Our software solution supports location-based, market-based, and avoided emissions use cases. Per the GHG Protocol, a location-based method reflects grid emissions from energy consumption. In addition to standard location-based accounting approaches, Singularity has also developed CarbonFlow™, an emissions tracking method utilizing power flow tracing of emissions from source to sink. A market-based method reflects emissions from energy attributes that an entity owns, has purchased (e.g., EACs), or which is purchased on their behalf. Avoided emissions, also commonly referred to as attributional or consequential emissions, support estimating the GHG impact of a decision or avoided decision. Avoided emissions calculations commonly utilize a marginal emissions factor, which represents the GHG emission rate of the marginal power generation source that would either change output or be built in response to a decision.

Energy attribute certificates, or EACs, comprise of both renewable energy certificates (RECs) and alternative energy credits (AECs). These represent the clean energy attributes of electricity generated from renewable and alternative energy sources. 

Singularity’s platform structure supports both hourly and annual accounting program structures. 

The platform’s certificate management workflow allows utilities to manage generation attestation on behalf of their customers. If a third party registry is used, Singularity provides a registry integration so that certificates (both annual and hourly) can be retired in the beneficiary’s account.

Standard delivery mix, also referred to as standard offer or standard supply service (SSS), is what a typical ratepayer in a utility territory receives. This is distinct from “residual mix”, which represents all unclaimed or unsold electricity generation attributes.

For a deeper dive into the difference between residual mix and standard supply service, check out our blog post on this topic:

https://medium.com/singularity-energy/making-proxy-residual-emission-rates-data-more-accessible-6e245d7fea0b

The platform is designed to take multiple different sources of data and transform them into a standard format. For our utility offerings, we use a utility’s internal systems for hourly generation inventory data, hourly customer consumption data, program information, and supplement with publicly available sources when needed. 

Generator REal-Time emissions Assignment (GRETA), is a real-time emissions calculation engine that estimates the direct stack emissions of GHGs from an electric generator. GRETA represents a significant improvement to the status-quo approach of using an annual average emissions factor for accounting. View the technical documentation here.