What we’re reading

GHGP Scope 2 consultation closed. What happens next?

• The GHG Protocol Scope 2 consultation closed on 31 January 2026, marking the end of the public feedback phase, but not the end of the process. We are now moving into the ISB review and approval of first drafts and the revision based on the ISB review, whereafter we’ll move into phase 2 public consultation. For more details, view their blogpost here.

China GECs: implementation rules released

• China has published long-awaited implementation rules for Green Electricity Certificates (GECs), clarifying how green electricity consumption claims must be made.
• Calendar-year annual matching is explicitly required for GEC-based claims, starting January 1, 2026. If you want to claim that the power you consumed was “green,” the certificates you retire must come from the same calendar year as the electricity consumption.
• China’s GECs are now the only officially recognised evidence that electricity is renewable. International certificates like I-RECs will phase out and are no longer recognised domestically for electricity generated inside China. This brings greater clarity for companies about how they can source, use, account for, and claim renewable power in China.
• These rules signal a broader global trend that aligns with the developments in international accounting: claims are becoming more structured, auditable, and time-bound.

CBAM requires hourly matching

• The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism started on 1 Jan 2026. It puts a carbon cost on certain imported goods (steel, cement, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen) based on the emissions embedded in their production. Importers must report emissions and eventually buy and surrender CBAM certificates covering those emissions. For companies that want to use the actual emissions factors (rather than grid averages), they must demonstrate: i. Electricity physically delivered to the production site during the same hour it was generated, not just “contractually claimed” ii. Smart meter data showing actual hourly consumption aligned with generation is required iii. Contractual evidence of the PPA linking the importer (authorised CBAM declarant) with a third-country power producer for the relevant volumes
• The implications are significant for producers of CBAM-covered goods exporting into the EU. Electricity attribute certificates, as traditionally used in annual accounting, are insufficient on their own. Where companies can demonstrate the use of physically delivered, hourly-matched clean electricity in production, they may apply lower actual emissions values, reducing CBAM liabilities and strengthening their competitive position.

The UK’s latest offshore wind auction delivered record results, reinforcing offshore wind’s central role in the UK’s clean power system

• The UK’s record offshore wind auction secured 8.4 GW of new capacity at competitive prices, strengthening clean electricity supply and supporting more reliable, granular renewable generation that can improve time-aligned procurement opportunities for corporates seeking cleaner power profiles and long-term procurement certainty. Read more here.

Granular certificates, Google’s view

• Google has published their perspective on the role of granular certificates in achieving 24/7 carbon-free energy in a report.
• Energy attribute certificates have played a foundational role in building voluntary clean energy markets and bringing renewable energy to scale. However, their reliance on annual matching is insufficient to reflect real-world grid emissions.
• As the energy transition enters its next phase, hourly energy data and granular certificates can accelerate the deployment and effective integration of a portfolio of clean energy resources, enabling more accurate tracking of impact, better system-wide decarbonisation outcomes, and transparent, auditable clean energy claims.
• Google’s position reinforces what the market is increasingly recognising: granularity is foundational, not optional.

What we’re writing

Granular Energy x LichtBlick

• Granular Energy is excited to announce the signing of a long-term partnership with LichtBlick, Germany’s biggest supplier offering only renewable electricity. This new partnership allows LichtBlick, as one of the first energy suppliers in Germany, to expand its offering for business customers to procure GOs with specific criteria.
• In the current HKN system, the allocation of generation and consumption is typically carried out on an annual basis. However, with Lichtblicks’ expanded offering, they are enabling hourly matching for the first time: business customers receive an hourly, asset-specific proof of the origin of the electricity they consume.
• LichtBlick is anticipating new rules for greenhouse gas accounting that are currently being discussed intensively within the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 framework and are likely to apply in the future under the CSRD, the EU’s sustainability reporting obligation.
• To keep internal processes simple and efficient, the management of certificates is streamlined and automated via the Granular platform.
• Read the press release.

The State of Hourly Matching

• Together with Baringa, we recently published The State of Hourly Matching report, highlighting suppliers around the world already offering hourly matching tariffs. As more corporates lean into the hourly matched renewable energy procurement, the report lists suppliers and utilities that can deliver hourly matching management for them. A few of the key findings: 46 energy suppliers currently offer hourly matched tariffs 4x year-on-year increase in the number of hourly matching tariffs available 73% of global electricity demand is in markets with hourly matched tariffs
• Find the report, webinar recording & slides here.
• Find the list of suppliers that offer Hourly Tariffs, and the global coverage map here.

Here’s why hourly tariffs can fix green powers’ credibility gap

• In RechargeNews, our CEO Toby highlights that hourly matching tariffs are spreading rapidly across global power markets.
• Going further, to meaningfully decarbonise electricity systems, demand must catch up with supply.
• Stronger customer demand, continued improvement in data and certificate systems and clearer regulatory guidance will be decisive for the rise of hourly matching.
• With these points aligned, we will see energy providers investing in clean energy technologies that enable them to meet the rising demand for round-the-clock clean power. This willinclude batteries and energy storage, but also ‘clean firm’ technologies like geothermal or biogas.

Where to meet us in the coming weeks

• E-World 2026, Feb 10-12 in Essen. Eleonore, Toby, Camille and Pal would love to connect! Message one of them or email team@granular-energy.com for a meeting.