Green Grid Compass – Hourly resolved data on electricity generation in European bidding zones
Der Green Grid Compass ist ein Tool, welches gemeinsam von der FfE mit den Übertragungsnetzbetreibern 50Hertz und TenneT entwickelt wurde. Es bietet stündliche Daten zur CO₂-Intensität und zum Anteil erneuerbarer Energien in europäischen Stromgebotszonen. Im zugehörigen Umsetzungsnetzwerk vernetzen sich verschiedene Partner und diskutieren die Integration der bereitgestellten Daten in unterschiedlichen Use Cases.
Motivation and Goals
The Green Grid Compass (GGC) was developed to transparently disclose the share of renewable energies and the CO₂ intensity in the European bidding zones in hourly resolution – whereby “CO₂” in the following refers to CO₂ equivalents, i.e. also includes other greenhouse gases (GHG). The data provided is used by the transmission system operators to meet the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), but can also be used in other use cases such as reporting and load flexibilization
The aim of the project is to provide companies and consumers with hourly data on CO₂ intensity and the proportion of renewable energy in the electricity grid. This helps to raise awareness and enables intelligent energy management.
Use Cases
The data provided can be incorporated into various applications, which have been grouped into the topics of flexibilization and reporting
- Flexibilization: In particular, the forecasts provided can be used for load management, for example as a signal for the controlled charging of electric vehicles. Flexible generators can also use the data for optimization to reduce CO₂ emissions.
- Reporting: Hourly data on CO2 intensity enables GHG emissions from electricity procurement to be recorded with a time resolution. This is relevant for the emissions assessment of flexibilities; for example, avoided emissions from battery storage can be calculated.
You can find a detailed description in the white paper (German).
Project partners and network
The project is a collaboration between the transmission system operators 50Hertz and TenneT and FfE. It builds on the existing tools eCO2grid (50Hertz) and the CO2-Monitor (TenneT, FfE) and combines them in the Green Grid Compass. The TÜV SÜD approved methodology of the CO₂-Monitor is integrated into the eCO2grid tool and extended to European bidding zones.
The implementation network brings together interested stakeholders such as grid operators, energy suppliers, companies from other sectors, tool providers and scientific and political institutions. The aim is to promote exchange through quarterly workshops and to prepare the testing of use cases.
FfE content in the Project
- Development of the calculation methodology: FfE has developed the methodology for determining the CO₂ intensity for the CO₂ monitor. The methodology was adapted for the GGC to enable the extension to a Europe-wide representation of bidding zones.
- GHG forecast: FfE uses a machine learning model to provide forecasts for CO₂ intensity and the share of renewable energies in Germany and Belgium.
- Organization of the implementation network: FfE is responsible for coordinating the network. This includes the preparation and implementation of workshops and events in the implementation network and content-related support for network participants.
Methodology
The methodology for calculating CO₂ intensity and the share of renewable energy is based on a scientific approach and was tested by TÜV SÜD for quality and transparency. The data is provided on an hourly basis and includes both near-real-time data and historical data.
The calculation is based on net electricity generation, which is obtained from the ENTSO-E Transparency Platform.
The methodology considers of electricity imports and exports to calculate the consumption mix using a “flow tracing” approach. The energy source-specific emission factors are based on data from the European Commission and are converted into country-specific emission factors per generation type using statistical data. These are available both for combustion-related GHG emissions from operation (Scope 2) and for the consideration of the life cycle (Scope 3). The allocation of GHG emissions to heat and electricity generation in combined heat and power (CHP) plants is considered using the efficiency method. In addition, grid losses are integrated for the life cycle assessment. For the Germany-Luxembourg bidding zone, the ENTSO-E data is scaled based on historical data.
More Information
- Green Grid Compass
- CO₂ Monitor – Hourly emission factors for the German mix
- Series of articles on sustainability valuation methods: “Scopes 1 – 3” in valuation
- Challenges for companies in 2023: Sustainability reporting in the light of life cycle assessment and the circular economy as part of the EU’s Sustainable Finance Strategy