Vattenfall and Microsoft are piloting an electricity consumption scheme in Sweden that aims to provide more transparency by making it possible to go from year-based data to hourly based data on source of origin.
The 24/7 Matching scheme, which is being instigated at the companies’ headquarters in the Nordic country, is built with the Microsoft Azure IoT Central platform that connects energy generation such as wind- and hydro power from Vattenfall, with data from smart meters that measure the consumption in real-time.
The partners said that an increasing number of companies are committing to 100% renewable energy and fulfilling this ambition requires a reliable way of tracking clean power.
Guarantees of origin, an electronic document that provides proof of the source of a given quantity of renewable energy, are used today and match consumption and production over a year, they said.
The new solution matches this hour by hour, keeping in line with the guarantees of origin system and established frameworks for carbon reporting by cancelling guarantees based on the hourly matching.
“Energy providers can more easily understand demands for renewable energy hour-by-hour and take action to help production meet demand,” the companies said.
Business consumers can track their commitment to 100% renewable energy cover each hour.
Vattenfall senior vice president of strategic development Andreas Regnell said: “We are very happy to further develop our relationship with this advanced offering.
“Microsoft has high renewable ambitions and this solution shows how new digital solutions and technology can be used to enable a fossil free living.
“The solution gives us possibilities to offer customers specific data and unique precision, that can support them in decisions, environmental efforts and communication.”
Microsoft Sweden national technology officer Daniel Akenine said: “With this new level of transparency, you can see if your commitment to 100% renewable energy covers each hour of consumption.
“This pilot that combines Vattenfall’s energy expertise and technology from the Microsoft cloud has the potential to change the dynamics of renewable energy production and consumption to accelerate the reality of a fossil-free future for everyone.”