Author: 3Degrees Staff

At 3Degrees, we make it possible for businesses and their customers to take urgent action on climate change— providing renewable energy and carbon offset solutions to Fortune 500 companies, utilities, universities, green building firms and other organizations that are working to make their operations more sustainable. And as a certified B Corporation and eight-time winner of the EPA Green Power Supplier of the Year award, we’re primed to deliver custom clean power solutions that will help each organization make an environmental impact. Founded in 2007, 3Degrees is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices across the United States.

Sustainable snacking leader signs a 12-year PPA in Poland

Mondelez Logo

As part of their journey to reach a 2050 goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions, Mondelēz International, a global snacking company, has been working towards its aim to reduce its scope 2 footprint worldwide. With a short-term target of reducing their absolute end-to-end GHG emissions by 10% by 2025, relative to a 2018 baseline, they set their sights on Poland, where they could aim to make a meaningful contribution to emissions reductions in a carbon-intensive country.

Mondelēz International approached 3Degrees to develop and implement a renewable energy procurement strategy to help address emissions from electricity consumption in its Polish manufacturing facilities.

Challenges

  • In 2022, Europe faced unprecedented market volatility, with rising energy costs that made renewable energy developers hesitant to enter into long-term corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs). This resulted in limited project supply to meet corporate demand;
  • Mondelēz International needed a project that would aim to reduce its greenhouse gas footprint across its growing portfolio of production plants in Poland;
  • Ever-changing market conditions made it difficult to keep stakeholders up-to-date and educated on the process throughout. This was especially challenging as PPA prices continued to increase rapidly over short time periods.

How we helped

3Degrees worked with Mondelēz International to facilitate workshops to educate and align stakeholders on the current state of European energy markets and PPAs. Based on the input and feedback gathered in these workshops, the 3Degrees team was also able to determine the best-fit project characteristics to meet Mondelēz International’s needs and preferences. 

With this information, 3Degrees developed a tender strategy and, upon Mondelēz International’s approval, issued a Request for Proposals, which included:


Financial modeling to estimate each offer’s projected Net Present Value (NPV), monthly cash flows, and implied guarantee of origin (GO) value;


 

Conducting comprehensive market development and contractual risk analyses;


Evaluating each project according to Mondelēz International’s criteria, specifically, geographic location, technology, development maturity, and counterparty qualifications.

 

Once Mondelēz International selected a project, 3Degrees supported the PPA contract negotiation process.

Results

Mondelēz International signed a 12-year PPA with a renewable energy developer in Poland for approximately 126 GWh of solar electricity. The project aims to enable Mondelēz International to: 

  • Displace more than 1 million metric ton equivalent of CO2 emissions from electricity generation during the PPA term, which will contribute to reaching 40% of its carbon reduction goal in Europe; 
  • Achieve its goal of covering its annual Polish electricity consumption with GOs produced within Poland.

As part of our ongoing advisory support, 3Degrees will provide PPA monitoring services to Mondelēz International in order to evaluate project performance and incorporate the Poland PPA into its European renewable electricity portfolio.

“At Mondelēz we are as ambitious about sustainability as we are in chocolate making. We are very happy to work with 3Degrees who shared our ambition at a time when Europe was going through the biggest energy crisis since WW2. Several times we experienced the advantage of working together as we adapted our reach to the market and used your expertise in our tough negotiations.”

— Ilkem Yildiz , Sourcing Manager, Energy & Utilities Europe, Mondelez International

 

“Mondelēz International’s achievement of its ambitious goal in Poland is an excellent example of a corporate buyer making the maximum possible impact through project selection in a carbon intensive grid. We are thrilled to have supported Mondelēz in signing a 12-year PPA in Poland despite challenging market conditions, which is a testament to Mondelēz’s tenacity and a significant climate action milestone in Europe.”

— Tyler Espinoza, Senior Director, Energy and Climate Practice, 3Degrees

United States Renewable Markets Insight Report | March 2023

In recent years, electricity market prices and trends in the U.S. have been impacted by global geopolitical issues and extreme weather events, among other external pressures. With so many aspects of the market in flux, it can be challenging to stay up-to-speed. We’ve created the inaugural U.S. Renewable Markets Insight Report so that our audience can easily track important developments.

In this edition, we will:

  • Provide an overview of the current U.S. energy market
  • Identify fundamental power and gas market drivers
  • Outline substantial policy and regulatory activity 
  • Highlight key PPA trends and REC prices

Start reading the Renewable Markets Insight Report now to take a closer look at the energy and PPA market landscape in the United States. 

