Time-Based and Time-Matched Products
Two hourly renewable energy product types are available through Green-e® certification
“Hourly matching”, often called 24/7 matching, refers to the practice of aligning clean energy purchases with electricity use over shorter time intervals—such as hourly—rather than on an annual basis. Since 2020, an increasing number of corporations have been working toward meeting their net zero goals by matching some or all of their electricity consumption to renewable electricity generation occurring in the same hour. Individual utilities have also recently begun offering varied hourly-matched product options to their customers, providing diverse options ranging from subscription-only to sleeved tariffs.
There is a wide range of benefits to both Time-Based and Time-Matched products, along with the traditional benefits of Green-e® Energy certification (e.g. consumer protection and disclosure; newer, more sustainable renewables; generation that is surplus to regulations; and seller accountability). In the Time-Based offering, providers and customers alike can have access to verified clean electricity data about the time of production to be used in corporate GHG reports. Customers can then match this information to their own energy load, but this matching will not be third-party verified by the Green-e® program. In the Time-Matched offering, customers and load serving entities (LSEs) can make an hourly-matched use claim that has been third-party verified through Green-e® Energy certification, which reduces risk and builds trust in this more nascent form of renewable electricity procurement.
By sharpening demand signals for clean energy during periods of scarcity (e.g., nighttime or winter months), hourly matching can drive investments in new renewable generation and storage solutions. Matching at a more granular level enables claims that are more precise, increasing confidence among stakeholders.
Time-Based
Definition: Verification is done at the hourly level, and hours of generation are audited. Customers can then match their purchase to their own usage data, without matching being verified.
Potential Use Case: A project developer has a PPA with a customer and wants to verify their generation on an hourly basis, but does not intend to match this generation to a customer’s precise load. Used for transparency and informational purposes.
Time-Matched
Definition: Verification is done at the hourly level, and matching of generation and consumption hours is specifically audited.
Potential Use Cases:
- A utility wants to verify their generation on an hourly basis and match it to their customer’s hourly load (either one individual customer or a customer class).
- A customer wants to verify the procurement of hourly EACs (generation) matched to their hourly consumption (load).