As companies seek ways to reduce the GHG emissions in their corporate inventory, they have increasingly posed questions regarding the use of external instruments such as offsets and green power products. [image wind-300x199.jpg align=right]The variety of green power products available internationally reflects a diversity of national/regional electricity policies and voluntary approaches, and some of the common challenges in these topics include: * Defining the GHG impacts of green power * Identifying the appropriate methodology for calculating the GHG impacts * Facilitating system-wide tracking mechanisms to provide for exclusive claims * Assessing the GHG impact of green power under different regulatory regimes * Assessing the GHG impact of green power from credited renewable energy offset projects * Ensuring clarity in the GHG-relevant specifications of energy contracts To answer the questions listed above and harmonize GHG accounting practices worldwide, the GHG Protocol Initiative has begun developing guidelines focused on the corporate accounting practices for green power products. These guidelines are designed to assist organizations preparing corporate inventories and mitigation strategies, as well as for GHG reporting programs and initiatives. A first draft of GHG accounting options for green power will be distributed in late November, summarizing the key issues described above. A final version of the guidelines will be available in March 2011. An all-day workshop with Technical Advisory Group members will be held in Washington, DC (December 13th) and in London (January 24th), the latter co-hosted by Defra. This will be followed by broader stakeholder review and feedback opportunities in February. If you would like to know more about these workshops, please contact [Mary Sotos](mailto:msotos@wri.org). If you would like to become involved as a stakeholder in this development process, please fill out the form on the [project website](/node/596/) or contact [Mary Sotos](mailto:msotos@wri.org) or [Stephen Russell](mailto:srussell@wri.org).