Webinar Recording: Understanding the Carbon Removals Landscape

March 2, 2023

Recorded March 2nd, 2023

The lasting mitigation of carbon is critical for keeping emissions within the temperature goals set in the Paris Agreement. Backed by the IPCC, Science Based Target Initiative, and the United Nations’ Race to Zero Campaign, carbon removals pose a huge opportunity to meet the crucial 1.5 degrees or less global warming trajectory. These initiatives mandate corporations’ use of carbon removal to address remaining emissions in their climate target year and to contribute to global decarbonization on their path to net zero.

For the voluntary carbon markets to meet the growing demand for carbon removals, rapid progress must be made to expand the supply. The carbon removal market is nascent and many unanswered questions exist around project-level criteria, methodologies, and scalability. New innovative pathways for removing and storing carbon are constantly emerging, and standards bodies are still shaping methodologies for these projects.

With so little concrete guidance, how can organizations help build a prosperous carbon removals market that will meet the demands of a net zero economy? In this webinar, we will start to answer that question.

In this webinar you will learn more about:

  • The current carbon removals market
  • Possible carbon removal procurement pathways
  • Key considerations and screening criteria for corporate carbon removal buyers
  • Actions that scale up the supply for carbon removals

Watch the webinar

Moderator:

Speakers:

  • Steph Harris, Director, Carbon Markets, 3Degrees
  • Maggie Lund, Policy Manager, Carbon Markets, 3Degrees

Impacts of new SBTi FLAG guidance on climate goals

From April 2023 onward, any organization setting emission reduction targets in line with the SBTi framework must set a Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) Science-Based Target to comply with SBTi’s new FLAG guidance, with special requirements for companies that have considerable emissions from FLAG activities.

Companies will need to review the crucial pieces of information in the guidance to ensure they understand the impact it will have. To help companies meet the new SBTi requirements on FLAG emissions, we created a guide that outlines 8 crucial steps for preparation.

In this guide, 3Degrees’ Manager of Energy and Climate Practice, Europe, Elena Cernov, will walk you through the SBTi FLAG framework to help ensure your organization makes meaningful progress in addressing its emissions footprint. Download our guide below to discover your pathway for tackling FLAG emissions.

 

 

Understanding the carbon removals landscape: Creating clarity in an opaque market

Carbon removals white paper

Despite the growing interest in carbon removal projects, the removals market is still nascent and many unanswered questions exist around project-level criteria, new methodologies, and scalability. In the absence of definitive and common standards, how can corporations help build a robust carbon removals market that can support net zero ambitions by 2050 or sooner?

In this paper, we will start to answer that question by:

  • Providing an overview of the current carbon removals market
  • Identifying possible carbon removal procurement pathways
  • Highlighting some key considerations and screening criteria for corporate carbon removal buyers
  • Outlining decisions your organization can make today to help scale up supply for carbon removals.

Explore this paper to learn how your organization can develop its own strategy for building a robust carbon removals market that can support net zero ambitions by 2050 or sooner.

 

 

Coping with COP27 Outcomes to Deal with Climate Change

December 9, 2022

Every year, the Conference of the Parties (COP), hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), brings together world leaders to align on policies to limit global temperature rise and mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. This year’s 27th summit took place in November in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, filled with representatives from a broad spectrum of sectors worldwide sharing their intentions, ideas, and innovative progress.

COP27’s immense size and scope have left the global environmental community wondering whether the conference’s original objective -to holistically address and mitigate climate change- is still realistic. Are COP’s formal, high-level negotiations aligned with the realities currently faced by climate-vulnerable communities around the world, especially considering the pace of innovation and mobilization required to address these adversities? This was one of the questions we pondered during COP27. In this blog, we will share some of the key moments and meaningful takeaways from the conference.

In November, our Director of Business Partnerships for EMEA, Stein Haugan, attended the 27th summit in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt.

Walking the Talk for Urgent Climate Change at COP27

As the war rages on in Ukraine, we are simultaneously experiencing spiking inflation, a sinking economy, and volatile energy prices—all of which are influenced and exacerbated by each other. Meanwhile, climate change is driving record-high temperatures, extreme weather events, and sea level rise around the world. How can global leaders and policymakers address any or all of these problems in the short period of time available? Below, we review some of the key developments coming out of COP27 that are helping to make inroads during this extremely tumultuous time.

