Solution Classification

Last Updated: 2025-10-06

Systematic classification enables repeatable impact assessment mechanics. Koi's structured approach allows the Koi Engine to quantify emissions across diverse solutions.

Direct

Solutions that avoid emissions by replacing higher-emitting incumbents.

Facilitating

Solutions that enable systems to reduce emissions indirectly.

Emissions Removal

Solutions that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Framework Overview

Koi generally adopts the classification system developed by Project Frame. In practice, we have found that the most critical classifications for appropriate automated modeling are:

Direct Solutions that Avoid Emissions

Solutions that avoid future emissions by replacing or taking market share from incumbents responsible for higher emissions. These include:

Products: Complete solutions that can be purchased and used to directly achieve GHG impact (e.g., EVs, heat pumps, sustainably produced food)
Components: Critical parts of an overall solution that contribute significantly to its GHG impact (e.g., EV batteries, efficient motors, recycled materials)

Facilitating Solutions that Avoid Emissions

Solutions that do not directly achieve GHG impact themselves but enable a system to reduce emissions. While Project Frame defines facilitating solutions as those that specifically enhance direct solutions, Koi takes a broader approach to facilitating classification. We consider both solutions that enable other solutions and solutions that improve the emissions performance of an existing system (not limited to solutions). These include:

Improving the efficiency or emissions performance of existing processes (e.g., software that optimizes human behavior to yield more efficient building operations)
Enabling or accelerating the deployment of direct solutions (e.g., green marketplaces that accelerate EV deployment)
Providing infrastructure or services that reduce emissions across multiple systems (e.g., green startup accelerators)

Emissions Removal Solutions

Solutions that remove carbon from the atmosphere. These solutions may not have a direct incumbent to compare against, but all new sources of emissions should be considered, as well as potential systemic consequences and permanence factors. Examples include:

Direct Air Capture: Technologies that extract CO₂ directly from ambient air
Carbon Dioxide Removal: Various methods for removing CO₂ from the atmosphere, including nature-based and technological approaches