower-carbon materials markets [7][10] Core Viewpoints - Companies are increasingly expanding their climate commitments to include supply chain decarbonization, particularly for steel and concrete, which account for over 10% of global CO2 emissions [7][12] - Three prominent procurement approaches are identified: direct procurement, out-of-sector offset purchase, and in-sector environmental attribute certificate (EAC) purchase, with EAC purchases being the core focus of the report [7][8] - Book and Claim systems, which decouple environmental attributes from physical products, are seen as a logical and catalytic mechanism for decarbonizing steel and concrete, especially when direct procurement is not feasible [10][41] Summary by Relevant Sections Introduction - The report emphasizes the urgent need for rapid carbon emissions reduction to stay below 1.5°C of warming, with companies increasingly focusing on decarbonizing their supply chains, particularly for steel and concrete [7] - Three procurement approaches are outlined: direct procurement, out-of-sector offset purchase, and in-sector EAC purchase, with the latter being the focus of the report [7][8] Why Decarbonize Steel and Concrete? - Steel and concrete are fundamental materials, with concrete being the most used material in the world after water, and steel being critical for the energy transition and infrastructure development [12] - Combined, these sectors account for over 10% of global CO2 emissions and half of heavy industrial emissions, with demand expected to increase by 20% for concrete and 30% for steel by 2050 [12][13] Why Are Organizations Interested in Lower-Carbon Materials? - Leading organizations are setting climate targets that include supply chain emissions, with Microsoft highlighting the challenges of embodied carbon in building materials and hardware components [14] - Companies at the end of the supply chain, such as technology firms, face challenges in reducing emissions from materials like steel and concrete due to their distance from producers [15] How Can Organizations Decarbonize Beyond Direct Procurement? - Book and Claim certificates allow organizations to channel funds directly to alternative material producers, enabling decarbonization of supply chains and meeting Scope 3 targets [19][20] - This model is already used in industries like renewable electricity and sustainable aviation fuel, providing flexibility and verifiability in emissions reductions [24][25] Book and Claim as a Decarbonization Mechanism - Book and Claim systems expand the market for clean commodities by allowing stakeholders who do not directly procure materials to invest in lower-carbon markets [26] - The system requires verifiable, additional, and catalytic certificates to ensure impact, with forward contracting models strengthening additionality by tying certificates to new production facilities [27][31] Infrastructure Needed for Book and Claim - Robust Book and Claim systems require certification schemes, standards, registries, and reporting guidelines to ensure transparency and credibility [53][54] - Certification schemes, such as EPDs and third-party standards, are critical for verifying the environmental attributes of products, while registries ensure the integrity of certificate transactions [57][63] Microsoft's Pilot Process: Lessons Learned - Microsoft's pilot process revealed that the market for Book and Claim certificates is in its early stages, with limited offerings that meet the criteria for significant, verifiable, and additional emissions reductions [72][73] - The market needs stronger collective demand signals, fit-for-purpose accounting methods, and robust infrastructure to de-risk the approach and scale Book and Claim systems [77][79] Next Steps - Collaboration among stakeholders is essential to formalize Book and Claim infrastructure, with a focus on developing certification schemes, standards, registries, and reporting guidance [80] - Market-leading buyers should align and aggregate demand to pave the way for broader adoption of Book and Claim systems in the steel and concrete sectors [80]

How to Restructure Utility Incentives The Four Pillars of Comprehensive Performance-Based Regulation Report / July 2024 Authors and Acknowledgments Authors Cara Goldenberg Kaja Rebane Authors listed alphabetically. All authors from RMI unless otherwise noted. Contacts Kaja Rebane, krebane@rmi.org Cara Goldenberg, cgoldenberg@rmi.org Copyrights and Citation Kaja Rebane and Cara Goldenberg, How to Restructure Utility Incentives: The Four Pillars of Comprehensive Performance-Based Regulation, RMI, 2024, https: ...