UN Establishes Fund for “Loss and Damages” 
The expectation coming into COP27 was that negotiations would focus on climate financing, adaptation, and, most crucially, establishing a fund to pay for climate “loss and damages” to developing countries. Small island states and other vulnerable nations, which have and will continue to experience substantial climate-related damages despite contributing relatively little to global climate change, have long advocated for such a fund. This call lent increased urgency following the devastating flooding experienced by Pakistan and Nigeria earlier this year.  

Although parties have struggled to find consensus on loss and damages in the past, COP27 saw a breakthrough after the EU proposed (and the U.S. eventually agreed to) the creation of a joint fund to compensate for climate damages. We await more substantive details of this fund next year and at future COPs.

Support for Adaptation Efforts in Developing Countries
Financing for adaptation in the Global South was another major focus of conversation at COP27. Adaptation finance provides countries with proactive support to help build climate resilience before disasters strike. Nations formally committed to finalizing the UN’s Global Goal for Adaptation next year at COP28 but, in the meantime, have pledged an additional $230 million to the Adaptation Fund. 

Furthermore, the UN announced the launch of its Early Warnings for All initiative, which aims to provide all individuals in the Global South with early warning signals for extreme weather events and impending climate disasters. The UN’s Race to Resilience campaign also released a new Data Explorer intended to transparently track national progress toward adaptation implementation.

Expert Group Pushes to Standardize Net Zero Target-Setting
The UN High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero Commitments (HLEG) released a Net Zero Commitments report that attempts to establish a “universal definition of net zero” through 10 key recommendations on target-setting, use of carbon credits, reporting, and climate advocacy.

U.S. Strengthens Commitment to Climate Action
The U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to climate change mitigation at COP27, introducing new regulations and initiatives intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions both domestically and abroad:

Methane reductions: President Joe Biden announced plans to strengthen methane regulations in the oil and gas sector to cut emissions by 87% below 2005 levels by 2030. 

Energy Transition Accelerator: A new carbon market mechanism that will allow companies to fund jurisdictional-scale transitions away from coal and oil in developing economies in return for “offsets” from resulting greenhouse gas reductions. 

Climate Targets for Federal Suppliers: The U.S. became the first nation to require federal government suppliers to set Paris Agreement–aligned emission reduction goals through its Federal Supplier Climate Risk and Resilience Rule.

Small Steps Lead to Small Ambitions at COP27

While COP27 generated a number of positive outcomes, the conference failed to address a few crucial issues to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. Some of the barriers that emerged during COP27 are detailed below.

Coalition for Rainforest Nations stand at COP27 in Egypt

Failure to Formally Commit to Fossil Fuel Phase-Out
Despite progress in providing financial support for developing countries, there were few efforts in formal negotiations to strengthen emission mitigation efforts and targets. Notably absent from the overarching COP27 decision (dubbed the  “Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan”) was language around phasing out fossil fuels, despite calls to include such language from many nations, including the U.S. and India. This failure to increase ambition left observers questioning if the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still within reach.

EU Unsuccessfully Pushes for Increased Mitigation Ambition
Yet again, and not surprisingly, the EU led the global community on climate change mitigation, driving breakthrough negotiations on loss and damages under the condition that all other nations commit to strengthening their emissions targets. While their push to increase global mitigation action ultimately failed, the EU was one of the only negotiating parties to announce a plan to update its own climate goal by pledging 55% emissions reductions by 2030, supported by the REPowerEU initiative.

Final Remarks

While there were hundreds of other announcements at COP27, the time to act is shrinking, and positive reinforcement will be crucial in the long run. Encouragingly, many organizations and companies gathered to bring constructive and promising solutions to pressing climate problems. Ultimately, governments, companies, and individuals must work together to protect the same and only planet Earth we all share.

Reach out to discuss how your company can mitigate its impact on climate change.

 

Maggie Lund, Policy Manager, Carbon Markets & Corporate Carbon Strategies

Maggie leads 3Degrees’ carbon-related policy engagement, working directly with standard-setters and regulatory authorities to develop best practice recommendations for international carbon markets.

 

Stein Haugan, Director of Business Partnerships, Renewable Energy & Climate, EMEA

Stein supports global corporate customers to deliver renewable energy and carbon solutions tailored to their specific sustainability goals.

 

 

Daring to innovate whilst making credible green claims: Insights from edie 23

April 3, 2023

At the beginning of March, we travelled to London to take part in edie 23, a thought-leadership event for industry and sustainability leaders. It was inspiring to see the commitment of the attendees and speakers throughout the sessions as they discussed net zero strategy, policy changes, data reporting and more. 

