This thought is further strengthened by the recently published delegated act for transportation fuels (C(2023) 1087). This outlines the need for hourly matching (and the technical challenges of the implementation) in the context of renewable transportation fuels.
The delegated act defines the criteria for accepting a renewable transportation fuel as renewable within the European Union. It includes both locational and temporal (time) correlation between points of green power production and consumption, when renewable claims are made.
The goal of the delegated act, as well as other initiatives for temporal matching, is to increase additionality and transparency. If these goals are met, this will help to accelerate the green transition significantly.
On the other hand, the criteria also adds another layer of complexity to a system that is not exactly simple. This can act as a barrier to market entry and hinder innovation from private energy sector actors.
Taking a temporal approach will also require additional investment in IT infrastructure from the GO issuing bodies. This is due to the sheer number of certificates and related transactions subsequently involved.
This regulation only addresses the definition of green transportation fuels. However, we may also be able to draw broader conclusions around the hourly matching of GOs from it.