MAKING ‘24/7 CARBON-FREE ENERGY’ A REALITY

The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (24/7 CFE) Compact, launched in September 2021 at the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Energy, aims to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels by moving beyond annual renewable energy matching to hourly, real-time matching of demand and carbon-free supply. Coordinated by SEforALL with support from Google, the Compact has grown to over 120 signatories, including governments, private companies, and academic institutions. The initiative supports a technology-inclusive approach, prioritizing storage, demand-side management, and the development of Granular Certificates to drive investment. Current and future efforts include a global study on policy and regulatory reforms to empower consumers and a working group exploring the role of green hydrogen in achieving 24/7 CFE.

• The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (24/7 CFE) approach differs from traditional renewable energy procurement by matching demand with carbon-free power sources in real time—every hour, day, and location—rather than relying on annual demand matching, which can still leave room for fossil fuel-based power when hourly demand exceeds supply.
• Launched in September 2021 at the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Energy, the 24/7 CFE Compact has expanded to over 120 signatories. Founding members included the government of Iceland, the US cities of Des Moines and Ithaca, and companies such as Google, Microsoft, AES Corporation, EDP, Eurelectric, Orsted, and Statkraft; recent additions include the governments of Panama and Vanuatu and Stanford University.
• The Compact utilizes a technology-inclusive platform that supports all energy sources without direct carbon emissions, alongside smart grid and metering solutions. To maximize system impact, the initiative prioritizes demand-side management, storage, and the procurement of clean energy on the same grids where consumption occurs to address the 'dirtiest' hours of electricity use.
• SEforALL, acting as the Secretariat with support from Google, is pursuing several next steps: launching a global study on policy and regulatory reforms to increase energy efficiency and consumer data access, and establishing a working group with Princeton University, Energy Tag, and the Natural Resources Defense Council to investigate the role of green hydrogen in 24/7 CFE.
• The initiative aims to use Granular Certificates as tradeable instruments to create price signals that drive investment into the technologies required for 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2023). MAKING ‘24/7 CARBON-FREE ENERGY’ A REALITY. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-06/rm-case-study-carbon-free-energy-005_0.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. MAKING ‘24/7 CARBON-FREE ENERGY’ A REALITY. 2023. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-06/rm-case-study-carbon-free-energy-005_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=MAKING ‘24/7 CARBON-FREE ENERGY’ A REALITY |date=April 2023 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-06/rm-case-study-carbon-free-energy-005_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2023making, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{MAKING ‘24/7 CARBON-FREE ENERGY’ A REALITY}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2023-06/rm-case-study-carbon-free-energy-005_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }