Guide to Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs): Understanding Market-Based Instruments for Energy Generation and Ownership

Guide to Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs): Understanding Market-Based Instruments for Energy Generation and Ownership

Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) is a general term for a variety of market-based instruments that represent how energy is generated and ownership of the attributes of that energy. The name and specific requirements for EACs are typically defined by the jurisdiction or program under which they are issued. EACs can be issued as part of government initiatives or be offered by independent third-party providers such as the EAC programs listed below:

• Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in North America:  https://www.epa.gov/green-power-markets/renewable-energy-certificates-recs
• Guarantees of Origin (GOs) in Europe: https://www.aib-net.org/
• Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) in the UK:  https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/renewable-energy-guarantees-origin-rego
• International RECs (I-RECs): https://www.irecstandard.org/
• Tradable Instruments for Global Renewables (TIGRs) across the rest of the world:  https://apx.com/about-tigr/
• Green-e Energy (EACs):  https://www.green-e.org/
• EKOenergy certified EACs: https://www.ekoenergy.org

Certificates are typically produced per Megawatt hour (MWh) and are registered in a tracking system as part of the EAC scheme. EACs will have several unique identification and data attributes associated with them, such as:

• Certificate type/unique identification number 
• Tracking System ID
• Renewable fuel type
• Renewable facility location
• Emissions rate of the renewable resource

Once the end user of the EAC claims the energy attributes of the EAC, it is then retired and no longer available to be attributed to future energy use. Each EAC scheme will typically have established criteria and/or procedures for the purchase, transfer, and retirement of EACs.

To be able to answer Yes to this question, your company must have retired EACs for the reporting year or EACs must have been retired on behalf of your facility for the reporting year. For example, a manufacturing group or brand partner may purchase EACs and retire them under your facility. If another company purchases and retires the EAC for your facility, it must be registered/retired under the facility’s name and location (i.e. legal business entity name and address) as listed on their Worldly.io account.

Details on specific EACs can be found at the links provided above. Additionally, an overview of EACs can also be found in the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance here: https://ghgprotocol.org/scope_2_guidance.