An energy certificate or energy attribute certificate is a transferable record or guarantee related to the amount of energy or material goods consumed by an energy conversion device in industrial production. A certificate may be in any form, including electronic, and lists attributes such as method, quality, compliance, and tracking.
An energy attribute certificate (EAC) can include "a variety of instruments with different names, including certificates, tags, credits, or generator declarations." [1] These certificates relate to various tracking systems worldwide. [2]
Examples of energy certificates for renewable energy are:
Energy certificates issued under national legislation typically provide evidence of compliance. Electricity producers, suppliers, or consumers use these certificates when required to use a specific type of energy or to qualify for financial support. Qualifying plants often produce electricity from renewable sources or high-quality co-generators.
Some examples are:
Most of these support schemes are national. The Climate Change Levy is a notable exception; the regulator issues LECs to electricity producers in the United Kingdom and several European countries that export to the UK.
The European Union create internationally transferable "guarantees of origin:" It provides proof to consumers of the source of their electricity, as required by Directive 2009/72/EC. Electricity suppliers use these guarantees when calculating the proportions of energy sources (fossil fuel, nuclear, etc.) in their supplied energy. Governments use them to calculate the residual mix—the blend of electricity sources produced in a country, adjusted for imports and exports.
Directive 2009/28/EC and Directive 2012/27/EC require a guarantee of origin for renewable energy and highly-efficient co-generation. The European Union uses these certificates, as do countries bound by treaties such as the European Economic Area and the Energy Community. The Association of Issuing Bodies uses the European Energy Certificate System to facilitate issuing, using, and transferring of these certificates.
Other countries that use energy certificates include Australia, Japan, Turkey, and the United States of America.
The following table provides an overview of energy certificate systems by countries. [5] This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| Country of Consumption | EECS AIB | I-RECS countries issuing allowed | I-RECS production devices listed | NECS ex-domain | TIGR production device listed | National based |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Algeria | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Argentina | I-RECS redemption | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Australia | I-RECS redemption | NECS ex-domain | Renewable Energy Target certificate | |||
| Austria | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Bangladesh | TIGR can be issued | |||||
| Belgium | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Brazil | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | |||
| Bulgaria | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Canada | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Chile | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | |||
| China | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | |||
| Colombia | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | ||||
| Costa Rica | I-RECS issuing | |||||
| Croatia | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Cyprus | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Czech Republic | ||||||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | I-RECS issuing | |||||
| Denmark | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Egypt | I-RECS issuing | |||||
| Estonia | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Finland | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| France | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Germany | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Greece | Full member (EECS AIB membership accepted - start 2020) | |||||
| Guatemala | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | TIGR production device | |||
| Honduras | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | ||||
| Hong Kong | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Hungary | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Iceland | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| India | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices [lower-alpha 1] | NECS ex-domain | |||
| Indonesia | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | TIGR can be issued | |||
| Ireland | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Israel | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | |||
| Italy | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Japan | I-RECS redemption [lower-alpha 2] | NECS ex-domain [lower-alpha 3] | ||||
| Jordan | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | ||||
| Kazakhstan | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Latvia | EECS AIB Observer status | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Lithuania | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Luxembourg | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Malaysia | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | TIGR production device | |||
| Malta | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Mexico | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | Certificados de Energías Limpias (CEL) | ||
| Monaco | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Montenegro | EECS AIB Observer status - applicant for membership | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Morocco | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | ||||
| Netherlands | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Nigeria | I-RECS issuing | |||||
| North Korea | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| North Macedonia | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Norway | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Oman | I-RECS issuing | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Panama | I-RECS issuing | |||||
