At a time when one of the main topics in our daily lives is the green pass, we would like to share some words about the green certificates that existed years prior the pandemic. They represent one of the means for promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and limiting the effects of the global warming.
What are the green certificates?
The green certificates or the guarantees of origin represent electronic documents which serve as a proof to a final customer that given share of energy was produced from renewable energy sources. A guarantee of origin shall be of the standard size of 1 MWh and shall be valid only for a period of 12 months as of the month in which the relevant unit of energy was produced. Only one certificate of origin shall be issued for each unit of energy.
Who issues the guarantees and who could apply for them?
The Sustainable Energy Development Agency issues the guarantees on the basis of an application of green energy producers, regardless of whether they are subject to licensing under the Energy Act. This means that the owners of power plants with installed capacity of up to 5 MW and the persons who produce electricity for their own consumption could also receive a green certificate for the energy they produce.
How could one transfer green certificates?
The guarantees of origin could be transferred separately from the unit of energy they are issued for, but only once to a final customer, i.e. a person purchasing energy for its own use. This restriction is logical as the guarantee is deemed used when transferred to a final customer or when it is used to prove the share of renewable energy.
In cases where the energy produced is purchased by the public or the final suppliers at preferential prices, the guarantees of origin of the energy purchased are transferred to the public or the final suppliers.
Why do you need these guarantees of origin?
We could not provide an exhaustive list of all reasons why customers and suppliers purchase and sell guarantees of origin, therefore we will limit ourselves to a few of them.
Many companies rely on the guarantees of origin in order to reduce their carbon emissions.
The green certificates could be sold both on the territory of our country and abroad. Therefore, the transfer of guarantees of origin could also serve as a possible source of revenue both for the producers and the suppliers.
Last but not least, the companies often use the green certificates in their marketing campaigns in order to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.