How is the Co2 offset calculated?

In Helios, System Reports, and MyAutarco, you will often see a value for CO₂ offset, which represents the amount of CO₂ emissions avoided by generating solar energy with your PV and battery systems.
This article explains how this value is calculated.

Yield Input

For Offers and Designs

When creating a design or offer, the actual yield of the system is not yet known.
Instead, we:

• Simulate average solar behavior at the project location.

• Calculate the expected annual yield based on:

  • Panel orientation and tilt

  • Local weather data

  • Shading conditions

  • Number of panels

The simulated yield from the first year is used as the basis for the CO₂ offset calculation.

For MyAutarco

In MyAutarco, we use real production data from your system.
The CO₂ offset is calculated from the total kWh produced up to the moment you view the report.

Comparison Basis

CO₂ offset is calculated by comparing your solar energy production with the CO₂ emissions of an average coal power plant.

• Default value: 0.798 kg CO₂ per kWh

• Ireland exception: 0.289 kg CO₂ per kWh

This means each kWh of solar energy is considered to have prevented that amount of CO₂ emissions.

Example Calculation

If your system generates 10,000 kWh (either actual or simulated):

Or 7.98 tons of CO₂ avoided.