Grid operators, economists, and former policymakers warn that the current Greenhouse Gas Protocol proposals are inconsistent with the physical realities of the power grid.

The Laws of Physics Do Not Comply:
Experts note that electricity mixes on the grid, making it physically impossible to trace an electron from a specific generator to a specific consumer. Attempting to mandate physical matching of contracted load and generation is an "accounting fiction".

Costs for Everyday Consumers Would Increase:
If large corporate buyers isolate their loads from the rest of the grid to achieve strict 24/7 matching, utilities are left to procure resources for a more volatile load pattern, which could drive up electricity prices for residential customers by up to 26%.

Clean Energy Financing:
Adding strict hourly matching and deliverability constraints complicates long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Experts warn this will disincentivize companies from signing the very contracts necessary to finance new wind and solar development.

What the Experts Recommend Instead

Instead of forcing a costly "one-size-fits-all" mandate, the market and academic consensus points toward pragmatic, high-impact alternatives:

Grid-Level Impact:
Companies should abandon the individual, asset-level 24/7 framework and instead evaluate their power investments using an integrated, grid-level lens to maximize marginal-emission reductions.

Flexible "May, Not Shall" Guidance:
Hourly matching and deliverability should be encouraged as optional, voluntary enhancements for the few companies that can afford them, but they must not become minimum requirements that lock the rest of the market out.