Stepping Stones on the Road to 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy

Around-the-clock carbon-free energy (24/7 CFE) is increasingly viewed as a vital way to slash an industry’s carbon footprint. This process of energy procurement, which is focused on granularity and accuracy, offers a framework for targeting difficult-to-abate carbon emissions but poses tremendous difficulties for energy consumers, so widespread adoption likely remains far in the future.

While the energy trading markets and technologies necessary to achieve CFE on an hourly basis are nascent, tools and partnerships are emerging that can aggregate demand for expensive technologies and more granular energy attribute certificates (EACs). However, momentum from large energy consumers is currently concentrated in and driven by companies that have the greatest resources to expend, such as Google and Microsoft.

This Guidehouse Insights white paper provides a primer on the 24/7 CFE landscape. It outlines the key concepts involved, the rationale for 100% 24/7 CFE as a means of reducing emissions at the system level, and the options energy consumers can use to meet their 24/7 CFE targets. It concludes with recommendations for energy consumers seeking to achieve 24/7 CFE.