The data problem undermining carbon markets with McGee Young (Founder & CEO - WattCarbon)

Carbon accounting underpins nearly every climate commitment and energy market, but today’s system often misses the mark.

Most reporting is based on annual averages and generic certificates, ignoring when and where emissions are actually avoided.

That mismatch creates blind spots for investors, policymakers, and clean energy developers alike.

In this episode of Transmission, Quentin sits down with McGee Young, Founder & CEO at WattCarbon to explore how more accurate, time- and location-specific carbon data could transform the way we value clean energy.

From tracking real emissions impact to building virtual power plants at the community level, this is a conversation about making carbon accounting smarter, and climate action more meaningful.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why traditional carbon accounting is broken and how granular, real-time data can fix it.
• What time-stamped energy attributes are, and why they matter for valuing clean energy projects.
• How virtual power plants (VPPs) can unlock local flexibility, avoid expensive grid upgrades, and share value with communities.
• The case for ‘sleeved VPPs’, where large energy users fund local demand-side programs instead of building new capacity.
• How community-led decarbonisation could reshape climate finance and deliver impact from the ground up.

About our guest

McGee Young is founder and CEO of WattCarbon, a US-based company building the first platform for real-time, time-based carbon accounting and community-scale decarbonisation. At WattCarbon, he is delivering visibility into hourly carbon intensity and enabling more transparent, impact-driven carbon markets for buildings and energy projects. For more information about WattCarbons mission, head to their website. https://www.wattcarbon.com/

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.