CloudCostChefs Sustainability Tools

Azure Carbon Emissions Data Collector

Professional PowerShell script for collecting Azure carbon emissions data across single or multiple subscriptions. Generate CSV reports optimized for sustainability dashboards with comprehensive error handling and multi-authentication support.

Multi-Subscription Support

CSV Dashboard Export

Enterprise Authentication

Rate Limit Handling

Blaze says:Carbon data takes about 19 days after month-end to land in Azure's API. Schedule your reports for the 20th and you'll never chase empty datasets again.

Download Script View Examples

Carbon Data Collection

Retrieve comprehensive carbon emissions data from Azure's Carbon Optimization API with support for all report types and scopes.

Dashboard-Ready Export

Generate CSV files optimized for Power BI, Tableau, and other dashboard tools with proper data formatting and structure.

Enterprise Authentication

Multiple authentication methods including service principals, Azure CLI, and PowerShell contexts for any environment.

Standard collection workflow

Structured quick-reference sections for prerequisites, installation, usage, and troubleshooting.

Prerequisites

PowerShell 5.1+ (Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core)
Azure authentication via Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, or Service Principal
Azure permissions including Carbon Optimization Reader role
Internet access to Azure Management APIs

Data freshness

Carbon datasets can lag month-end by ~19 days. Schedule recurring pulls after the 20th to avoid empty/incomplete reports.

Supported report types

Report type	Best for	Typical consumer
ItemDetailsReport	Detailed carbon analysis and drill-down	FinOps / sustainability analysts
MonthlySummaryReport	Month-over-month trends	Leads and reporting dashboards
Overall Summary	High-level footprint overview	Executives / sustainability program owners
Top Items Monthly / Summary	Prioritizing highest emitters	Optimization teams

Use summary reports for dashboards and item-level reports for remediation planning.

Standard collection workflow

1Start with a single subscription run to validate authentication and output formatting.
2Scale to `-AllSubscriptions` only after confirming performance expectations and role assignments.
3Use explicit `-StartDate`, `-EndDate`, and `-ReportType` for repeatable monthly reporting.
4Store CSV output in a stable folder for Power BI/Tableau ingestion and trend tracking.

PowerShell

.\\Get-AzureCarbonEmissions.ps1 -SubscriptionId "12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012"

PowerShell

.\\Get-AzureCarbonEmissions.ps1 -AllSubscriptions -GetFullDataset

PowerShell

.\\Get-AzureCarbonEmissions.ps1 -SubscriptionIds @("sub1-guid","sub2-guid") -StartDate "2024-01-01" -EndDate "2024-03-31" -ReportType "ItemDetailsReport" -OutputPath ".\\Q1-2024-Carbon-Analysis"

Authentication & automation patterns

Mode	Best use case	Notes
Azure CLI / PowerShell context	Interactive testing and ad hoc runs	Fastest setup for validation
Service Principal	Scheduled reports / CI jobs	Use secure secret storage; avoid plain-text secrets in scripts
AllSubscriptions + full dataset	Periodic enterprise exports	Can take 15+ minutes in large estates

CSV dashboard export

The script produces CSV output intended for sustainability dashboards and trend analysis.

Output	Primary use	Downstream tool
Monthly summary CSV	Trend reporting	Power BI / Tableau
Item details CSV	Hotspot analysis	Analyst workflows / spreadsheets
Top emitters report	Prioritization	Optimization backlogs

Use a consistent output path and naming convention for recurring reports.

Troubleshooting

If you receive empty data for a recent month, verify the date range and try again after the API data availability window.
If authentication fails in automation, validate service principal credentials and role assignments on target subscriptions.
If enterprise runs are slow, reduce concurrency or split by subscription groups before enabling full-dataset exports.

Secret handling

Do not hardcode service principal secrets in shared scripts. Use secure secret stores or pipeline secret variables.

