Renewable Energy Certificate (United States)

The Renewable Energy Certificate System (English for certification system for renewable energy), short REC system or RECS, is a certification system for the origin of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in 15 European countries, which was introduced in 2002. The RECS system is set to 2016 and by the already implemented in most European countries EECS GoO system (including GO ) system replaced ( Guarantee of Origin ). The EECS GoO system is based on the implementation of the EU Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament of 23 April 2009.

Each renewable electricity under market has a strategic point of sentimental value-added. This can be cleaved in the RECS by its producers from physical electricity and, in the form of freely convertible certificates to an international market. The RECS is thus a lot of the same CA system, which is separate from the actual provision of the current time.

During the approach of emissions trading is pollution with additional costs, RECS tries to make it available to the ideal value-added renewable energies by means of an additional trading platform.

• 3.1 RECs in the U.S.

• 4.1 RECS current equal to " green power "
• 4.2 Minimal effect on renewable energy production
• 4.3 disguising the origin of the electricity
• 4.4 No expansion of renewable energy
• 4.5 Double marketing
• 4.6 Recommendation of environmental organizations

Structure of the RECS

Structure

The RECS is managed at the regional level of independent Issuing Bodies (IB ), which are responsible for the issuance and cancellation of certificates. The individual IBs are again joined forces with the international Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB ). In December 2002 RECS members founded the RECS International, an association under Belgian law, which should serve to safeguard the interests of members and the development of the RECS in cooperation with the AIB.

RECS International currently has over 200 members from 25 mainly European countries, RECS Germany currently 39 members, mainly large and medium size enterprises in the energy sector. In Switzerland, there are 14 and in Austria 5 members, also almost all energy companies. (As of February 2010).

Beginning of 2000 was started in Germany, Finland and Sweden, a two -year test phase, during which approximately 14 million allowances were traded. 2002 was followed by the extension of the system on a total of 15 countries. The German members of RECS International have the club RECS Germany eV was founded in Hamburg on 12 February 2003. At the annual general meeting of RECS Germany on March 14, 2013 in Berlin, the members have decided to dissolve the Society of December 31, 2013.

The German Issuing Body is the Öko-Institut, which cooperates with various TÜVs production as registrar for the review of the production and the auditing bodies. Since July 2013, the Federal Environment Agency is a member of the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB ), as from the production in 2013, the UBA with a new register is responsible ( the certificate of origin registers HKNR ) for all certificates from renewable electricity production. In 2013, the register of the Öko-Institut and the UBA still be operated in parallel, from 2014 there is only the HKNR of UBA.

The banknotes issued by the Issuing Bodies certificates receive an individual number, details of the source of electricity production, specifying the form of production, an indication of the country of production and the domain in which the current was produced, a designation to an existing public funding, an indication of the issuing Issuing body or its agent, as well as month and year of issue of the RECS certificate.

Besides RECS also EECS GOOS, which differ only in their legal status exist. It is used for both systems in the same technical infrastructure, management is responsible for the AIB, but EECS GoO based on EU directives and national legislation.

Trade

Producers of renewable energy who want to start their plants in the RECS, must be by an independent expert, a Renewable Energy Declaration ( RED ) can exhibit, after which the issuing body absorbs the investment in the national RECS registry. Producers may then to other market participants, such as public utilities, sell the resulting RECS certificates. These sell that amount of electricity as renewable energy, for which they have acquired certificates. Sales are recorded by the issuing body in the registry.

Customers who purchase through their collective agreement green electricity get to the RECS a guarantee that somewhere in Europe purchased from the customer 's annual electricity amount is produced in kWh from renewable sources. A new obligation regenerative systems is not with the RECS.

Outlook

A substantial portion of today provided renewable electrical energy is generated by hydropower. This proportion is currently much higher than requested by the customer share of green electricity. As long as this demand does not increase, the price of RECS certificates remains low so that each provider can offer each customer renewably generated electricity without significant additional costs. Thus, no incentive is created by these certificates currently expanding the share of renewable energies.

From the customer's perspective, this means only a mathematical displacement of electricity from renewable sources by the normal customer for green power customers. On the other hand, consumers who purchase their electricity from renewable energy suppliers, with many sources to get in the situation that her personal mix is significantly less renewable than expected. This is when the RU sell their carbon credits to other producers of the case. Despite current labeling RECS provides the energy suppliers the opportunity to obfuscate this re-labeling also. (see review).

Thus, the RECS can have an impact on the generation capacity that traded certificates must have a significant price. This can be made possible on the one hand by increased customer demand and partly by the scarcity in allowances ( for example, the withdrawal of certificates from certain forms of agriculture or plant types ).

