An EAC (Energy or Environmental Attribute Certificate) is a calculated value that represents a carbon emission reduction related to energy consumption. The calculation of the EAC is the most important factor when considering the legitimacy of an emissions reduction claim. Transparency and auditability of the measurement & verification calculations, and public methodologies, are the cornerstones of proving decarbonization.
EACs are the proof of carbon emissions savings resulting from the deployment of real-world energy projects. When a project is completed, measurement & verification calculations allow energy impacts to be determined, as well as the related carbon savings. The unit of the EAC can be denominated in terms of energy or carbon within a particular timeframe. For example, within a given hour an EAC could represent the watt-hours saved, or the grams of carbon reduced by the energy savings.
EACs are calculated from defined M&V methodologies representing agreed upon counterfactuals to determine energy savings. Methodologies establish measurement boundaries, baseline conditions, and operational dependencies that enable stakeholders to understand the basis for emissions reduction claims. Data is sourced from projects directly so that carbon savings are attributable to the individual projects. Each project goes through the M&V process, which provides for methodological flexibility and ensures that savings claims are auditable back to the source.
For each hour of the day, following the completion of a project, WattCarbon calculates the energy and carbon savings using the agreed upon methodology. This calculation continues for the lifetime of the project impact. EACs are minted on an ongoing basis, and each one contains all of the information about the project, its underlying data, and methodological stipulations. Each EAC receives a unique identifier so that it can be attributed to an individual project and so that it can never be double counted.
Audits are the most important part of measurement & verification transparency. An audit shows how a methodology is implemented and used to calculate emissions reductions. EAC audits are the operational backbone of the WattCarbon platform and are used to flag data irregularities, missing parameters, and erroneous outputs.
WattCarbon allows users to interact directly with audit results so that issues can be surfaced and resolved in real-time:
Audit reports are maintained in perpetuity so that at any given time any third party can inspect the audit report and confirm that emissions reduction claims have been properly validated.
There is no one-size-fits-all for calculating energy and carbon savings. Existing frameworks like IPMVP and the Uniform Methods Project have emphasized the need for collaborative methodological development, but since these existing frameworks have not been extended to include measuring carbon impacts, further methodological development is required.
WattCarbon is a founding member of the OpenEAC Alliance, a community of measurement & verification professionals, who review and approve all methodologies used in the WattCarbon platform. This organization meets on a regular basis to develop and approve methodologies specific to the challenge of calculating carbon emission reductions.