The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) Compact is an ambitious global effort to accelerate the decarbonization of the world’s electricity systems to mitigate climate change, to enable organizations to meet their full electricity demand with carbon-free resources and ensure access to clean and affordable electricity for all, in line with SDG7.
To accelerate the decarbonization of global electricity systems, Sustainable Energy for All, in partnership with energy buyers, suppliers, governments, system operators, investors, and innovators, co-launched the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) Compact—a unified effort to ensure every kilowatt-hour of electricity is powered by clean sources, every hour of every day. Launched at the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy in September 2021, the 24/7 CFE Compact is an official Energy Compact commitment to the United Nations. It represents both the vision of a fully decarbonized power system and a bold, practical approach to energy procurement, policy reform, and grid innovation.
What is 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy?
24/7 Carbon-Free Energy means that every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption is met with carbon-free electricity sources at every hour of every day, everywhere. It’s not just a long-term goal; it’s a transformative pathway to build resilient, reliable, and emissions-free energy systems.
A Global Coalition Driving Change:
Due to the remarkable ongoing progress in carbon free energy and enabling technologies, the transition to a fully decarbonized electricity sector is possible. The 24/7 CFE Compact brings together a broad coalition—companies, governments, cities, utilities, investors, and NGOs—committed to advancing policies, technologies, and market reforms that enable 24/7 carbon free energy adoption. The 24/7 Carbon-free Energy Compact is a set of principles and actions that stakeholders across the energy ecosystem can commit to in order to drive systemic change.
Together, signatories contribute through:
Collaborative Action: Signatories actively participate in technical meetings and events, fostering collaboration to design and scale solutions that enable 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy.
Voluntary Commitments: Each signatory submits an application form detailing specific voluntary commitments to advance 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy.
Support and Guidance: The SEforALL team offers assistance in identifying appropriate commitments for organizations, facilitating the process of becoming a 24/7 CFE signatory, providing annual updates, and developing individual Energy Compacts aligned with broader SDG7 targets.
The Compact is open to all stakeholders ready to lead on 24/7 CFE. Whether you're a national government, city, utility, or business—your leadership matters. Please reach out to energycompact@seforall.org and learn more about the movement at GoCarbonFree.
Decarbonizing every hour of electricity consumption is key to tackling climate change, and empowering consumers is an essential part of the solution. Explore this report to find out which enablers are needed to empower consumers as well as the emerging solutions that are already driving positive change.
This document aims to establish a shared understanding of the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy CFE Compact principles and introduce key enablers to the movement.
More on the 24/7 Carbon-free Energy Compact
