by Invest Green Inc. (www.investgreen.ca)
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Vintage: 1991 and newer. this coordinates with the Kyoto Protocol goals of comparing emission reductions versus 1990 levels.
Validity: RECs remain valid until sold and retired. RECs earned are an earned asset. Earned assets are bankable until sold.
Foreward Sales: are permitted. This important feature helps with project finance.
Status: RECs are recorded as 'Retired' once sold to a homeowner/busines. This means that they are not for resale. If bought by a Utility or Broker they are recorded as 'Sold to Utility' or 'Sold to Broker' as it is assumed that the RECs will be sold onwards by the Utility/Broker. This allows auditors to track through the REC system from source to final sale.
Fully Aggregated: An REC is always sold as a fully aggregated product. This represents the total air pollutions saved by using renewable power instead of coal to make electricity. Coal is the fuel source renewable energy is compared against. Instead of producing air pollution the wind turbine earns Renewable Energy Credits. The general standard claim of pollutions saved, per MWh of power production, is 1 tonne CO2, 4-6 Kg SO2, 3-5 Kg NOx, 0.25 Kg of Particulate Matter including Mercury. (Data from: 'The Pembina Institute Green Power Guidelines for Canada' publication). RECs differ from Kyoto Protocol Emission Reduction Credit ERCs in this regard- RECs being fully aggregated as described while Kyoto Protocol ERCs can represent reductions in CO2 by itself. An REC therefore is equivalent to a Kyoto Protocol ERC plus some extra pollution reductions. Since Kyoto Protocol ERCs have a value of one tonne CO2 and RECs earned per MWh power produced also save one tonne CO2 an REC emission reduction credit is easily coordinated with Kyoto Protocol emission reduction goals and credit calculations and auditing.
Value: One REC represents the pollutions offset by 1 MWh of power production by a renewable energy power generator.
Amount: Credits issued for any amount of power generated (in fractions of 1MWh RECs) and Certificates can be made out for any amount of pollutions wanted to offset (minimum 100 kWh block). Hence credits issued to small wind or solar systems are possible (new systems only upon first installation) and Certificates are available for small amounts of power as used by a conference or event.
Sources: At present Invest Green brokers RECs from windpower generators. Solar, microhydro, geothermal, ocean power, biogas are also elligible, as is solar thermal.
International Trading: Permitted. While electricity goes into a local electrical grid, air pollution goes into the global atmospheric grid. This feature allows RECs to be traded globally similar to Kyoto Protocol ERCs from CDM and JI projects.
Off-Grid: RECs can be issued for off-grid renewable energy installations. Grid or no grid, air pollutions avoided directly improve the global atmospheric grid.
Serial Number: For tracking and auditing purposes all Certificates sold by Invest Green have serial numbers.
Auditing: Auditing of power produced, RECs issued, and RECs sold is conducted annually by an independant third party auditor.
Certification: Invest Green RECs are monitored and approved as a product derived from power generators representing universally accepted definitions of renewable energy power sources by independent environmental profesionals and NGOs. The Ecologo certification we have in Canada is to expensive for small power generators. The goal is to eventually develop a system similar to the Australian system.
Go To Invest Green HOME PAGE,
Calculate RECs needed,