Technical Specifications

Built for enterprise environments with comprehensive error handling, rate limiting, and multi-subscription support

Requirements

PowerShell 5.1+

Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core

Azure Authentication

Azure CLI, PowerShell, or Service Principal

Azure Permissions

Carbon Optimization Reader role

Internet Connectivity

Access to Azure Management API

Key Features

Multi-Subscription Processing

Process single, multiple, or all accessible subscriptions

Concurrent Processing

Configurable parallel execution with rate limiting

Comprehensive Error Handling

Detailed error reporting and troubleshooting guidance

Pagination Support

Retrieve complete datasets with automatic pagination

Supported Report Types

Choose from multiple report formats to match your sustainability reporting needs

Item Details Report

Comprehensive line-item carbon emissions data for detailed analysis and drill-down reporting.

Best for: Detailed analysis

Monthly Summary

Month-over-month carbon emissions trends and summaries for executive reporting.

Best for: Trend analysis

Overall Summary

High-level carbon footprint overview across all subscriptions and time periods.

Best for: Executive dashboards

Top Items Monthly

Identify highest carbon-emitting resources and services by month for optimization targeting.

Best for: Optimization focus

Top Items Summary

Overall ranking of highest carbon-emitting resources across the entire reporting period.

Best for: Priority identification

Custom Date Ranges

Flexible date range selection for any reporting period with automatic data availability validation.

Best for: Custom reporting

Usage Examples

Real-world examples for common carbon data collection scenarios

Basic Single Subscription

Collect carbon emissions data for a single subscription using current Azure CLI authentication:

.\Get-AzureCarbonEmissions.ps1 -SubscriptionId"12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012"

All Accessible Subscriptions

Process all subscriptions you have access to with full dataset retrieval:

.\Get-AzureCarbonEmissions.ps1 -AllSubscriptions -GetFullDataset

Performance Warning: This can take 15+ minutes for enterprise tenants with comprehensive data.

Service Principal Authentication

Automated execution using service principal credentials for scheduled reporting:

.Get-AzureCarbonEmissions.ps1 `
 -AllSubscriptions `
 -TenantId"87654321-4321-4321-4321-210987654321" `
 -ClientId"11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111" `
 -ClientSecret"your-client-secret" `
 -StartDate"2024-01-01" `
 -EndDate"2024-01-31" `
 -ReportType"MonthlySummaryReport" `
 -OutputPath"C:\CarbonReports"

Custom Date Range & Report Type

Generate specific report types for custom date ranges with detailed item analysis:

.Get-AzureCarbonEmissions.ps1 `
 -SubscriptionIds @("sub1-guid","sub2-guid","sub3-guid") `
 -StartDate"2024-01-01" `
 -EndDate"2024-03-31" `
 -ReportType"ItemDetailsReport" `
 -MaxConcurrentJobs 3 `
 -OutputPath".Q1-2024-Carbon-Analysis"

Authentication Methods

Flexible authentication options for any environment - from interactive development to automated production

Azure CLI

Perfect for interactive development and testing. Simply run az login first.

Easy setup

Interactive authentication

Multi-tenant support

Service Principal

Ideal for automation, scheduled tasks, and CI/CD pipelines. Provides non-interactive authentication.

Automated execution

Scheduled reporting

CI/CD integration

Azure PowerShell

Fallback option using existing Azure PowerShell context. Great for PowerShell-heavy environments.

PowerShell native

Context reuse

Seamless integration

Performance & Best Practices

Optimize your carbon data collection with these CloudCostChefs recommendations

Performance Optimization

Rate Limiting

Keep MaxConcurrentJobs ≤ 5 to respect Azure API limits. The script includes intelligent rate limiting and retry logic.

-MaxConcurrentJobs 5

Data Availability

Carbon data is typically available 19+ days after month end. Don't expect real-time data - this is for trend analysis and historical reporting.

