Carbon-Free Chronicles: the essential round up of news and reports relating to 24/7 clean energy

In this newsletter, we highlight the best news and reports alongside our own regular insight from this month on the transition towards 24/7 carbon-free energy. June brought a surge of momentum: major steps in accounting and standards reforms, plus policy signals from the U.S. to Denmark are all converging to make hourly matching the new standard.

What we’re reading

Standards updates look to include hourly matching and regional requirements

• This month, we saw impactful updates from two international leaders – the Climate Group and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP).

• Meeting notes from the GHGP Scope 2 Technical Working Group indicate hourly matching may be required for consumers above a load threshold (likely 5–10 GWh/year) and purchased EACs will have stronger geographic requirements. The first public draft of the Corporate Standard will be released for comment this October.

• Some businesses, like those part of the 24/7 Carbon-Free Coalition, are already working on their hourly matched electricity procurement. The Climate Group, the organisation behind the Coalition, published their technical guidance, offering a standardised framework for hourly matching and guidance for businesses to begin their hourly matching procurement journey.

Hourly Matching in Minnesota

• Minnesota is explicitly supporting hourly matching, aiming to integrate 24/7 clean energy concepts into state climate goals, as part of broader efforts to modernise renewable standards and ensure decarbonisation aligns with grid demand patterns.

• This policy work lays out a blueprint for other states looking to strengthen climate legislation, signalling growing recognition in the U.S. of the importance of time-aligned procurement for both emissions impact and grid reliability. Dig into the details and impacts in this EnergyTag article.

Unlocking 24-hour electricity supply through solar & storage

• A new report from Ember unpacks how solar-plus-batteries can deliver clean, reliable electricity around the clock. Comparing cities across the world, it shows the percentage of hours across the year matched by the combination, and at what price.

• Key takeaways: (1) sunny cities (Manila, Mexico City, Las Vegas etc.) can get to at least 90% hourly matching over the year, and even cloudier cities (think Birmingham) can get to 62%; (2) round-the-clock solar supply is cost-competitive in sunny regions and the estimated LCOE is dropping year-over-year.

• While a mix of resources are needed to reach round-the-clock clean energy, solar-plus-storage offers a reliable and viable backbone in a variety of regions.

What we’re writing (and saying)

Granular Energy in the US: Partnering with Catalyst Power

• We’re thrilled to announce our first partnership in the United States with Catalyst Power, a distributed energy solutions provider focused on mid-sized commercial and industrial customers.

• Together, we’re enabling businesses to match their electricity consumption to renewable generation on an hourly basis – unlocking more precise carbon accounting and differentiated sustainability claims.

• This marks an important milestone as we bring our expertise in 24/7 carbon-free energy markets to North America, helping drive the evolution from annual to hourly matching.

Ecotricity launches new time-backed REGO product

• In the UK, we’ve teamed up with Ecotricity to launch Real Time REGOs – adding another product to Britain's first green energy company's product suite. Ecotricity customers can now see a live view of their hourly energy matching, backed by monthly REGOs, dramatically improving transparency over traditional annual matching.

• We’re proud to support Ecotricity in setting a new benchmark for time-stamped renewable energy tracking in Britain, paving the way for other suppliers to follow.

Driving innovation in Denmark with hourly GOs

• We recently completed a pioneering pilot in Denmark with Energinet and EnergyTag, demonstrating how hourly Guarantees of Origin can be issued and traded.

• This pilot showcased the technical and operational feasibility of moving from monthly certificates to hourly certificates, giving consumers a clearer view of the carbon content of their electricity at any given hour.

• This is a critical step toward scaling 24/7 carbon-free energy markets across Europe, aligning procurement with real-world grid dynamics.