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This installment provides an introduction to RECs for corporate energy users. The publication defines RECs, their business benefits, and their similarities to other renewable energy products. It also makes suggestions for purchase strategy and policy.
Complete Report (PDF, 151 Kb)
The fifth installment introduces “renewable energy certificates” (RECs). RECs are a renewable energy product that companies can purchase to reduce the environmental impact of their business activities. A REC represents the environmental attributes, for example, avoided CO2 emissions, that are created when electricity is generated using renewable resources instead of using fossil fuel sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas. RECs can be sold separately from their associated electricity and thus enable customers to purchase the environmental attributes of renewable power generation independently of their retail power supply. Purchasing RECs, therefore, can be an effective means for a company to “green” the electricity it consumes.
This installment of WRI’s Corporate Guide to Green Power Markets provides an introduction to RECs for corporate energy users. This publication:
About this series
The Corporate Guide to Green Power Markets is designed to help corporations understand, explore, and evaluate renewable energy opportunities. Published by the World Resources Institute, the Guide consists of a series of installments that will explore different aspects of corporate markets for green power, including:
Installments will include useful tools, strategies, and case examples of corporate experiences with green power.
The series will be based on WRI’s experience with the Green Power Market Development Group. Installments will be published approximately every quarter over 18 months (starting July, 2002). If you would like free hardcopies of installments to be mailed to you, please complete the mailing form.