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The document analyzes the use of the voluntary carbon market (VCM) to finance the plugging of orphaned oil and gas wells in North America to reduce methane emissions. It evaluates four existing methodologies (ACR, BCarbon, CarbonPath, and OCP), noting that while these projects offer strong additionality and significant co-benefits, they face challenges regarding emissions quantification and long-term permanence due to a lack of empirical data on orphaned well behavior. The report provides a risk framework for buyers and developers, highlighting the tension between industry expertise in producing wells and the uncertainty of non-producing, abandoned wellbores.

The report examines the transition of cookstove carbon credits from legacy methodologies, which faced allegations of over-crediting, to more rigorous, CCP-approved standards. It identifies monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) as a high-concern risk due to complex human behaviors like stove stacking and the Hawthorne effect, while highlighting the role of new tools like MoFuSS and the forthcoming CLEAR methodology in improving credit integrity.

The document analyzes the transition of rice methane avoidance credits following a massive invalidation of projects in 2024. It evaluates new methodologies from Verra, Gold Standard, and CAR, identifying key risks in additionality, baselines, and MRV while providing mitigation strategies for buyers and developers.

The document argues that while consumer-led battery deployment is rapid, grid-scale energy storage—particularly batteries—is a strategic priority that remains under-developed in South Africa. It details how storage can reduce load shedding, optimize existing grid infrastructure, and support a just energy transition by providing public benefits. The authors recommend the development of national and municipal strategies to create an enabling environment for grid battery deployment.