Take steps towards offsetting your business’s carbon footprint

We all leave a footprint behind. And we all strive to reduce this footprint as much as we can.

For businesses, this can be done by reducing and offsetting carbon emissions. Businesses that offset their total footprint wear the badge of carbon neutrality.

Never mind the buzzwords

While people believe carbon neutrality is interchangeable with the terms ‘zero emissions’, ‘100% renewable’ and ‘green power’, that’s not quite the case.

Let’s take a look at why.

The emissions footprint of a business is normally grouped into multiple ‘scopes’, describing where these emissions arise in relation to the businesses operation. Scope 1 emissions refer to the direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, such as burning diesel to power back-up generators. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity. That is, the emissions associated with the generators producing the electricity on the grid. Lastly, scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s supply and value chains.

Businesses can take steps toward reducing their footprint by purchasing accredited Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) to offset their scope 2 emissions – the indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. LGCs are created when large-scale renewable generators make energy.  These certificates are only created by Clean Energy Regulator-approved renewable energy projects.

This is where we see a difference between committing to source energy linked to renewable projects and offsetting your supply with 100% renewable power.

While sourcing energy linked to renewable projects through a Power Purchase Agreement provides support to Australia’s pipeline of renewables, only businesses that commit to offsetting all of their energy use can claim to be the equivalent of 100% renewable. Businesses can achieve this by purchasing 100% GreenPower or buying and surrendering enough LGCs to cover 100% of your energy use.

For a business to be carbon neutral, it also needs to offset its Scope 1 emissions and should offset its Scope 3 emissions. This can be done by purchasing Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and other approved offsets.

Flow Power is a GreenPower Provider. This means we can help businesses offset their energy use with 100% renewable energy.

How can businesses get onboard?

For businesses with sustainability targets, there are a few options.

Businesses can commit to sourcing their energy needs through a Power Purchase Agreement linked to renewable projects. These deals connect businesses to the generation from wind and solar farms – or both and are often long-term. Businesses that sign onto PPAs can also opt to ‘green’ their power by buying additional LGCs.

Renewables can also be bought through GreenPower products, where a retailer can buy and surrender LGCs on your behalf for a portion or all of your energy use. 

Flow Power allows businesses to access both of these options and set energy strategies that help meet sustainability goals faster.

Any questions? We’re here to help.

If you’re interested in learning more about renewable energy, our friendly team are always available for a chat.

If you’re an existing Flow Power customer, please do not hesitate to reach out to your account manager.

If you’re not a Flow Power customer contact our friendly team today:

? 1300 08 06 08 (within business hours)

?️ Live chat message (within business hours via the chat button at the bottom of your screen)

Alternatively, you can submit your questions through our website contact form here.