Large Datasets

ItemDetailsReport with GetFullDataset can return 10,000+ records and take 15+ minutes for enterprise tenants. Use appropriate report types for your needs.

CloudCostChefs Best Practices

Scheduled Reporting

Set up monthly automated runs using service principals. Schedule for the 20th of each month to ensure data availability for the previous month.

Report Type Selection

Use OverallSummaryReport for executive dashboards, MonthlySummaryReport for trend analysis, and ItemDetailsReport only when detailed drill-down is needed.

Error Handling

The script includes comprehensive error handling with detailed troubleshooting guidance. Review error messages carefully - they often indicate permission or service availability issues.

Common Issues & Solutions

Real-world troubleshooting guide for Azure Carbon Optimization API challenges

"Carbon Optimization service not found (404)"

This tenant may not have Carbon Optimization enabled. The service is not available in all Azure regions and tenant configurations.

Solution: Contact your Azure administrator to verify Carbon Optimization service availability for your tenant.

"Access denied (403)"

Missing required permissions. The Carbon Optimization API requires specific RBAC roles.

Solution: Ensure you have the"Carbon Optimization Reader" role assigned at the subscription level.

"No data available for date range"

Carbon data has a significant processing delay. Data is typically available 19+ days after month end.

Solution: Adjust your date range to request data from at least 3 weeks ago. Use historical data for trend analysis.

"Rate limit exceeded (429)"

Azure Carbon API has undocumented rate limits. The script includes automatic retry logic with exponential backoff.

Solution: Reduce MaxConcurrentJobs parameter or wait for automatic retry. Consider processing subscriptions in smaller batches.

Ready to Track Your Azure Carbon Footprint?

Download the Azure Carbon Emissions Data Collection Script and start building comprehensive sustainability dashboards today.

Download from GitHub View on GitHub

Part of the CloudCostChefs Cloud Optimization Kitchen • Open Source • MIT License

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Trust & run-safety metadata

Key execution details for Azure Carbon Skimmer so users know what they are downloading or running before they act.

Need verification guidance? See Security & Trust and Responsible Disclosure.

Read-only / reportingGitHub sourceExplicit + inferred metadata

Maintainer

CloudCostChefs

Last Updated

July 2, 2025

Last Tested

February 23, 2026

Minimum Access

Reader access to Azure consumption/resource data used by the reporting workflow

Execution Type

GitHub-hosted reporting workflow (Azure carbon/emissions analysis)

Version

2025-07-02

SHA256 Checksum

Not published yet (recommend adding checksum for downloadable files)

Verification Notes

Source is hosted in the GreenOps reporting repository. Review data sources, regional assumptions, and calculation methodology before using outputs in executive reporting.

Safe Usage Checklist

Treat emissions estimates as directional unless you have validated the calculation inputs against your billing/export pipeline.
Document reporting period and methodology when sharing results externally or with leadership.
Run in a non-production subscription/account/tenancy first and capture sample output before broader rollout.
Use least-privilege access. Current best hint from docs: Reader access to Azure consumption/resource data used by the reporting workflow.

Quick start (fast path)

Minimal steps to safely get value from this tool without reading the entire page first.

Estimated time: 15-20 minutes per subscriptionDifficulty: IntermediateAccess: Review / read-only

1. Confirm scope and permissions
Use least privilege and test in a non-production scope first. Minimum access hint: Reader access to Azure consumption/resource data used by the reporting workflow.
2. Get the tool package / source
View on GitHub and review the files before running.
GitHub
3. Check prerequisites
- ✅ PowerShell 5.1+ (Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core)
- ✅ Azure authentication: CLI, PowerShell module, or Service Principal
- ✅ Carbon Optimization Reader role on target Azure subscriptions
4. Run safely and review output
Source is hosted in the GreenOps reporting repository. Review data sources, regional assumptions, and calculation methodology before using outputs in executive reporting. Start with a small sample scope, then expand once results look correct.

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