Cloud for Sustainability energy data model overview

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability Technical Summit May 2024

Important

Some or all of this functionality is available as part of a preview release. The content and the functionality are subject to change.

The Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability energy data model helps organizations unify and streamline energy data to achieve their energy sustainability goals. It helps you to unify, standardize, and streamline energy data collection and storage for your organization across generation, procurement, and end use into a single unified data model.

The Cloud for Sustainability energy data model builds on the Cloud for Sustainability data model. It provides the schema required for generated energy, renewable energy, and purchased energy from different sources. It also provides associated consumption patterns across multiple sites and geographic components within a unified data model. The schema makes energy sustainability data available for use cases such as energy sustainability disclosures and energy regulatory reporting.

The Cloud for Sustainability energy data model consists of three types of entities related to energy lifecycle:

  • Energy generation
  • Procurement/transmission
  • Purchased or end use energy

The schema includes new and existing sustainability reference data. It also shares common entities, such as facility and organization information, with the Cloud for Sustainability data model.

The entities related to energy production data store energy production or generation measurements, including:

  • Fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas
  • Renewable sources, such as solar, wind, and biomass

The schema also stores sustainability reference data, such as generation type, energy source, and the metadata for the generated energy. The schema links the sustainability reference data with the generation measurements. This action helps to address use cases such as renewable energy production and its environmental impact for your facilities for energy sustainability reporting.

The entities related to energy procurement and transmission include data on energy contracts, including renewable energy procurement structures such as power purchase agreements (PPAs) and renewable energy certificates (RECs). Through seamless integration, the schema combines sustainability reference data with various energy contractual structures, including PPAs and RECs. This integration serves to validate renewable energy purchases, structure renewable energy efforts effectively, and enhance renewable energy reporting accuracy.

The entities related to energy consumption data store energy consumption or usage measurements such as electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil. The schema also stores sustainability reference data such as facility, energy type, energy source, and meter that add usage context to the consumption measurements. The schema links the sustainability reference data with the consumption measurements. This action helps to address use cases such as energy consumption from specific sources for your facilities for energy sustainability disclosures.

Sample use cases 

  • Energy sustainability disclosures: Report and analyze end-use energy consumption patterns across different facilities, departments, or processes, based on energy sustainability disclosure standards.

  • Renewable energy: Analyze renewable energy procurement strategies, such as PPAs or RECs to identify cost-effective opportunities to procure renewable energy, report on renewable energy goals, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Deploy the data model

To automatically generate and deploy the schema to a Dataverse environment that you choose, follow these steps:

  1. In Microsoft Cloud Solution Center, select Sustainability in the left navigation.

  2. On the Cloud for Sustainability energy data model tile, select Add.

  3. Select the Deploy button and continue with the deployment.

For more information about deploying Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability solutions, go to Set up and configure Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability.

See also