WRI 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Pitch Deck Teardown

Introduction: A Template for Municipal Transformation

The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Local Government Pitch Deck , updated April 1, 2023, is a specialized resource developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) U.S. Energy Team . It serves as a white-label framework for municipal leaders to advocate for a transition from standard renewable energy goals to the more rigorous 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) standard. This teardown examines the 17 provided slides, which outline the definition, benefits, and implementation roadmap for this energy transition.

Slide 1: Title and Attribution

The cover slide establishes the deck as a tool for local governments. It is clearly branded by the World Resources Institute and provides a direct contact for Nate Hausman of the WRI U.S. Energy Team. The date, April 1, 2023, indicates that the information reflects relatively current energy market standards and policy frameworks.

Slide 2: Selected Resources

This slide functions as a bibliography, citing six key resources including WRI peer-reviewed briefs, the Volts podcast, and research from the Princeton University ZERO Lab. This adds academic and technical credibility to the pitch, ensuring that the subsequent claims are backed by industry-standard research.

Slide 3: Agenda

The agenda sets a logical flow: defining 24/7 CFE, establishing a baseline for a specific community, and then moving into supply-side and demand-side actions. It concludes with strategy development. This structure is designed to move an audience from 'what is this?' to 'how do we do it?'

Slide 4: Defining 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE)

This is the foundational slide of the deck. It defines 24/7 CFE as ensuring "every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption is met with carbon-free electricity sources, every hour of every day." It distinguishes CFE as both a goal (hourly matching) and an approach (a framework for procurement and demand shifting). This is a critical distinction from annual net-zero goals, which often ignore the hourly reality of grid emissions.

Slide 5: The Role of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)

This slide explains the mechanism of RECs, defined as tradeable instruments representing one megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity. It illustrates the three ways clean energy goals are met: unbundled RECs, off-site purchases (PPAs, green tariffs), and on-site production. The note on the slide suggests this is optional, likely because 24/7 CFE aims to move beyond simple REC accounting toward real-time physical matching.

Slide 6: Benefits for Local Governments

To secure political buy-in, this slide lists six key benefits. Beyond the obvious climate impact, it highlights economic drivers: reducing reliance on fossil fuel price volatility , lowering electricity bills through demand shifting, and creating markets for green jobs and entrepreneurship . This shifts the narrative from 'environmental cost' to 'economic opportunity.'

Slide 7: Scope and Ambition

This slide introduces the concept of choice for local governments. It differentiates between a municipal target (city-owned assets like streetlights and offices) and a community-wide target (including businesses and homes). It also notes that 'ambition' can vary, with some aiming for 100% hourly matching and others targeting 90% or less based on cost and risk factors.

Slide 8: Steps for Advancing 24/7 CFE

A four-step process is visualized as a flow chart: 1. Understand the baseline of hourly matching; 2. Evaluate supply options (diversifying the mix and adding storage); 3. Evaluate demand-side options (shifting load); 4. Develop an implementation plan. This provides a clear, actionable roadmap for a city council or planning department.

Slide 9: Setting a Baseline

This slide is a template for data collection. It lists the three data points needed: hourly load data, grid region emissions data, and existing solar/PPA data. It uses placeholders like [community name] and [university name] , reinforcing that this deck is intended to be customized with local data.

Slide 10: 24/7 CFE Analysis Visualization

This slide provides a sample chart comparing hourly energy demand against a mix of procured wind, solar, and grid energy. It highlights a key metric: the difference between a 100% Volumetric Match and a 97% Hourly Match . This visualizes the 'gap'—the hours where the city still relies on the carbon-heavy grid mix—which the 24/7 CFE strategy aims to close.

Slide 11 & 12: Supply-Side Actions and Portfolios

Slide 11 serves as a section header. Slide 12 breaks down the supply portfolio into three categories: Clean Firm (geothermal/hydro for baseline), Variable (wind/solar for demand matching), and Storage (to fill gaps when the sun/wind are unavailable). This technical breakdown is essential for understanding how to build a resilient, carbon-free grid.

Slide 13: Details on Proposed Action

This is a blank template slide with instructions for the user to provide additional research or resources specific to their community's chosen path. It points back to WRI workshops for further refinement.

Slide 14: Shifting and Reducing Demand

This slide addresses the 'Demand-Side.' It uses four charts to illustrate the difference between reducing demand (efficiency) and shifting demand (moving scheduled loads to times when clean energy is abundant). This is a sophisticated energy management concept that goes beyond simple conservation.

Slide 15: Opportunities for Community-Wide Demand-Side Actions

This slide lists four specific areas for local government intervention: Residential EV Charging , Grid-Interactive Buildings , C&I (Commercial & Industrial) Energy Users , and Residential Battery Storage . These represent the 'low-hanging fruit' for cities looking to implement demand-side management.

Slide 16 & 17: Developing a Strategy and Next Steps

The final two slides provide a transition to the conclusion. Slide 17 is a template for summarizing key takeaways and upcoming decision points. It uses red bracketed text to prompt the user to include specific baselining, demand-side, or supply-side actions covered in their customized version of the presentation.

What Works in This Deck

Clear Definitions: The deck does an excellent job of defining 24/7 CFE in a way that is distinct from traditional renewable energy goals, which is the most common point of confusion for policymakers. · Actionable Framework: The four-step roadmap (Slide 8) provides a logical progression that any municipal department can follow. · Economic Incentives: By including price volatility and job creation (Slide 6), the deck appeals to the practical concerns of local government officials. · Visual Data: The chart on Slide 10 is a powerful tool for showing why 100% 'on paper' (volumetric) is not the same as 100% 'in reality' (hourly).

What Is Missing from This Deck

Financial Modeling: While the deck mentions cost as a consideration (Slide 7), it lacks a template for a cost-benefit analysis or a discussion of the 'green premium' often associated with 24/7 CFE. · Policy Examples: The deck is a template, so it lacks specific case studies of cities that have successfully implemented these steps (though it links to resources that contain them). · Stakeholder Mapping: There is no slide dedicated to the complex web of stakeholders involved in municipal energy, such as utilities, regulators, and community advocacy groups. · Risk Mitigation: The deck focuses on the 'how-to' but does not explicitly address the risks of technology failure, supply chain issues for storage, or regulatory hurdles.

What a Founder Should Copy

The 'Template' Approach: If you are selling a complex B2B or B2G (Business-to-Government) product, providing your champion with a pre-built deck they can customize for their internal stakeholders is a high-value sales enablement tactic. · Visualizing the 'Gap': Slide 10 is a masterclass in identifying a problem that the audience might not have known they had. Founders should look for ways to visualize the inefficiency or 'gap' their product solves. · Categorization of Solutions: Breaking down a complex field into 'Clean Firm,' 'Variable,' and 'Storage' (Slide 12) makes a technical topic digestible for non-experts. · Logical Sequencing: Moving from definition to baseline to specific actions (Supply vs. Demand) ensures the audience isn't overwhelmed by technical details before they understand the core premise.