The US Energy Department's data arm has released newly published hourly average carbon dioxide emissions data to measure the carbon footprint of energy-guzzling clean technologies, such as electric vehicle charging, hydrogen production, and electrified building appliances.

The data set measures the hourly average carbon dioxide emissions that result from consuming electricity. The emissions data is valuable for big corporations touting ambitious 24/7 net-zero goals and can help them prove they're making progress on emissions reduction.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is providing "better insights into how an investment dollar into transportation, or buildings, or energy translates into real carbon out of the atmosphere," says Chris Roe, director of energy and sustainable operations at Amazon, which led all companies in US voluntary clean energy procurement in 2022. The EIA's next steps include publishing marginal emissions, or the change in emissions that comes with a very small change to electricity demand. That would offer an even more targeted view so consumers can see the emissions effects of plugging into the grid at specific times--and precisely when to avoid it. A coalition of 40 clean energy groups and companies have called for a funding boost for the EIA, in part to upgrade its data.

Source: news.bloomberglaw.com