Renewable Energy Emissions Score V1.0 Public Consultation Results

This report summarizes the results of a public consultation held from May 9 to June 30, 2022, regarding the Renewable Energy (RE) Emissions Score V1.0. Developed by RMI's Climate Intelligence Program as part of the Horizon Zero Project, the score is a sector-agnostic tool designed to quantify the real-world emissions reductions driven by renewable energy procurement, serving as a supplement to traditional Scope 2 reporting.

• The RE Emissions Score was initially designed for the cryptocurrency sector to address GHG emissions impact from mining, though RMI considers it broadly applicable to any entity engaging in renewable energy procurement. Consultation participants included organizations from Web3, data centers, government, academia, finance, and not-for-profit sectors.
• Consultation respondents expressed skepticism that a score of 100 would represent zero net emissions impact for their load. This disagreement is based on the uncertainty of reporting for Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), the potential for the procurement factor to obscure emissions impact, and embedded emissions from equipment—specifically the emissions and e-waste from specialized computers used in proof-of-work cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
• Feedback on the calculation's effectiveness was mixed, with the most common rating being a three on a scale of one (totally ineffective) to five (effective). While most respondents did not identify sectors where the approach would not apply, some specifically questioned its application to electric utilities and crypto miners.
• The 'procurement factor' received the most rigorous feedback, with respondents suggesting the inclusion of data points such as contract length, electricity price, ancillary services, demand response capability, transmission and storage costs, and issues like renewable curtailment and negative pricing. Respondents generally viewed the price of an Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) alone as an insufficient measure of additional impact.
• Respondents identified several technical challenges, including the 'theoretical' nature of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and the lack of consideration for grid services and upgrades. Additionally, the use of marginal emissions factors may create compatibility issues with net-zero and science-based targets because consequential emissions measured by marginal factors do not correspond to the sum of global emissions.

APA

RMI (n.d.). Renewable Energy Emissions Score V1.0 Public Consultation Results. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2022/10/public_consultation_results.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Renewable Energy Emissions Score V1.0 Public Consultation Results. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2022/10/public_consultation_results.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Renewable Energy Emissions Score V1.0 Public Consultation Results |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2022/10/public_consultation_results.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindrenewable, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Renewable Energy Emissions Score V1.0 Public Consultation Results}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2022/10/public_consultation_results.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }