The science is clear and the time for interim solutions has passed — the urgency of climate change demands bolder action. Decarbonizing electricity is critical to our collective efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Rather than simply offsetting emissions, we need to work together to focus on eliminating carbon from the electricity sector entirely.
Achieving around-the-clock carbon-free energy is essential and possible, but it is not inevitable without collective action.
We are a global group of companies, policymakers, investors, and organizations on a mission to realize a 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy future for all. This means that every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption is met with carbon-free electricity sources. Through the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) Compact, we will work together to develop and scale technologies, energy policies, procurement practices, and solutions to transform the broader energy system and enable rapid and cost-effective carbon-free energy — every hour, every day, everywhere.
By joining this collective effort, you will help to accelerate the transformation of electric grids globally and create a future where all electricity consumption worldwide is served by carbon-free energy sources.
Due to the remarkable progress being made in carbon-free energy generation and enabling technologies, the transition to a fully decarbonized electricity sector is undoubtedly possible. But it will take a concerted collective effort to make it happen.
Full electricity decarbonization will require a coordinated effort to develop and scale the energy policies, technologies, procurement practices, and solutions to transform the broader energy system to enable rapid and cost-effective achievement of 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy for all. Joining the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact means your organisation will become part of a global community actively engaged in accelerating the technologies, policies, tools, ideas, and advocacy that will collectively realize this mission.
There are many ways that organizations across the energy ecosystem can contribute to advancing 24/7 CFE. Some potential commitments are discussed in the 24/7 CFE Compact including:
Advancing technologies, accelerating procurement, and transforming policy will help us decarbonize electric grids worldwide, which will benefit communities and economies across the world. Crucially, 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy will drastically reduce pollution and improve economic and health outcomes for those most impacted by the sources and effects of climate change.
24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact works to advance technology and drive policy reform
Electric grids worldwide are decarbonized
Economies are powered by 24/7 carbon-free energy -- every hour, every day, everywhere
Improved economic and health outcomes for all
Carbon Neutral - Organizations offset their emissions by purchasing carbon offsets intended to reduce or prevent future global emissions.
100% Renewable Energy - Organizations purchase enough renewable energy to match their annual electricity use.
24/7 Carbon-Free Energy - Rather than emitting and compensating, organizations don’t emit in the first place. Every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption is met with carbon-free electricity sources in every hour, on every grid where electricity is consumed. It means carbon-free energy for all.
Carbon-free energy refers to all energy that is sourced from zero-carbon electricity sources such as wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal, hydro, and other carbon-free energy sources.
24/7 Carbon-Free energy is based on the following principles:
Some of the carbon-free resources that can be used to eliminate emissions today are renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and sustainable hydroelectric or biomass energy, as well as non-renewable carbon-free resources such as nuclear power. The clean energy community is also working to advance other carbon-free technologies including energy storage systems, green hydrogen, advanced nuclear power, and carbon capture and sequestration, which can all help in the fight against climate change.
Carbon-free is an approach that avoids emitting carbon in the first place, rather than emitting and compensating by carbon offsetting (for example by planting trees), as is often the case in net-zero strategies.
We are a global group of companies, policymakers, investors, and organizations on a mission to realize a 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy future for all. We are working together to develop and scale energy policies, technologies, procurement practices, and solutions to transform the broader energy system and enable rapid and cost-effective decarbonization — every hour, every day, everywhere. The movement is coordinated by Sustainable Energy for All, the United Nations, and a growing list of signatories from companies, organizations, and governments around the world.
The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy compact was launched during the High-Level Dialogue on Energy in September 2021 with an initial list of founding signatories committed to working toward a carbon-free future for all.
Energy Compacts are voluntary commitments from Member States and all other stakeholders, such as companies, regional/local governments, NGOs, and others, with the specific actions they will take to advance progress on SDG7 and net-zero emissions, designed to be fully in line with SDG Acceleration Actions and Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Climate Agreement. UN-Energy will support the development, mobilization, and monitoring of Energy Compacts throughout the entire cycle.
The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact is an ambitious global effort to accelerate the decarbonization of the world’s electricity systems to mitigate climate change and ensure access to clean and affordable electricity for all, in line with SDG7. In response to the urgent need to drive rapid decarbonization across the global economy, a group of energy buyers, energy suppliers, governments, system operators, solutions providers, investors, and other organizations has joined together to accelerate the decarbonization of electricity grids by adopting, enabling, and advancing 24/7 Carbon-free Energy (CFE). 24/7 Carbon-free Energy means that every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption is met with carbon-free electricity sources, every hour of every day, everywhere. It is both the end-state of a fully decarbonized electricity system and a transformative approach to energy procurement, supply, and policy design that is critical to accelerating its arrival.
UN-Energy organized a series of workshops for all stakeholders, including governments, business, energy suppliers, solution providers and organizations to provide an overview of the growing movement for 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) and how 24/7 CFE can accelerate electricity grid decarbonization and its relevance to net-zero goals. The workshops provided information for interested stakeholders across the energy ecosystem to join this movement and commit to the 24/7 CFE Compact. You can watch the recording of the workshop for governments and the one for business on this link. The presentations are also available on the same link. Watch the workshop recording.
You can read the full 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact on the UN website.