MECS and Climate Impact Partners developed the MMECD carbon credit methodology which Gold Standard launched in 2022. This was the first application of directly measured or metered fuel use to calculate emissions reductions, and this approach is widely hailed for its accuracy and hence for high integrity credits, which attract premium prices. The measured and metered approach is now embedded in a range of carbon credit methodologies for both the voluntary and compliance markets.
MECS has written extensively about the MMECD, and links out to other resources can be found there:
Why metered carbon credits matter for clean cooking – and how the debate is moving on
The sun is shining on metered and measured approaches for clean cooking
GS provide an Excel based tool to accompany the methodology. The user enters details of the project (eg baseline and project fuel and stove types, their energy performance, the amount of cooking undertaken, the fuels in use (eg energy content and emission factors) and emission reductions are calculated, using the MMECD methodology. The spreadsheet is aligned with the MMECD standard in terms of default values for various parameters.
The tool is invaluable for project developers, as it can be used to produce inputs for the Project Design Documents, a key stage in carbon project development. But the tool is also very useful for other stakeholders wishing to explore the potential for carbon credits for clean cooking, using an approach based on the MMECD standard.
Note that Gold Standard is updating all existing methodologies to align with the principles of the Paris Agreement (PA). Non-Paris aligned methodologies will be retired, and PA-Aligned versions must be applied for all vintage issuances from 2026. Please read the full update here.