What are the most important things to consider when purchasing RECs and global EACs?
Corporations and individuals will have different motivations for purchasing RECs and global EACs, and there are many factors that should be considered when making a purchase. Some of these are: Location: How close is the renewable energy project to where the electricity is originally generated? Technology: What type of renewable resources are generating the environmental […]
- Corporations and individuals will have different motivations for purchasing RECs and global EACs, and there are many factors that should be considered when making a purchase. Some of these are:
- Location: How close is the renewable energy project to where the electricity is originally generated?
- Technology: What type of renewable resources are generating the environmental attributes?
- Environmental attributes: Whether there are avoided emissions benefits along with the renewable energy itself.
- Co-benefits: If the project provides benefits outside of the environmental attributes, such as job creation.
- Then there are other considerations that have more to do with regulatory and reporting value, like what registration system is used to track ownership and avoid double counting; regulatory interaction of the environment where the renewable energy is being purchased; reporting value and whether platforms and certifications require certain criteria of the EACs to be met; and if the EACs meet the criteria for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
