Scope 2 is changing. Data centre energy strategies must change with it.
For much of the last decade, renewable electricity procurement has been relatively straightforward. Buy enough certificates, join a green tariff, or rely on an annual matching claim, and you could credibly say your operations were powered by zero-carbon renewable electricity.
That era is coming to an end. And for data centres in particular, this matters.
In this article, we explain how the proposed changes to Scope 2 reporting are likely to impact data centres – and how Good Energy can help future-proof your business.
What’s likely to change with Scope 2 reporting?
Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 was last updated in 2015.
In the current approach, businesses that are on an annual, REGO-backed tariff can legitimately label all of their electricity usage as zero-carbon – regardless of when and where that associated power was generated.
There is a growing recognition that this current approach fails to reflect what’s actually happening on the power system, leaving gaps in credibility and transparency. And while it has driven renewable investment, it’s created some unintended outcomes, including:
- A system that doesn’t reflect how electricity is actually used.
- The ability to claim 100% renewable, zero-carbon supply even when consumption occurs during the most carbon-intensive hours.
- A megawatt hour generated hundreds of miles away is treated the same as one procured locally.
The proposed Scope 2 reforms address this by making hourly matching and location central: electricity will only count as zero-carbon if it is consumed in the same hour it is generated from a matched renewable source.
Likely to come into effect in 2027, these changes will create a more resilient renewables system that strengthens the credibility of zero-carbon claims, drives finance to the right areas and helps to lower the system cost for everyone.
How will this impact data centres?
All electricity users will feel the impact of Scope 2 changes, but data centres are uniquely exposed.
They are large consumers, with continuous loads, whose power demand does not flex naturally with renewable generation. They attract intense scrutiny from planners, local communities and investors, and are often used as examples – fairly or unfairly – in broader debates about energy system strain.
What’s more, data centres that cannot evidence their renewable credentials risk missing out on the customers they need to grow. Major technology companies now expect providers to demonstrate a truly time-matched renewable energy supply.
A procurement strategy that relies on annual certificates and generic green claims will become harder to defend in this environment. Data centres will need to adapt their approach because the reporting framework is catching up with system reality.
What is the risk of traditional flexible procurement?
Many data centre energy contracts were not designed with future Scope 2 expectations in mind.
Flex contracts where power is bought in tradeable blocks prioritise price hedging and budget control but offer very little visibility of time-based emissions. Standard flex tariffs often rely on unbundled certificates with limited additionality. And the reporting this offers is typically retrospective and high-level.
Under proposed Scope 2 changes, these structures may still be compliant, but they will look increasingly weak when placed alongside more granular, system-aligned approaches.
This creates a strategic risk. While compliance won’t disappear overnight, not shifting approach is likely to erode your credibility with investors, customers, and planning authorities.
What does a future-proofed energy strategy look like?
It’s easy to treat Scope 2 reform as a future problem. But procurement decisions made now can often lock in structures for years.
Data centre operators that move early have more choice and more credibility when expectations tighten. And those who don’t may find themselves retrofitting solutions onto contracts that were never designed for this level of scrutiny.
Here are the questions you should be asking your energy supplier:
- How closely does renewable generation align with your demand, hour by hour?
- Can your supplier provide transparent, auditable data to prove it?
- Where are the assets located relative to your site?
- Can contracts evolve as reporting standards change?
Good Energy helps businesses meet these expectations. Through our partnership with Granular Energy and our network of over 3,000 independent UK generators, we consistently achieve around 90% hourly matching between supply and demand, with auditable, real time data to prove it. This is independently verified by the Matched Clean Power Index, where we rank #1 in the UK in 2025.
An hourly-matched energy supply gives data centres confidence in their zero-carbon claims, transparent reporting, and stronger sustainability credentials – providing a competitive edge even before tighter Scope 2 rules take effect.
What comes next?
In the next article, we move from theory to practice, showing how a UK data centre is using Good Energy’s hourly-matched renewable electricity to make its energy supply resilient to Scope 2 changes and win more customers.
The final article in this series will step back to address the wider narrative around data centres and energy. Much of the negative coverage focuses on demand alone. In reality, with the right procurement and management, data centres can be not just compliant, but genuinely positive contributors to the UK power system.
Scope 2 change is coming – the question is how quickly you act to capture the commercial and reputational opportunities it creates. Get in touch today to explore how we can future proof your data centre with an hourly-matched energy supply.
