Hourly matching pairs electricity supply and demand for each hour, rather than over a year. It is fast becoming the benchmark for credible clean energy claims.

Why hourly matching, why now

Corporate demand for non-fossil energy (Japan's term for electricity from renewable and other zero-emission sources) is growing. On top of compliance requirements, voluntary initiatives are also driving it: RE100, whose members commit to sourcing 100% renewable electricity, and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) are updating their requirements for stricter temporal alignment.

The proposed revision of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol's Scope 2 guidance puts hourly matching at its core, so companies need to show not just how much clean energy they bought, but when they used it.

What each partner brings

Granular Energy provides a platform for managing renewable energy certificate portfolios, with EnergyTag-accredited certificate management and hourly matching built in. Utilities, retailers and traders use it to track and prove their clean energy use transparently.

MRI advises Japanese market participants, including retail electricity providers, on the power market and its regulation. It already works with customers who need hourly matching and EnergyTag accreditation.

Together, we pair local market and regulatory expertise with a proven platform.

How it works: assess, prove, deploy

The partnership supports companies through three stages.

1. Assessment: MRI explains why hourly matching matters and where the market is heading, then helps define use cases, set out required features and compare systems in detail.
2. Prove: Before full rollout, Granular Energy and MRI run a proof of concept on the company's own generation, demand and non-fossil certificate data.
3. Deploy: Granular Energy provides the platform and supports set-up, integration with existing systems and day-to-day operation.

"Hourly matching is already a reality in Japan: we deliver it today with JERA Cross. The timing matters. With the GHG Protocol's Scope 2 revision on the horizon and global buyers asking suppliers for hour-by-hour proof, Japanese companies need to get ready now. Partnering with MRI means we can help many more of them make that move." Nana Yamaguchi, Japan Lead, Granular Energy

What’s next

The partnership will serve retail electricity providers, power companies, aggregators and corporates. Both companies will also raise awareness across a range of media, helping build a market where the environmental value of renewable energy is properly assessed and used.

Companies in Japan interested in a proof of concept can contact team@granular-energy.com or media@mri.co.jp.