We consolidated numerous insightful discussions over the two-day event into three prevailing themes: calling for credible claims disclosure, bringing climate ambition to action, and balancing the tensions of climate action. 

A call for credible claims disclosure

On day one, Emma Watson, Head of Standards at The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), highlighted three key guidelines for credible and ambitious decarbonisation commitments:

 

Mateja Penava, Climate Strategy Consultancy Manager at 3Degrees, took part in the carbon offsetting session at the event. Image courtesy from edie 23

In relation to the third guideline from Emma Watson’s keynote, the carbon offsetting panel that 3Degrees joined later that day, addressed the use of carbon credits as a means to act beyond an organisation’s value chain. These provide reliable streams of finance to emissions reduction or removal projects, which would otherwise not be viable. Yet, there are uncertainties and risks to Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) strategies, thus, project-level due diligence should be incorporated to ensure projects are high quality and in line with overall sustainability strategy and ambition.

That is why setting credible goals is of the utmost importance. Concerns around greenwashing and greenhushing are on the rise and organisations are facing strong pressures to set credible targets and disclose viable decarbonisation pathways. 

Cecilia Parker Aranha, Director of Consumer Protection at the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), addressed this at the conference with the example of the UK Green Claims Code, which sets out guidelines for ensuring environmental claims made by businesses about their products, services, and brand comply with the updated consumer protection law. The key points could also serve as guidance for speaking more broadly about climate goals and actions.

Similarly to the UK’s Green Claims, the European Commission recently proposed the Directive on Green Claims, a set of rules that will mandate companies to substantiate, verify and communicate their green claims. 

These regulations respond to an increasing need to provide guidance to organisations on how to share information around their products, services, and initiatives, as well as to halt inaccurate environmental claims that mislead the general public and bring about scepticism around corporate climate action. 

Bringing climate ambition to action

Once companies have decided on a sustainability roadmap to tackle their GHG emissions, the next step is to bring that ambition into action. “Action” is the It word in the midst of environmental transformation. The net zero transition is accelerating and many companies are trying to find the best way to bring their ambitions into action. 

In a workshop session, groups of delegates were asked to name the three most important actions for tackling emissions within supply chains. Almost all groups agreed collaboration is key, with innovation and education forming the essential pillars of a successful strategy.

Collaboration calls for openness and transparency, whilst innovation carries risks. In a keynote delivered by Paul Polman, climate advocate and former CEO of Unilever, he stressed that risks and stumbles are inherent to innovation. Therefore, to truly accelerate the decarbonisation of the economy, we must embrace the lessons of failings and successes alike and make them part of the communication of our climate actions. 

Ultimately, investors will need to accept a higher level of risk and transcend traditional ideas of competitive advantage to develop solutions that can bring about a rapid and steady transition to a low-carbon economy. With strong financial muscle, emerging companies with fresh ideas will find the support they need to grow, and established companies will be encouraged to adapt and transform. Riskier investments in the short-term will, therefore, enable long-term stability.

Balancing inherent tensions of climate action

Unsurprisingly, the question posed across sessions was how to reconcile the need for credible communication around climate initiatives with the inherent uncertainty of innovation and call for urgent climate action. This is the tricky part for organisations. They need to secure funding, reduce their emissions, be nimble, and innovate on the go whilst dealing with the constant threat of public criticism. 

Communication plays a vital role in any climate action roadmap. The traditional approach has been to announce successes and omit the difficulties. However, being specific in reporting involves publicly sharing the efforts taken for each milestone. The attitude of “if it’s not perfect, we shouldn’t do it” is causing hesitancy for action. Watson was very clear when she highlighted that companies must go further than the SBTi guidance, and Polman noted that the biggest risk we face is our own fatigue. The time to act is now.

3Degrees stands ready to support organisations across the globe with net zero solutions, climate technology advisory services and climate risk assessment and mitigation to surpass the threshold of hesitancy and bring credible claims to action. Connect with us today.

Mateja Penava, Manager for Climate Strategy on the Energy and Climate Practice team in Europe

Mateja has extensive experience in carbon and renewable energy strategy development, enabling companies with a global footprint to achieve emissions reduction targets and make legitimate claims.

 

Jo Burton, Consultant for Climate Strategy on the Energy and Climate Practice team in Europe

Jo specializes in net zero, decarbonisation strategies and scope 3 emissions reporting, supporting strategic and analytical sustainability and energy management.

