Purchased electricity is electricity a company buys and consumes, rather than generating itself. In greenhouse gas reporting, purchased electricity is usually part of Scope 2 emissions and can be connected to renewable electricity certificates for market-based reporting.
Purchased electricity links energy use to Scope 2 reporting.
A company may buy electricity from a utility, supplier, retailer, power purchase agreement, or another procurement route. The electricity is consumed by company sites, but the generation emissions occur elsewhere.
For market-based Scope 2 reporting, the practical question becomes whether the company has qualifying contractual instruments such as energy attribute certificates for the relevant market, period, volume, and claim.
GreenPowerHub helps buyers and sellers organize the certificate side of purchased electricity: country coverage, certificate system, sourcing route, RFQ criteria, market data, and documentation.
What to check next
- Confirm the site, reporting period, and electricity consumption volume.
- Check which certificate system applies to the market.
- Match certificate volume and vintage to the reporting need.
- Keep cancellation or redemption documentation connected to the claim.