Types of energy

The RECS - certifiable systems include wind turbines, hydroelectric plants, solar plants or plants for the combustion of biomass. Plants, which are paid according to the Renewable Energy Sources Act are excluded from the RECS trade.

RECs in the U.S.

In the United States, RECs can also be set for the production of energy from other energy types. Possible forms of production are here:

• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Geothermal Energy
• Hydroelectric plants smaller scale ( without dams )
• Energy from biomass
• Biodiesel
• Fuel cells if the required hydrogen was generated by one of the other permitted forms of energy.

RECs are awarded in the U.S. by the company Green-e and the non-profit organization, The Climate Neutral Network.

Criticism

RECS current equal to " green power "

A major criticism of companies selling RECS certified electricity is that in the context of RECS is often spoken of " green electricity " and even current vendors refer to this stream as green electricity. This applies to products for EECS. Proper way should here the term "renewable energy " are used, because the " RECS is no eco- label" in the sense that an ecological added value compared to " ordinary " power is implied by the term " green power ". The RECS organization itself formulated here a clear distinction:

In particular, the plant age and special ecological requirements, such as protection of the surrounding nature, not taken into account. If then, by appropriate marketing of ecological value highlighted, so these methods can be assigned to the greenwashing. The existing de facto equality in the consumer market of RECS certificates with an otherwise certified green electricity provenance allows the RECS certified electricity suppliers, the marketing of so-called " green energy " without the physical purchase and consumption of simultaneous feeding. The corresponding consistent quality controlled devaluation of the RECS current versus other higher quality green electricity certificates will not take place in their respective local markets. In particular, for the end user the differences in quality of RECS certificates are not clear to green energy criteria other label. Nevertheless, the system is designed to promote the expansion of renewable energies in Europe, according to the carrier.

Low effect on renewable energy production

The RECS is criticized by consumer advocates and energy experts because the provider of the regenerative current at the time only about 0.015 to 0.2 cents per kilowatt hour in addition to the market price is available on the electricity market, which means only a very small incentive to expand this form of energy. The customer gets the wrong impression that he could about RECS renewable energy effectively promote without paying for it.

Disguising the origin of the electricity

Another point of criticism concerns the declaration of the electricity generated by the certificate vendor. This may now not be sold as renewable generated electricity, because the GOs were marketed separately from this production. Now the rules of the VDEW guidelines must be applied to the current labeling for the first " featureless " current. These specify that the buyer of RECS Certificates its composition and its specific current labeling must notify the seller in exchange for the purchased certificates. That is, the current physical then by definition, the composition was previously to the current of the certificate purchaser. For example, if an electric utility RECS certificates purchased to 1,000 kWh of its specific electricity mix to be designated as green power, the certificate seller must declare this amount of power in the way that the buyer would have to declare it without the certificates purchased. This system provides the certificate seller the possibility to hide the "new" origin of its electricity. Current is indicated on the electricity market as " gray power " with " unknown origin " with the characteristics of the European electricity mix ( UCTE). It is not verifiable, whether coal, - nuclear or other power places were relabeled using certificates to green electricity. At the same time, the seller can now sell its current " featureless " still with a UCTE indication rather than, for example, a 100 % nuclear energy labeling.

No expansion of renewable energy

RECS promotes the development of renewable energy production only until the explicit demand is covered. In addition, there is no further incentive for a sustainable energy supply. RECS also allows rather electricity providers without their own renewable Kapazitiäten continue to sell its current, but now with regenerative origin. At present, the existence and capacity of existing hydroelectric power plants is more than sufficient to cover the demand.

Double marketing

Seller of RECS certificates hold allegedly partly to the requirement to inform their current customers after the sale of a certificate about the fact that they no longer have the right to designate their electricity as green power.

Recommendation of environmental organizations

Recommend environmental and consumer protection organizations to consider when choosing a green energy provider on which connects the supplier with the promise of green electricity. The quality of their electricity characterize most providers through use of logos, such as the ok-power label, the green power label or different Participate plaques.

In Germany refrain among other Greenpeace energy and use the natural electricity AG on the use of RECS certificates, bright spot and EWS they " merely as a technical proof system, so as register". The excellent with the green power label provider (eg natural Strom AG ) can not have RECS certificates, while the ok-power label ( bright spot, natural energy, Vattenfall, Stadtwerke ) allows RECS certificates - the Öko-Institut, the German issuer ( issuing body) for RECS certificates, is one of the three founding members of the ok-power label. Even with the labels of the TÜV Süd RECS certificates are permitted under certain conditions. Various green electricity comparison calculator point of addition to the energy mix of the electricity supplier and the different eco- certifications.