 

 

Learn Best Practices to Implement a Successful Voluntary Gas Program (webinar)

October 20, 2022

On October 19, 2022, 3Degrees’ Associate Director of Product Innovation, Andrea DeWees, shared what our decades of experience have taught us about the foundational best practices for voluntary programs. She outlined how gas utilities can demonstrate climate action to their stakeholders by applying these with confidence in order to build, launch, and grow a successful voluntary program.

Catch up on the event below.

RNG certificates are used in a number of voluntary and compliance frameworks to substantiate claims of consuming renewable energy fuel from a common carrier pipeline. As a relatively new commodity compared to electricity-derived energy attribute certificates, reporting requirements are still under development for some corporate sustainability initiatives.
 

3Degrees partners with Merge Electric Fleet Solutions to craft a data-driven fleet electrification roadmap for MA-based solar company

November 2, 2022

 

Solect Energy is one of the top 10 commercial photovoltaic (PV) solar installers in the United States. Built with a mission to turn energy into business opportunities for their customers, the company works tirelessly to find smart, clean energy solutions with a bankable return. Solect deploys a modest commercial fleet of just under 50 light-to-medium duty PV installation and operations vehicles. Given the nature of its business and the size of its fleet, Solect Energy was an ideal candidate for 3Degrees to pilot a fleet advisory engagement with EV analytics partner, Merge Electric Fleet Solutions (Merge).

The Opportunity 

As EV technology has reached fleet-capable vehicle classes including pickups and vans, and local, state, and federal incentives continue to scale, companies around the world are assessing when and how to transition to electric fleets in order to accelerate progress toward overarching climate targets and bring down total cost of ownership.

For Solect Energy, employing a dedicated in-house professional to analyze and optimize their fleet performance isn’t its central priority. However, to understand the business case for fleet electrification, the company joined forces with 3Degrees and Merge to conduct an EV advisory engagement that would assess the current driving pattern of its fleet, optimize current performance, analyze the viability of vehicle electrification vehicle-by-vehicle, calculate the total cost of ownership impacts, and identify immediate next steps.

How We Helped

Leveraging its partnership with Merge, the team utilized existing telematics data collection across Solect Energy’s fleet. By analyzing the real-world driving and locational data, 3Degrees and Merge unlocked a deeper understanding of factors unique to Solect’s electrification opportunity, such as where each vehicle is stored overnight, how far each vehicle is driving daily and annually, how much a vehicle idles, and the consistency or variability of each vehicle’s usage. Discovery calls led by 3Degrees brought to light unique business considerations such as the average vehicle lifespan, the business requirements of each vehicle, and the requirements of the vehicle’s driver.

First, 3Degrees and Merge scrubbed the data to remove errors, ensure accuracy, and fill in any data gaps. Once the data was validated, the team conducted a thorough analysis of the fleet to help prioritize which vehicles to electrify and when. The team developed a precursory EV procurement plan and presented it to the Solect Energy management team. Merge also forecast charging infrastructure and energy needs, including home, depot, and public, for early to late phase deployment. Deeper-level discussions between the companies helped 3Degrees present realistic actionable next steps.


The Results

The analysis determined that 50% of Solect’s fleet could be electrified over the next six years, bringing with it an average total cost of ownership benefit of approximately $7,300 per electric vehicle and avoiding 50MT of CO2e per vehicle from being emitted into the atmosphere.

These findings helped Solect Energy identify the lowest-risk and most costeffective course of action. Solect Energy now has a customized plan that details how electric vehicles can be phased in as the fleet turns over in a way that minimizes the impact to operations and is financially beneficial. Clean fuels programs, which provide financial incentives to organizations reducing the carbon intensity of a state’s fuel pool, have been rolled out in many regions across North America. If Massachusetts adopts its own clean fuels program, 3Degrees can help monetize on behalf of Solect to further improve the ROI. Additionally, with many of 3Degrees’ clients, EV charging is matched with RECs to ensure that it is consuming decarbonized power.

Transitioning to new technologies isn’t without its challenges and risks. This engagement provided Solect Energy with a clear starting point on their journey to fleet electrification, and the peace of mind of knowing that the road ahead will be a smooth one.

 

“3Degrees and Merge did a great job of understanding our business and providing us with actionable advice. We now have a roadmap to electrifying our fleet and know when and how to transition each vehicle.”

– KEN DRISCOLL, CEO, Solect