The GHG Protocol: What’s changing and why 24/7 matching matters
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol is a widely used framework for measuring and managing emissions. It underpins how businesses report across Scope1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions and is used globally by businesses, governments, and investors.
For businesses, it plays a critical role in tracking progress toward net zero, meeting regulatory and investor expectations and making credible sustainability claims.
Now, the Protocol is undergoing its most significant update in over a decade bringing a renewed focus on how emissions from electricity are measured and reported.
What’s the latest news?
The GHG Protocol is currently reviewing its Corporate Standard and Scope 2 Guidance to reflect a rapidly changing energy landscape. The most recent consultation, which closed in January 2026, explored how to:
- Improve the accuracy of emissions reporting
- Strengthen the credibility of renewable energy claims
- Better align reported emissions with real-world electricity use
At the centre of this shift is growing recognition that annual, location independent matching no longer fully reflects how electricity is generated and consumed.
In response, approaches such as 24/7 (hourly) matching and deliverability requirements are being considered, ensuring renewable energy is not only purchased, but used at the right time and in the right place.
These proposals remain under review, with further consultation expected. A key challenge will be balancing improved accuracy with practical implementation.
What it means for businesses purchasing energy
For large energy users, this is more than a technical update, it signals a broader shift in expectations. Historically, businesses have been able to claim renewable electricity through annual certificate matching, even if generation did not align with when or where energy was consumed.
The direction of travel is now towards:
- More granular, time based reporting
- Stronger links between consumption and generation
- Greater transparency and accountability
This will require businesses to take a more active, data driven approach to how energy is procured, managed, and reported.
This is where 24/7 matching plays a role. It aligns electricity consumption with renewable generation on an hourly basis. In simple terms, it moves businesses from “We buy enough renewable energy over a year” to “Our electricity use is matched with renewable generation as it happens.”
This represents a step change in how businesses understand and manage their energy use and signals the future direction of clean energy reporting.
A practical introduction to 24/7 (hourly) matching
So why does 24/7 matching matter to businesses? It provides a more accurate view of energy use, better reflecting real grid conditions and strengthening the credibility of emissions reporting. In practice, this supports:
- More accurate emissions accounting
- Greater confidence in sustainability claims
- Smarter energy use aligned to renewable availability
- More meaningful emissions reductions
This approach is already being put into practice. EDF has previously worked with JPMorgan Chase to match electricity consumption with renewable generation on a half-hourly basis, providing real time visibility of energy use and carbon impact.
Delivering credible 24/7 matching at scale, however, requires more than renewable supply alone. It depends on a unique combination of capabilities.
As the UK’s largest offtaker of renewable power, EDF provides customers with access to significant volumes of clean energy across more hours of the day and year. This is complemented by EDF’s nuclear fleet, which delivers dependable, always-on low carbon generation, maintaining coverage when renewable output is lower and strengthening hourly matching in a way intermittent renewables alone cannot.
Alongside this, EDF’s battery storage and flexibility solutions enable businesses to shift demand, optimise consumption, and better align usage with renewable availability over time.
Together, this integrated approach enables businesses to reduce residual emissions, strengthen reporting confidence, and future proof their clean energy strategies as reporting standards evolve.
Looking ahead
The GHG Protocol update reflects a wider shift toward more transparent, data driven emissions reporting. While final standards are still being developed, the direction is clear:
- Greater alignment between energy use and reporting
- Increasing importance of time based data
- A move beyond annual accounting toward real world impact
For businesses this presents both a challenge and an opportunity to better understand their energy use and play a more active role in the transition to a low carbon energy system.
At EDF, we see 24/7 matching as a natural evolution in how businesses engage with energy. By combining renewable scale, reliable low carbon generation, and advanced flexibility solutions, we’re helping business customers navigate change today while preparing for the next generation of carbon reporting.
Want to find out more?
Visit our website https://www.edfenergy.com/business-wholesale or get in touch at letstalkpower@edfenergy.com to speak to one of our clean energy specialists.
