# Which grid emission factor does a wind or solar project in India use for emission reductions?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/grid-factor-for-wind-solar-project-india

A large project under ACM0002 must use the combined margin. For wind and solar, CEA's own worked example weights the operating margin 75% and build margin 25%: 0.75 x 0.962 + 0.25 x 0.446 gives 0.833 t CO2 per MWh, using a three-year operating margin.

## CEA's worked example, version 22.0

1. Project: 100 MW wind farm, 312,500 MWh a year to the grid.
2. Operating margin fixed ex ante as the generation-weighted average of FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26: 0.962.
3. Build margin for FY 2025-26: 0.446.
4. Combined margin with 75:25 weights for intermittent sources: 0.833.
5. Projected reductions: 312,500 x 0.833 = 260,312.5 t CO2 a year.

## Small projects

A project under 15 MW using AMS-I.D may choose the weighted average instead. CEA's example for a 5 MW hydro station uses 0.675 for FY 2025-26, giving 11,812.5 t CO2 a year on 17,500 MWh.

## Check before you use it

Methodology versions and weights change. Confirm the rules of the programme you register under, whether CCTS, Verra or Gold Standard, before fixing a factor in the project design document.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible keeps dated, site-level records from invoices and meter documents, useful as monitoring evidence. It does not register projects or issue carbon credits.

- [OM, BM and CM for FY 2025-26](https://senseible.earth/answers/india-operating-build-combined-margin-2025-26)
- [CCTS offset or Verra](https://senseible.earth/answers/ccts-offset-or-verra-gold-standard-which)
- [CCTS tool BM-T-003](https://senseible.earth/answers/ccts-tool-bm-t-003-electricity-emission-factor)

Sources: [CEA, CO2 Baseline Database for the Indian Power Sector, User Guide and database, Version 22.0 (August 2026)](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-view?mappingId=234&lang=en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-23.