Green-e Energy pdf

Green-e Energy is the nation’s leading certification program for renewable energy. For over a decade, Green-e Energy has provided oversight for voluntary renewable energy transactions in the United States.Renewable energy is the futureGreen-e Energy is important because it provides assurances to consumers and businesses that they are reducing the environmental impact of their electricity use. Certified renewable energy—along with energy efficien-cy—are the most effective tools we have today to accomplish this. Green-e Energy was established in 1997 in order to provide consumer protection in the emerging and unregulated voluntary renewable energy market through clear guidelines, disclosures, and standards. Green-e Energy is the most rigorous and respected consumer protection program for renewable energy in the country, with a transparent standard and hundreds of stake-holders participating in setting and revising that standard.The renewable energy that Green-e Energy certifies goes through a thor-ough verification process to ensure that it:is from new projects. It’s important that renewable energy certificates (RECs) support new projects built for the voluntary market, not to satisfy a state or federal requirement. That’s because consumers who are buying renewable energy want their money to go toward expanding the renewable energy market. Green-e Energy Certified RECs come from new facilities built with the voluntary market in mind.is verified. Sellers of Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy are re-viewed twice a year to ensure that they live up to their advertising claims, and that their customers are getting what they paid for. Certified energy is accounted for and tracked through the annual Green-e Energy verification audit process. >>>What is Green-e Energy?Green-e Energy is the nation’s lead-ing independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. It is a voluntary consumer-protection program that certifies superior renewable energy options offered by utilities and marketers in the voluntary renewable energy market. It is administered by Center for Resource Solutions, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, CA.All Green-e Energy requirements and auditing protocols are pub-licly available and can be found at www.green-e.org/energy.has not been double-counted. Certified renewable energy sold to a con-sumer cannot also be counted toward a state’s renewable energy goal (a renewable portfolio standard, for example). Renewable energy must only be attributed to the individual customer purchasing it. The numbers are in In 2008, total sales of Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy exceed-ed 13.7 million megawatt-hours (MWh), an increase of 45% over 2007.Sales of Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy cer-tificates on wholesale markets nearly doubled to 12.8 mil-lion MWh. RECs accounted for the largest amount of sales. Over 500,000 residential customers and more than 20,000 commer-cial customers across the U.S. and Canada purchased Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy, increases of 94% and 97%, respectively.Green-e Energy Certified products displaced 7.3 mil-lion short tons of CO2 that would have been emitted by an equivalent amount of non-baseload system power.Find out moreFor more information about Green-e Energy, go to www.green-e.org/energy or call us at 415-561-2100. You can also con-tact the Green-e Energy team at energy@green-e.org.What are the Green-e Energy criteria?The Green-e Energy National Standard identifies many criteria renewable energy must meet to be certified. Electricity must come from eligible sources of supply, like wind, solar, geother-mal, biomass, or “low-impact” hydropower. Only new renewable facilities can be used, ones built since 1997. Electricity can’t be used to fulfill a state renewable energy goal, and can’t be “double counted” towards that goal. And marketing to consumers must be accurate—Green-e Energy performs a marketing compliance review twice a year to ensure that what they say is what you get.In 2008, renewable energy generated to supply unique Green-e Energy Certified products prevented emissions to the atmosphere of 7.3 million short tons of CO2, a gas that contributes to global climate change. An equivalent amount of non-baseload system power would produce 3,900 tons of SO2, which can lead to acid rain; 3,700 tons of NOx, which causes smog and ground-level pollution; and over 52 lbs of mercury, a toxic substance linked to neurological problems.Brought to you by Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). CRS creates policy and market solutions to advance sustainable energy.Center for Resource Solutions 1012 Torney Ave., 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94129