| Paraguay | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Peru | I-RECS issuing | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Philippines | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | TIGR production device | not implemented yet: Renewable Energy Registry mandated by the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 / not connected to TIGR | ||
| Poland | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Portugal | EECS AIB observer status - applicant for membership | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Puerto Rico | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Qatar | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Romania | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Russia | I-RECS redemption | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Saudi Arabia | I-RECS issuing | NECS ex-domain | ||||
| Serbia | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Singapore | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | TIGR production device | ||
| Slovakia | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Slovenia | ||||||
| South Africa | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | zaRECs (im Gespräch mit dem IB) | ||
| South Korea | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Spain | EECS AIB full member | I-RECS production devices | ||||
| Sri Lanka | I-RECS issuing | |||||
| Sweden | EECS AIB full member | |||||
| Switzerland | EECS AIB full member [lower-alpha 4] | |||||
| Taiwan | I-RECS issuing [lower-alpha 5] | I-RECS production devices [lower-alpha 6] | NECS ex-domain [lower-alpha 7] | |||
| Thailand | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | TIGR production device | ppt and ewf to implement a blockchain-based and I-REC-connected registry | ||
| Turkey | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | YEK-G [6] | ||
| Uganda | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | ||||
| Ukraine | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| United Arab Emirates | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | NECS ex-domain | |||
| United Kingdom | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Uruguay | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| United States | NECS ex-domain / CDP does not recommend the usage of European GOOs for electricity consumption in the USA. | |||||
| Venezuela | NECS ex-domain | |||||
| Vietnam | I-RECS issuing | I-RECS production devices | TIGR production device |
A low-energy house is characterized by an energy-efficient design and technical features which enable it to provide high living standards and comfort with low energy consumption and carbon emissions. Traditional heating and active cooling systems are absent, or their use is secondary. Low-energy buildings may be viewed as examples of sustainable architecture. Low-energy houses often have active and passive solar building design and components, which reduce the house's energy consumption and minimally impact the resident's lifestyle. Throughout the world, companies and non-profit organizations provide guidelines and issue certifications to guarantee the energy performance of buildings and their processes and materials. Certifications include passive house, BBC—Bâtiment Basse Consommation—Effinergie (France), zero-carbon house (UK), and Minergie (Switzerland).
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), also known as Green tags, Renewable Energy Credits, Renewable Electricity Certificates, or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs), are tradable, non-tangible energy certificates in the United States that represent proof that 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from an eligible renewable energy resource and was fed into the shared system of power lines which transport energy. Solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) are RECs that are specifically generated by solar energy.
Carbon offsetting is a carbon trading mechanism that enables entities such as governments or businesses to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by investing in projects that reduce, avoid, or remove emissions elsewhere.
A green certificate are a tradable commodity proving that certain electricity is generated using renewable energy sources. Typically one certificate represents the generation of one Megawatthour of electricity. What is defined as "renewable" varies from certificate trading scheme to trading scheme. Usually, at least the following sources are considered as renewable:
In environmental policy, white certificates are documents certifying that a certain reduction of energy consumption has been attained. In most applications, the white certificates are tradable and combined with an obligation to achieve a certain target of energy savings. Under such a system, producers, suppliers or distributors of electricity, gas and oil are required to undertake energy efficiency measures for the final user that are consistent with a pre-defined percentage of their annual energy deliverance. If energy producers do not meet the mandated target for energy consumption they are required to pay a penalty. The white certificates are given to the producers whenever an amount of energy is saved whereupon the producer can use the certificate for their own target compliance or can be sold to (other) parties who cannot meet their targets. Quite analogous to the closely related concept of emissions trading, the tradability in theory guarantees that the overall energy saving is achieved at least cost, while the certificates guarantee that the overall energy saving target is achieved.
Carbon accounting is a framework of methods to measure and track how much greenhouse gas (GHG) an organization emits. It can also be used to track projects or actions to reduce emissions in sectors such as forestry or renewable energy. Corporations, cities and other groups use these techniques to help limit climate change. Organizations will often set an emissions baseline, create targets for reducing emissions, and track progress towards them. The accounting methods enable them to do this in a more consistent and transparent manner.
