Great River Energy provides its member-owner cooperatives with carbon intensity values based on 2022 data1. These values, also known as emission rates, can be used by Great River Energy all-requirements members and their electric consumers to estimate the amount of carbon emissions associated with that energy (referred to under greenhouse gas reporting frameworks as scope 2 emissions).
- 1,524 lbs CO2/MWh2 (carbon dioxide/megawatt hour)
- 1,535 lbs of CO2e/MWh3 (carbon dioxide equivalent/ megawatt hour)
These values are based on the total amount of carbon emissions associated with Great River Energy’s portfolio of owned fossil-fueled generating facilities, power purchase agreements – including Rainbow Energy and all renewable energy; divided by the amount of energy delivered to all-requirements members. These values do not account for energy obtained by member-owner cooperatives from other resources such as member-owned renewable resources or other member-specific contracts for energy.
Great River Energy provides most of the energy used by all-requirements member owners (greater than 90%). Therefore, the values presented above will provide a reasonable estimate of the carbon intensity of the power they deliver to their customers. For member-owners in other classes, the carbon intensity of the delivered energy may be different, based on their own efforts to add renewable energy.
Footnotes
1: Data consolidation and quality assurance delays the publication of final values for a calendar year until approximately June of the subsequent year. Data for the previous year will typically be available in late Q2 of the following year.
2: These calculations were completed based on current understandings of accounting methods and most recent data QAQC as of April 2024. If errors are discovered or changes to accounting methods are made, the values will be updated and reposted. Please refer this website for most current and accurate information.
3: CO2e is a value that includes the global warming potential of methane and nitrous oxide emissions expressed as CO2 equivalents. For 2022, methane intensity of the Great River Energy portfolio was 0.16 lbs/MWh which is equivalent to 4.0 lbs CO2; the nitrous oxide intensity was 0.023 lbs/MWh which is equivalent to 7.0 lbs CO2/MWh.
Dated: 4/9/2024