You’ve probably heard us mention them quite a few times, those three simple words that guide us on our way to sunnier days: measure, reclaim, track. These are the core elements of what we do at Clearloop, so we’d like to give you some extra background on how we tackle a company’s carbon footprint.
Measuring your carbon footprint
The first step is when a company measures their carbon footprint and decides what — and how much — they want to reclaim. Some companies seek to reclaim their entire carbon footprint, while others may want to account for their shipping or electricity emissions. At this stage, we’ll determine how much new solar capacity to build on the company’s behalf to reclaim the desired amount of carbon emissions. This figure is calculated in watts per metric ton of CO2.
Our measuring duties also extend to measuring the carbon footprint of existing areas of the electricity grid, partnering with research universities, non-profits, and companies like WattTime to calculate this footprint. Using this data we drafted a white paper that compares the parts of the country that have the most carbon intense grids with the communities that receive the most sun, mapping out the best places in the United States to build new solar capacity.
Reclaiming your carbon footprint
When it comes to reclaiming carbon, that’s where things start to get especially sunny. After measuring and determining how much carbon emissions (in watts per metric ton) they want to reclaim, our partner company makes an investment with us which directly pays for building new solar capacity. Because this partner has helped subsidize the construction of new solar projects, they claim the environmental benefits (as carbon offsets or RECs) that those panels produce.
All of the partner contributions made thus far have gone towards achieving our 1 million watt goal and the construction of solar capacity at our first project site in Jackson, TN. When this solar farm is built, it will begin reclaiming millions of pounds of carbon thanks to our 10 partner companies as it generates clean electricity for the local community. The strategic location of Jackson in our home state of Tennessee is sun-friendly and is filled with potential for new investment.
Tracking your carbon offset investments
The final piece of this pie will be to track emissions reductions in real time, made possible by implementing the latest technologies available from our partnership with WattTime. This method of tracking helps us to be as transparent as possible with you, and with all of our partners. Therefore, partners not only know where their investment is going, but can see it at work. We certainly don’t want to overstate the benefits of our solar capacity, but we don’t want to understate it either. This way, the data will speak for itself, and everyone will know just what’s going on with our sunshine.
No matter what your company’s carbon footprint is or where you are in your corporate sustainability journey, we’re ready to dig in as you take climate action.
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Want to learn more about how to reclaim your company’s carbon footprint and expand access to clean energy with Clearloop? Drop us a note at hello@clearloop.us or contact us here.