Mathematical Foundations
Last Updated: 2025-09-09
All Koi models are built on the same fundamental arithmetic, ensuring consistency and comparability across diverse technologies and markets. This consistency is what enables fair comparisons and scalable analysis across entire portfolios.
Core Avoided Emissions Formula
The Universal Formula
Where:
• Unit Impact = Baseline GHG Intensity − Solution GHG Intensity
• Solution Scale = Units of functional output deployed
This formula is applied consistently across all technology categories, from renewable energy to carbon capture to sustainable agriculture. The mathematical framework ensures that every solution can be evaluated alongside alternatives.
Breaking Down the Components
Unit Impact
Unit Impact, which can be thought of as the GHG intensity difference, represents the emissions reduction achieved per unit of functional output. This is calculated by comparing:
- Solution GHG Intensity: The greenhouse gas emissions per functional unit of the climate solution
- Baseline GHG Intensity: The greenhouse gas emissions per functional unit in a counterfactual scenario where the solution does not exist
The baseline scenario represents what would happen in the absence of the climate solution - this is crucial for calculating the true impact of the intervention.
Example Koi Unit Impact Calculation
Solution Scale
Solution Scale represents the size of the solution market, measured in functional units (e.g., megawatt-hours of electricity, miles driven, tons of material processed, dollars of CDR infrastructure).
Example Koi Solution Scale Calculation
A Flexible Foundation
This mathematical approach aligns with established methodologies used by leading organizations in the field, including Project Frame and other recognized frameworks. We have generalized metrics developed by other framework developers such that this can be generally applied to the portions of climate solutions, or specific contexts, those frameworks cover. This includes having a solution scale that may represent an individual company or technology-level impact, and having market deployment that can be forward or backward looking. The consistency ensures that Koi's results are interoperable with existing climate impact assessment tools and reporting standards.