Granular Certificate (GC) Marketplace

Buy and sell hourly carbon-free energy attributes based on when and where they’re generated. Procure just the right amount.

Achieve ambitious procurement strategies with the US' first GC trading platform

Meet carbon-free energy (CFE) demands at all hours of the day

Purchase GCs for the hours and locations that are not covered by your existing portfolio and accelerate progress towards more advanced sustainability targets.

Save money by selling excess CFE supply

Recoup cost associated with your energy portfolio by selling GCs that your organization does not need to cover your operations, and enable other organizations to cover their own energy needs.

Be a leader in the energy transition

Maximize your organization’s impact as a leader in a next-generation energy market that advances transparency of the production, sale, and consumption of hourly clean energy procurement.

What is a Granular Certificate (GC)?

GCs are a type of energy attribute certificate that verify the time and location that carbon-free energy (CFE) is generated. We are effectuating the EnergyTag standard for GCs, by which one GC represents one watt hour of CFE within an hourly time interval. GCs enable energy buyers to easily source CFE generated around the clock, and incentivize energy sellers to produce clean energy where and when it's most needed.

At marketplace launch, available GC technology types will include renewables (e.g. solar, wind), nuclear, and hydropower. Additional generation types, including energy storage generated by renewable sources, are under consideration for future auctions.

How does the GC Marketplace work?

Buyers and sellers exchange GCs by participating in over-the-counter (OTC) auctions, held on a single day.

Step 1

Onboard

Before the auction, participants independently determine their GC needs; where and when they need additional CFE to match consumption, and where and when they have excess CFE. The LevelTen team will support the creation of a log-in to both WebICE, the trading platform, and LevelTen Energy, the GC management platform. Once access is granted and before the auction takes place, participants share their hourly net need profiles with LevelTen.

Step 2

Trade

Participants have the option to participate in two auctions to purchase or sell GCs: a forward market, featuring GCs that will be minted in the future, and a spot market, featuring GCs that have already been minted. GCs are bought and sold in four-hour blocks in the forward market on a quarterly basis, and one-hour blocks in the spot market on a monthly basis.

Step 3

Settle

After buyer demand and supply are matched, the LevelTen platform is used to manage the physical delivery of GCs. LevelTen acts as an intermediary, ensuring payment is made by the buyer, and GCs are delivered by the seller.

What are the benefits of participation?

Carbon-Free Energy Buyers

• Achieve clean energy targets by procuring just the right amount: This flexible, granular procurement option allows organizations to fill temporal gaps in their CFE portfolio due to forecasting uncertainties that PPAs cannot address, as well as sell surplus CFE that exceeds usage in a given hour, reducing the need for over-procurement and lowering overall costs.
• Be a sustainability leader and shape a new market: Participating in the GC Platform allows you to change the way carbon-free energy is procured. This new market represents positive grid impact by unlocking aggregate price signals for carbon-free energy at all hours of the day in specific locations.

Carbon-Free Energy Sellers

• Get price and demand data: Unlock new demand and price signals for carbon-free resources during scarce hours where clean energy is needed.
• Access a new revenue stream: Just like renewable energy certificates, granular certificates will provide a source of revenue outside of power market sales.
• Inform development decisions: Location and time-specific demand volume from an active GC market can inform when and where new clean energy development is needed. Sellers can use this data to inform future projects.

Backed by the world’s largest energy buyers and sellers

This platform was developed with support from the GC Trading Alliance, a group of leading energy buyers and sellers who believe it will drive down the cost of hourly procurement and incentivize new clean energy availability.

Get ready for the next stage of the energy transition

Get onboarded to LevelTen’s GC Marketplace as either a buyer or seller.