How to measure emissions from Solid fuels

What counts as Solid fuels

Solid fuels are coal, coke and similar solid fossil fuels burned in furnaces, boilers or industrial equipment under the organisation's operational control. It excludes biomass and biogenic solid fuels, which are treated separately because of their different carbon accounting treatment. Only fuel actually combusted counts — stock held in a yard or bunker isn't reported until it's burned.

Solid fuels is a narrower category than its energy and fuels siblings, largely used by organisations running coal- or coke-fired plant, kilns or legacy heating systems. The main risk here is conflating solid fossil fuels with biomass — wood pellets, chips and similar biogenic solid fuels are accounted for differently and shouldn't be lumped into this line. Combustion is Scope 1, with mining, processing and transport of the fuel upstream reported as Scope 3 Category 3. As a reporting tip, tonnage from weighbridge tickets or delivery notes is far more defensible than an annual spend estimate, given how variable solid fuel pricing can be.

What activity data you need

Collect the most specific physical unit available. Unit definitions are in Appendix I — Description of Units.

• kWh
• tonne

Which emission scope it falls under

Solid fuels activity data typically maps to Scope 1 and Scope 3 Category 3 under the GHG Protocol. Confirm organisational boundary and ownership before reporting.

Sub-types available in the platform

All 10 sub-types available in the platform.

• Charcoal: Fuel
• Coal and lignite: Average: UK
• Coal: Domestic
• Coal: Electricity generation
• Coal: Electricity generation: UK coal
• Coal: Industrial
• Coke and refined petroleum products: Average: UK
• Coking coal
• Paraffin wax
• Petroleum coke

Common questions

Does wood or biomass count as a solid fuel here?

No — biomass and other biogenic solid fuels are accounted for separately from fossil solid fuels like coal and coke, so keep them out of this category.

How do I handle solid fuel drawn from a stockpile rather than a single delivery?

Reconcile total tonnage delivered during the period against stock-take changes at the start and end of the period to estimate what was actually combusted.

Is coal purchased for resale included in this category?

No, only fuel combusted by your own operations counts — fuel held as inventory or sold on to customers is excluded until it is burned by the organisation.

What if solid fuel purchases vary significantly in price across the year?

Use tonnage from weighbridge tickets or delivery notes rather than annual spend, since price volatility makes spend-based estimates particularly unreliable for solid fuels.

Does coke used in an industrial process rather than for heating still count?

Yes, coke and similar solid fuels combusted for process heat, not just space heating, are included as long as they are burned in equipment your organisation owns or controls.