Hourly Carbon-Free Energy Matching: Transitioning from Annual to Hourly Energy Matching

Article by Constellation

As companies aim to reduce carbon emissions and meet environmental regulations, demand for clean energy continues to grow. Many companies are committing to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), driving the adoption of energy efficiency projects, renewable and carbon-free energy and sustainable supply chains. This surge in demand for sustainability solutions drives innovation and development in the market.

To achieve their environmental goals companies are moving to solutions that align their energy usage with clean energy sources on an hourly basis, helping them with their evolving Scope 2 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goals.

Matching for Impact: Hourly Carbon-Free Energy Matching

While annual matching products provide significant benefits, companies can achieve greater impact by seeking more precise goals that incorporate both time and location-based CFE criteria. Hourly carbon-free energy (CFE) matching allows businesses to match their energy usage on an hourly basis. Location-based criteria mean that our customer’s energy consumption is matched with supply on the same regional grid.   Constellation works to optimize your sustainability efforts by incorporating both new and prior carbon-free purchases into your overall CFE strategy, ensuring a comprehensive approach to carbon reduction.

Purchasing hourly CFE through Constellation can also help your business:

• Match carbon-free generation with your consumption hour by hour, including tracking and reporting of hourly usage, generation and emissions.
• Ensure your electricity consumption is matched with attributes (RECs or EFECs) from carbon-free generators in your grid for each hour.
• Track progress on-demand through Constellation’s Hourly CFE Dashboard, available in Constellation’s digital platform.
• Ensure hourly retirements of RECs and EFECs in the PJM GATS registry at year-end*.

Impact of Hourly Carbon-Free Energy Matching

Along with meeting environmental goals, Constellation’s hourly CFE product also supports the broader mission of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting renewable energy adoption. With customers across Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, our team matches carbon-free generation with consumption hour by hour, ensuring that our customers’ electricity usage is aligned with clean energy sources. For customers who choose to optimize their sustainability strategy through our CORe+ product for their PJM projects, there is an option to exchange their project RECs for other time-matched carbon-free energy (CFE) attributes for certain windows of time, helping them upgrade to a full 24/7 CFE match.

The hourly CFE product has helped secure 3.5 million MWhs of hourly-matched energy that otherwise would have created approximately 1.9 million metric tons of CO2. That’s equivalent to sequestering carbon in nearly 1.4 million acres of US forests in a year or taking 324,360 gas-powered cars off the road for one year – a significant sustainability impact.

Join Constellation in the Hourly Carbon-Free Energy Movement

Constellation is committed to advancing a sustainable future for businesses through carbon-free solutions. By leveraging our diverse portfolio of clean energy generation, best-in-class origination team and cutting-edge technology, we continuously innovate and create more sustainable and efficient energy solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

Take Action

Ready to discover the potential of hourly matching? Download Constellation’s White Paper on Preparing for the Next Stage of Corporate Clean Energy Procurement to learn more about how the hourly carbon-free energy matching product can benefit your business and help you take part in the sustainable revolution.

*Hourly retirements of RECs and EFECs are available in the PJM region only.

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