M O KY UN C T A R B O CA ON R I N I N S TIT U TE W A OUR FIVE-YEARR R O O M PLAN ACCELERATING THE LOW-CARBON ENERGY TRANSITION TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 02 WHAT WE DO How We Do It ..............................................................................................................................................................03 Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going .....................................................................................................................04 THE CURRENT SITUATION ...................................................................................................................... 05 OUR STRATEGY Thought Leadership ....................................................................................................................................................07 Demonstrations .......................................................................................................................................................... 08 Shaping Markets ........................................................................................................................................................ 09 Market Participation ................................................................................................................................................... 09 IMPLEMENTATION Focus on the Biggest Problems ...................................................................................................................................10 Improve Our Core Performance ...................................................................................................................................10 Expand Geographically ................................................................................................................................................10 Increase Our Influence .................................................................................................................................................10 Develop RMI Market Affiliates ........................................................................................................................................11 OUR FIVE-YEAR PLAN INTRODUCTION WHAT WE DO thought leaders triggered by the increased urgency of The future—for all of us—hangs in the Rocky Mountain Institute transforms global HOW WE DO IT climate change and opportune changes in the energy balance as runaway climate change energy use to create a clean, prosperous, RMI pioneers whole-system solutions for the energy world. The result is our new five-year plan, which we increasingly is becoming an existential threat. and secure low-carbon future. That is our transition that can be replicated and implemented proudly share with you in these pages. It describes the We at Rocky Mountain Institute believe we mission. That is our passion. And every day, now. We don’t do it alone. With philanthropic transformation that we are making—a transformation must have a plan to face that future and every member of our team of over 200 works support, we work together with businesses, rooted in our 35-year-strong tradition of excellence communities, institutions, entrepreneurs, and other shape it in the direction that will do the most and focused on the future and the vastly larger role tirelessly to achieve it. good, and make a difference in accelerating NGOs to cost-effectively shift to efficiency and that RMI must play. Why? Because just like you, we wish for our families the low-carbon energy transition. renewables. We drive impact with rigorous research We mean to catalyze businesses, governments, and loved ones all that the energy revolution makes and bold action—RMI is a “think, do, and scale” To do this, together with supporters like you, we are and above all markets to embrace the clean energy possible: climate protection, clean air and water, tank. As an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit, embarking on an innovative path to grow our impact revolution in time to stop global temperatures from reduced poverty, a strong economy, better security, we convene and collaborate with diverse partners and become the most influential energy transition rising by two degrees or more. To do that we are and resilient energy systems. to accelerate and scale solutions, boldly tackling organization in the world. RMI has grown 28 percent the toughest long-term problems. And we address evolving into an institute that is larger and more To achieve this, RMI is driving the global energy a year for the past five years and our impact has been specific market needs through our groundbreaking engaged with an ever-expanding constellation of transition from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables global. In the past year alone we helped bring India’s market affiliates—rapidly developing market change businesses, markets, geographies, and collaborators, by working in partnership with governments, government and industry leadership together to chart agents that are tethered to and supported by RMI, including you. industries, and companies to reengineer energy a course to meet their breathtaking commitment to and also have the necessary autonomy so that they systems. We are disrupting industries by advancing 100 percent vehicle electrification by 2030, and are We occupy a unique position as a business-oriented can quickly adjust to market opportunities. new technologies, shaping markets, and investing in currently supporting that effort. We provided research nonprofit in the energy space that is not only a think innovative ideas to help them scale. All the while, we that resulted in new U.S. fuel-efficiency standards tank, but also a do tank. This five-year plan shows Through whole-systems design, innovative are growing our influence and impact by building on for trucks that are expected to cut over 1 billion tons how we will drive transformative projects in enough network engagement, and deep techno-economic our long-standing reputation as a trusted, independent of CO emissions. And we helped launch an energy markets and work with enough partners to scale our analysis using world-class talent to promote 2 source of technical expertise, research, and analysis. blockchain consortium to facilitate millions of secure impact and influence on the energy system. We hope market-oriented approaches, we are transforming the global energy system. energy transactions per minute to occur on our you will join us and help us achieve these ambitious We know that profit does not have to be pitted against electric grids, finally bringing our solar panels’ and car goals. With your support and insight, we can make our planet, and that this transition can be made batteries’ value to energy markets. However, now is more of a difference and strengthen the gathering economically and made now. By collaborating with the time to scale our impact even more. forces—creating clean air, energy security, job growth, diverse partners, we boldly tackle the toughest long- and sustainable economic development, while slowing term problems—challenges often ignored by those At the urging of our Board of Trustees, RMI recently planetary warming. We are truly at an inflection point. held to short-term results, we spread solutions rapidly, engaged in a yearlong process of self-examination, We invite you to join us on this urgent journey. and we drive impact on a global scale—which is the detailed market analysis, and interviews with over 30 scale of climate change. OUR MISSION Rocky Mountain Institute transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. OUR VISION A world thriving, verdant, and secure, for all, for ever. M OUN KY T C A I O N R CREATING A CLEAN, PROSPEROUS, AND SECURE LOW-CARBON FUTURE | 3 I N E STIT U T OUR FIVE-YEAR PLAN WHAT WE DO THE CURRENT SITUATION Over the past decade, RMI’s work has scaled Averting the worst impacts of climate WHERE WE’VE BEEN, WHERE Climate change is speeding up, and the world internationally, with 50 percent of our work now • change and creating a clean, prosperous, is not on track to hit the target from the Paris WE’RE GOING outside the United States. The number of RMI’s Amory Lovins cofounded Rocky Mountain Institute as and low-carbon future is an urgent global Agreement of keeping global average temperature programs has grown; we have teams operating a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 1982 in Snowmass, Colorado. task. Fortunately, RMI has been working on remotely in the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, increase to well below 2 Celsius degrees. Amory became interested in energy conservation this challenge for 35 years and is uniquely and India; and new approaches for impact, such as during the 1973 oil crisis, and wrote a landmark article membership platforms, business spinoffs, and social positioned now to help transition the Alongside these developments in the energy space, for Foreign Affairs, “Energy Strategy: The Road Not change labs, have emerged. energy system to become low carbon and the philanthropic community is changing. Funders are Taken?”—still the publication’s most reprinted article. sustainable. Today: increasingly coordinating and consolidating around big The article described the two energy choices then Today, with our new five-year plan, we resolve to do bets, and exercising more investment-style discipline. facing the nation: the hard path, continuing to rely even more,