Understanding Renewable Energy Certificates

The expansion of renewable energy is integral for companies and households seeking to shift toward more eco-friendly power sources. Beyond directly installing solar panels or switching to a green utility company, purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) provides another channel for consumers to indirectly invest in and foster clean electricity production nationwide. But what exactly are RECs, how do they work, and are they making real climate impact? Let’s unpack everything interested consumers should know.

 What RECs Do and How They Work

At a basic level, renewable energy certificates represent proof that one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from a green energy resource like solar or wind rather than fossil fuels. RECs function as follows:

 Creation: When an eligible solar or wind facility produces renewable power, one REC is issued electronically for every MWh created.

 Tracking: Each REC is assigned a unique identification number and added into regional tracking systems that follows its ownership path over time.

 Trading: RECs can then be sold separately from the actual underlying electricity, providing generators supplemental income used to expand operations.

 Retiring: Once RECs are eventually purchased by end-buyers, the certificates are retired on their behalf to denote displacing that quantity of conventional power usage with renewables.

In effect, buying and retiring RECs lets any electricity customer, even renters without rooftop access, directly invest in and get credited for using green energy without changing local utilities. The additional demand helps incentivize further renewable production as facilities monetize more RECs.

 REC Classifications – What Buyers Should Know

All RECs symbolize green power generation, however differences in exactly what they certify matter for buyers wanting to make specific environmental claims. When purchasing RECs, key designations include:

 Renewable Source: such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas or eligible hydroelectric.

 Location Type: signifies whether produced in the same power grid region, state or utility territory as your home or business.

 Certificate Vintage: indicates year the actual renewable energy was generated with some markets allowing historical multi-year bundling.

Understanding these REC nuances aids buyers in matching purchases to their precise usage, locality and sustainability objectives. Those wanting local renewables impact can restrict by grid territory for example. Or commercial buyers claiming they operate fully on green power must retire enough current year or prior RECs to match usage totals.

 Monitoring REC Market Trends and Regulations

The REC marketplace is very active in North America with over 95 million MWh certificates already issued nationally that have yet to be retired according to EPA tracking. As participation grows, buyers should monitor key developments around rising certificate availability, cost trends and changing qualification regulations that shape the arena.

For instance, ongoing state and federal policy discussions debate if nuclear generation should become REC eligible. And likely ACC expansion means vastly more renewables flooding associated tracking systems for enterprises to tap into. Following news and policy shifts lets buyers take advantage of REC discounts during oversupply cycles or target newly certified sources like offshore wind.

 Should You Consider Owning Renewable Energy Certificates?

Determining whether to claim green energy usage through home or business Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) purchases depends on your locations, budgets and sustainability objectives. Aspects to evaluate include:

 Available income versus grid power emissions levels in your area

 Utility’s existing or planned renewable energy mix moving forward

 Desired optics and messaging around climate neutrality commitments 

 Any specialized renewable energy products from your electricity provider

For many homeowners and organizations, retiring RECs through national tracking databases delivers an affordable, flexible mechanism for negating a portion of non-renewable power consumption from usual electric grids. The benefits include:

 Promoting wider renewable energy production as more generators participate

 Allowing renters, companies lacking siting and all other customers access to go green

 Providing reputational value for climate-conscious individuals and brands 

If interested in progressing sustainability through your energy choices, strongly consider RECs as one potential avenue that simultaneously furthers renewables growth for all.