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Measurement

Sustainability & Measurement

Quantifying the impact of renewable energy is critical to supporting its continued expansion. The most prevalent approaches attempt to measure reduction in carbon emissions and the related positive environmental impact. You can measure your personal environmental impact or carbon footprint, and businesses take it even further by measuring their emissions using the GHG Protocol.

Tracking your own environmental footprint

A great starting point to reducing the size of your environmental footprint is knowing how big it is right now. The following tools will help you get a better understanding of how your day-to-day life impacts the environment.

How are emissions categorized?

  • Scope 1 Emissions

    These emissions are the direct result of sources owned or controlled by individuals or organizations. Examples include personal/company vehicles and industrial equipment.

  • Scope 2 Emissions

    These emissions are considered indirect and result from the generation of electricity you consume and purchase from us, Duke Energy.

  • Scope 3 Emissions

    Also considered indirect, this scope includes emissions resulting from the creation, delivery and disposal of all goods and services you use or consume.

How can we impact each kind of emissions?

Scope 1: Emissions in Scope 1 are the easiest to affect as the sources are all in control of the individual or company. Common Scope 1 reduction efforts for both homeowners and businesses include carpooling and switching to EVs.

Scope 2: As these emissions are a byproduct of generating electricity, they are harder for individuals and companies to impact. Reducing your total energy use is the easiest way; consider upgrading to higher efficiency appliances and implementing smart controls for electrical devices. You can also participate in renewable-focused programs, such as shared solar, which enable families and companies to offset a portion of their Scope 2 emissions.

Scope 3: Individuals and organizations can affect Scope 3 emissions by encouraging the businesses they interact with to take steps to reduce their own Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Renewable energy certificates (RECs)

A renewable energy certificate, or REC, represents ownership of the environmental, social and other non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation. In other words, a REC represents the greenness of 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity that is generated and delivered to the electricity grid from a renewable energy resource. Because electricity in the grid is blended from many sources – renewable and otherwise – RECs play an important role in accounting, tracking and assigning ownership to the green attributes of energy generated from renewable sources.

Planet-friendly energy for a cleaner tomorrow

We're here to help you gain a better understanding of renewables and offer ways to participate in the transition to cleaner energy sources.