Renewable Energy Certificate System
Encyclopedia
The Renewable Energy Certificate System (RECS) is a voluntary system for international trade in renewable energy certificate
s that was created by RECS International
to stimulate international development of renewable energy. It advocates the use of a standard energy certificate
to provide evidence of the production of a quantity of renewable energy, and provides a methodology which enables renewable energy trade, enabling the creation of a market for renewable energy and so promoting the development of new renewable energy capacity in Europe.
A RECS energy certificate
is issued for every 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable energy produced by an electricity generation facility that has been registered with the relevant national RECS issuing body. These certificates can be transferred between market parties in different countries, and are used to provide evidence of the consumption of renewable energy – at which point they are made non-transferable, in order to ensure that the "renewable benefit" is not double-sold.
The market for RECS certificates is administered by the Association of Issuing Bodies
(AIB) according to its European Energy Certificate System
(EECS), in the same way as the obligatory guarantees of origin required by the various European Union Directives that are gradually replacing voluntary RECS certificates in Europe.
Energy certificate
An energy certificate is a transferable certificate, record or guarantee, in any form in relation to the amount of a specific type of energy or material goods consumed by an energy conversion device in the production of a quantity of energy or material goods and/or the attributes of the method and...
s that was created by RECS International
RECS International
RECS International was founded in Brussels in 2002 and is a non-profit-making European association of market players trading in renewable energy certificates...
to stimulate international development of renewable energy. It advocates the use of a standard energy certificate
Energy certificate
An energy certificate is a transferable certificate, record or guarantee, in any form in relation to the amount of a specific type of energy or material goods consumed by an energy conversion device in the production of a quantity of energy or material goods and/or the attributes of the method and...
to provide evidence of the production of a quantity of renewable energy, and provides a methodology which enables renewable energy trade, enabling the creation of a market for renewable energy and so promoting the development of new renewable energy capacity in Europe.
A RECS energy certificate
Energy certificate
An energy certificate is a transferable certificate, record or guarantee, in any form in relation to the amount of a specific type of energy or material goods consumed by an energy conversion device in the production of a quantity of energy or material goods and/or the attributes of the method and...
is issued for every 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable energy produced by an electricity generation facility that has been registered with the relevant national RECS issuing body. These certificates can be transferred between market parties in different countries, and are used to provide evidence of the consumption of renewable energy – at which point they are made non-transferable, in order to ensure that the "renewable benefit" is not double-sold.
The market for RECS certificates is administered by the Association of Issuing Bodies
Association of Issuing Bodies
The Association of Issuing Bodies - the AIB - promotes the use of a standardised system, based on harmonized environment, structures and procedures in order to ensure the reliable operation of international energy certificate systems...
(AIB) according to its European Energy Certificate System
European Energy Certificate System
The European Energy Certificate System is a commercially funded, integrated European framework for issuing, holding, transferring and otherwise processing electronic records...
(EECS), in the same way as the obligatory guarantees of origin required by the various European Union Directives that are gradually replacing voluntary RECS certificates in Europe.