Factor profile lifecycle_co2e_v0.1

CO2 emission factors: methodology and sources

Our CO2 intensity is a modelled lifecycle signal: a forecast generation mix per ENTSO-E production type, multiplied by an emission factor. This page says which factors those are, where they come from, and where they remain approximations.

unit is gCO2e/kWh_el throughout, methodology as of 2026-09-02
mostly IPCC AR5 lifecycle medians, with documented aggregations
four values are explicitly project approximations and marked as such

What this number is – and is not

CO2e covers the greenhouse gases considered in the underlying lifecycle assessments, as CO2 equivalents. These are therefore not stack emissions alone but a simplified lifecycle perspective including fuel supply and infrastructure, as far as the respective reference includes them.

The result is our own modelled comparison and optimisation signal. It is neither a measurement nor an official emission value, and without further accounting rules it is not an audited Scope 2 factor.

Sources

Primary reference: IPCC (2014), AR5 Working Group III, Annex III, table A.III.2 – median lifecycle emissions in gCO2eq/kWh.
Range check: UNECE (2021), Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation Options. Checks that the project values sit within plausible current LCA ranges; it does not replace the IPCC medians in v0.1.
Production type mapping: ENTSO-E, STA Implementation Guide 2.2, attribute mktPSRType.psrType.

Factor profile `lifecycle_co2e_v0.1`

The values actually applied. The API publishes the same table in the co2.assumptions field – straight from the constant the computation reads, so a published assumption cannot drift away from the calculation.

Model category	Factor	Source status	Derivation and limitation
`wind`	12	IPCC-adaptiert	IPCC-Median: Onshore 11, Offshore 12. Da die Modellkategorie beide ENTSO-E-Typen zusammenfasst, verwendet `v0.1` einheitlich 12.
`solar`	35	Projekt-Proxy	Kein direkt übernommener Quellenwert. IPCC-Mediane: CSP 27, PV Dach 41, PV Freifläche 48. ENTSO-E `B16` trennt diese Technologien nicht; 35 ist ein vereinfachter Repräsentativwert innerhalb der Literaturbandbreite.
`hydro`	24	IPCC-Median	IPCC-Median für Wasserkraft. Die IPCC-Bandbreite ist wegen standort- und reservoirspezifischer Emissionen sehr groß. Laufwasser, Speicher und Pumpspeicher werden im Modell nicht mit eigenen Faktoren getrennt.
`nuclear`	12	IPCC-Median	IPCC-Median für Kernenergie.
`biomass`	230	IPCC-Median	IPCC-Median für dedizierte Biomasse/CHP. Der Wert ist stark von Rohstoff, Landnutzung, biogenem Kohlenstoff und Bilanzierungsregeln abhängig.
`waste`	330	Projekt-Proxy	Kein direkt übernommener IPCC-Median. Abfallzusammensetzung, fossiler Anteil, Wirkungsgrad, Wärmenutzung und vermiedene Entsorgung führen zu stark unterschiedlichen Ergebnissen. 330 ist ein Modellparameter, kein allgemeingültiger Abfallstrom-Faktor.
`gas`	490	IPCC-Median mit grober Zuordnung	IPCC-Median für Erdgas-GuD. Der Projekt-Bucket enthält derzeit auch ENTSO-E `B06` Öl, `B07` Ölschiefer und `B08` Torf; für diese Untertypen ist 490 nur ein Proxy und tendenziell eher zu niedrig.
`coal`	820	IPCC-Median mit grober Zuordnung	IPCC-Median für Kohle/PC. Im Projekt zusammengefasst: Braunkohle, kohlederiviertes Gas und Steinkohle. Ein gemeinsamer Faktor bildet deren Unterschiede nicht ab.
`geothermal`	38	IPCC-Median	IPCC-Median für Geothermie. Standort- und anlagenspezifische direkte Emissionen können abweichen.
`other_renewable`	45	Projekt-Proxy	Kein direkt übernommener Quellenwert. Sammelkategorie für Marine und sonstige Erneuerbare; die enthaltenen Technologien sind heterogen.
`other`	450	Projekt-Fallback	Kein direkt übernommener Quellenwert. Wird für unbekannte/sonstige Erzeugung und derzeit auch `B25` Energy Storage verwendet. Speicherstrom müsste fachlich eigentlich die Intensität des Ladestroms zuzüglich Verlusten erben; 450 ist nur ein konservativer technischer Fallback.

IPCC-Median means the value is the cited median itself. IPCC-adaptiert means a documented category aggregation was applied. Projekt-Proxy and Projekt-Fallback are not externally published standard factors.

The derivation column is kept in German: it is the wording the model repository is versioned against.

Calculation and system boundary

The domestic generation intensity of an hour is the generation-weighted mean of the factors:

domestic_intensity = sum(generation_mw[technology] * factor[technology])
                     / sum(generation_mw[technology])

The consumption-based signal combines the domestic residual mix with positive physical imports. Import intensity is modelled from directly adjacent zones using the same factor logic. That is a one-hop attribution, not full flow tracing or a guarantee-of-origin calculation.

Not included, or only in simplified form:

grid losses between generation and consumption;
full multi-step flow tracing through further zones;
plant-, fuel- and site-specific factors;
changes in supply chains and generation fleets over time;
guarantees of origin, PPAs, supplier products and residual mixes;
the origin of the charging electricity for pumped and battery storage;
avoided emissions and marginal system effects.

Relation to Scope 2

The GHG Protocol distinguishes location-based and market-based Scope 2 values and sets its own requirements for data hierarchy, contractual instruments and residual mixes.

lifecycle_co2e_v0.1 is an hourly, consumption-oriented lifecycle model signal for forecasting and load shifting. It must not be described as an “official Scope 2 factor”, a “certified corporate factor” or the “exact CO2 emission of the electricity consumed”.

Acceptable short description:

Modelled, consumption-based lifecycle greenhouse gas intensity of the
electricity mix, including an estimated import effect (gCO2e/kWh).

Versioning and reproducibility

If factors or mappings change, the profile changes its version. Historical results stay attributed to the profile that produced them.

Every API response carries the applied profile, the factors with their source status and the model version under co2.assumptions; the forecast issue time is in source.co2.updated_at. Any archived value can therefore be attributed to the exact state that produced it.

Before a defensible accuracy claim, at least the following are open:

a sensitivity analysis for the four project approximations solar, waste, other_renewable and other;
dedicated factors for oil, oil shale and peat instead of mapping them to gas;
dedicated treatment of pumped storage and B25 energy storage;
for corporate inventories, separate GHG-Protocol-compliant accounting.