The energy policy of the European Union focuses on energy security, sustainability, and integrating the energy markets of member states. An increasingly important part of it is climate policy. A key energy policy adopted in 2009 is the 20/20/20 objectives, binding for all EU Member States. The target involved increasing the share of renewable energy in its final energy use to 20%, reduce greenhouse gases by 20% and increase energy efficiency by 20%. After this target was met, new targets for 2030 were set at a 55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as part of the European Green Deal. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU's energy policy turned more towards energy security in their REPowerEU policy package, which boosts both renewable deployment and fossil fuel infrastructure for alternative suppliers.
A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal, which have been adopted in 38 of 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The United States federal RPS is called the Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). Several states have clean energy standards, which also allow for resources that do not produce emissions, such as large hydropower and nuclear power.
Financial incentives for photovoltaics are incentives offered to electricity consumers to install and operate solar-electric generating systems, also known as photovoltaics (PV).
The Directive on the promotion of cogeneration based on a useful heat demand in the internal energy market and amending Directive 92/42/EEC, officially Directive 2004/8/EC, is a European Union directive for promoting the use of cogeneration, popularly better known as the 'Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Directive'.
The Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) is a comprehensive source of data on the environmental characteristics of almost all electric power generated in the United States. eGRID is issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A Guarantee of Origin is an energy certificate defined in article 19 of the European Directive 2018/2001/EC. A GO certifies attributes of electricity, gas, heating and cooling, especially coming from renewable sources and provides information to energy customers on the source of their energy. Guarantees of Origin are the only defined instruments evidencing the origin of electricity generated from renewable energy sources.
Renewable energy law is a particular kind of energy law, and relates primarily to the transactional legal and policy issues that surround the development, implementation, and commercialization of renewable sources of energy, such as solar, wind, geothermal and tidal. Renewable energy, (RE) law also relates to the land use, siting, and finance issues encountered by developers of renewable energy projects.
Strict sustainability standards for biofuel in the European Union (EU) are set by the European Commissioner on Energy. Biofuels are considered a renewable alternative to fossil fuels in the transportation sector for the EU. The EU has played a large role in increasing the use of biofuels in member states; however, it has also aimed, to some extent, to mitigate the potential negative impacts of biofuel production. Current EU legislation on biofuels includes a goal to increase renewable energy consumption by 20%, eliminate biofuel feedstock sourced from carbon-rich land, accounting for emissions caused from land use change as well as solely biofuel usage, and reducing greenhouse gas intensities from fuels used in transport and machinery.
A Renewable energy credit (REC) is a certificate corresponding to the environmental attributes of energy produced from renewable sources such as wind or solar. RECs were created as a means to track progress towards and compliance with states' Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), meant to support a cleaner generation mix.
A low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) is an emissions trading rule designed to reduce the average carbon intensity of transportation fuels in a given jurisdiction, as compared to conventional petroleum fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. The most common methods for reducing transportation carbon emissions are supplying electricity to electric vehicles, supplying hydrogen fuel to fuel cell vehicles and blending biofuels, such as ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, and renewable natural gas into fossil fuels. The main purpose of a low-carbon fuel standard is to decrease carbon dioxide emissions associated with vehicles powered by various types of internal combustion engines while also considering the entire life cycle, in order to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation.
The European Energy Certificate System (EECS) is an integrated European framework for issuing, transferring and cancelling EU energy certificates. It was developed by the Association of Issuing Bodies to provide a properly regulated platform for Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin, as proposed by the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). EECS supports all types of energy, regardless of source or production technology.
The Renewable Energy Certificate System (RECS) was a voluntary system for international trade in renewable energy certificates that was created by RECS International to stimulate the international development of renewable energy. It advocated the use of a standard energy certificate to provide evidence of the production of a quantity of renewable energy and provided a methodology that enables renewable energy trade, enabling the creation of a market for renewable energy and so promoting the development of new renewable energy capacity.
EKOenergy is a globally active nonprofit ecolabel for renewable energy. It is owned by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and managed in cooperation with other environmental NGOs.
A consumer green energy program is a program that enables households to buy energy from renewable sources. By allowing consumers to purchase renewable energy, it simultaneously diverts the utilization of fossil fuels and promotes the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.