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An energy certificate or energy attribute certificate is a transferable record or guarantee related to the amount of
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
or material goods consumed by an
energy conversion device in industrial
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
. A certificate may be in any form, including electronic, and lists attributes such as method, quality, compliance, and tracking.
Terminology
An energy attribute certificate (EAC) can include "a variety of instruments with different names, including certificates, tags, credits, or generator declarations." These certificates relate to various tracking systems worldwide.
Examples of energy certificates for
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
are:
* Green tags
*
Guarantee of origin
A Guarantee of Origin (GO or GoO) is an energy certificate defined in article 15 of the European Directive 2009/28/EC. A GO labels electricity from renewable sources to provide information to electricity customers on the source of their energy. Gu ...
(GO)
* International REC Standard (I-REC Standard)
*
Renewable Energy Certificates 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 repres ...
(RECs)
*
Renewable Energy Credits 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 certificate, energy certificates in the United ...
* Tradable Instruments for Global Renewables (TIGRs)
*
Tradable Renewable Certificates 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 repres ...
(TRCs)
*
Tradable Renewable Energy Certificates (TRECs)
Purpose and examples by region
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:
* United Kingdom: Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) issued under the
Renewables Obligation
The Renewables Obligation (RO) is designed to encourage generation of electricity from eligible renewable sources in the United Kingdom. It was introduced in England and Wales and in a different form (the Renewables Obligation (Scotland)) in Scot ...
* United Kingdom: Levy Exemption Certificates (LECs) issued under the
Climate Change Levy
The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a tax on energy delivered to non-domestic users in the United Kingdom.
Scope and purpose
Introduced on 1 April 2001 under the Finance Act 2000, it was forecast to cut annual emissions by 2.5 million tonnes b ...
.
* Italy: Certificati Verdi
* Sweden and Belgium: Elcertifikat
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
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most 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
The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...
and the
Energy Community
The Energy Community, commonly referred to as the Energy Community of South East Europe (ECSEE), is an international organization consisting of the European Union (EU) and a number of non-EU countries. It aims to extend the EU internal energy ...
. The
Association of Issuing Bodies uses the
European Energy Certificate System 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 ...
to facilitate the 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.
Overview of energy certificate systems
The following table provides an overview of energy certificate systems by countries.
This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Notes
References
{{reflist
External links
The Environmental Tracking Network of North America (ETNNA)RECS International (RECS)Energy Attribute CertificatesOverview of the different certificate systems worldwide
Energy policy