Green-e® Energy Verification Participant Webinar

Green-e® Energy staff hosted a webinar on February 24, 2021 for sellers of Green-e® Energy certified products who made certified sales in 2020. The webinar reviewed the verification software and materials.

Transcript

1. PARTICIPANT VERIFICATION TRAINING Reporting Year 2020 (RY2020) Judy Chen MANAGER, CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
2. Verification Overview PAGE 2 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
3. Annual Verification Process PAGE 3 Who? Green-e® Energy Participants and an independent Auditor (CPA or CIA) What? An audit of Green-e® Energy Participants’ purchases and sales to make sure their products meet the Green-e® Energy Standard for Canada and the US and program rules When? Deadline: Due June 1, 2021 Covers all certified sales made in 2020 The verification software will open on March 1st, 2021 Where? www.green-e.org/verification/user Log-in information will be sent out on March 1st for new users © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
4. Annual Verification Process - Timeline PAGE 4 2020 2019 2021 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q2 Q3 Q4 21-month vintage window for RY2020 Calendar year for which sales should be reported for the RY2020 audit Reporting Year 2020 Sales: All certified sales made during Calendar Year 2020 (1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020) should be reported during RY2020 verification. Exception for Wholesale - wholesale sales in 2021 may be eligible for RY2020 if they are (1) certified wholesale transactions and (2) the purchaser is a Green-e® participant who uses that generation for their RY2020 retail sales. Supply: All supply used to substantiate certified sales must have been generated: • In the calendar year in which it’s sold (2020); or • During the first 3 months of the following calendar year (Jan – Mar 2021); or • During the last 6 months of the prior calendar year (July – Dec 2019). © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
5. What’s new in RY2020? PAGE 5 • Large Sale • VA in RGGI • General bug fixes RY2019 • Tracking System Reports – NAR, M-RETS, PJM- GATS • Tracking System Requirement • Standalone Appendix G © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
6. Reminders for RY2020 PAGE 6 Auditor Webinar Training on March 10th, 2021 The Tracking Attestation is online. Facilities registered in a tracking system that did not submit a tracking attestation by February 1st, 2021 must upload a confirmation email to the software to show that a tracking attestation has been submitted and/or approved. Mix Change Form needed for Products where the mix has substantially changed from projected mix listed on 2020 PPCL. Contact Green-e® staff for details. Co-firing and Repowering Applications due by March 31st, 2021 if facilities are to receive approval for RY2020. © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
7. Reminders for RY2020 PAGE 7 “New Date” for facilities used toward 2020 sales is 2006. Facilities in RGGI, Michigan, California or delivering electricity to the CA grid may require additional documentation. More information can be found in the Getting Started Guide. Supply data that is tracked in an electronic Tracking System (except for ERCOT) will need to be entered by month instead of by quarter. If you are using a different auditor this year or are a new Participant, send us your auditor’s contact information if you have not already. No hardcopies of any documents are required to be submitted, except upon specific request. © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
8. Reminders for RY2020 PAGE 8 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved. All information you provide must match internal purchasing and generation records, attestations, and Tracking System account information held by your company. All contracts for supply must be signed, dated, and executed no later than June 1st, 2021. The price and volume of the supply must also be determined at or before this time. Delivery of the supply must be taken by Participant in the form of transfers through a Tracking System or receipt of completed Green-e® Energy attestation forms by this date. Historic PCL must have state information included (if applicable). All transactions listed must have attestation or Tracking System documentation meeting the requirements in Appendices D and E of the Getting Started Guide. Information entered must match the attestations / Tracking System Reports. Appendix B lists documentation you must provide to your auditor and to Green-e®.
9. The Verification Software PAGE 9 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
10. Attestations and Chain-of-Custody Verification PAGE 10 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
11. For facilities registered in an approved tracking system, the tracking attestation and tracking system report (in some cases) are required. Tracked Facilities Tracking Attestation (Online) Tracking System Report (Exported) PAGE 11 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
12. For facilities not registered in a tracking system, there are three possible forms to fill out. Depending on the chain-of-custody, more than one form may need to be submitted for each facility. Untracked Facilities Generator Attestation (PDF) Wholesale Attestation (PDF) Small Generator Attestation (PDF) PAGE 12 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
13. Attestation Scenarios Renewable Energy Generator not registered in a Tracking System and selling a Green-e® Energy certified product Wholesale Supplier and selling a Green-e® Energy certified product Renewable Energy Generator registered in Tracking System and selling a Green-e® Energy certified product Renewable Energy Generator not registered in a Tracking System and not selling a Green-e® Energy certified product Wholesale Supplier and not selling a Green-e® Energy certified product Renewable Energy Generator registered in Tracking System and not selling a Green-e® Energy certified product PAGE 13 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
14. Scenario 1 – Purchasing Directly from an Untracked Facility Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Generator Attestation Form PAGE 14 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
15. Scenario 2 – Purchasing Certified Directly from an Untracked Facility Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Generator Attestation Form PAGE 15 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
16. Scenario 3 – Purchasing from an Untracked Facility via a Wholesale Transaction Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Generator Attestation Form Wholesale Attestation Form PAGE 16 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
17. Scenario 4 – Purchasing from an Untracked Facility via a Certified Wholesale Transaction Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Generator Attestation Form Wholesale Attestation Form X When buying certified wholesale, only the wholesale attestation is needed! PAGE 17 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
18. Scenario 4 – Purchasing from an Untracked Facility via Multiple Wholesale Transactions Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Generator Attestation Form Wholesale Attestation Form When there are multiple wholesale transactions in the chain-of-custody, you must provide attestations tracing the chain-of-custody back to the generator. In other words, you must provide a Wholesale Attestation for each entity that took ownership of RECs throughout the chain-of- custody. Wholesale Attestation Form PAGE 18 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
19. Scenario 5 – Purchasing from an Untracked Facility via Multiple Wholesale Transactions Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Generator Attestation Form Wholesale Attestation Form If the RECs you purchased are certified by the most recent wholesale seller, you’ll only need to provide one Wholesale Attestation from that seller. Wholesale Attestation Form X X PAGE 19 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
20. Scenario 6 – Purchasing Directly from a Tracked Facility Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Tracking Attestation Form Tracking attestations can last for up to three years; if the facility you sourced from already has a tracking attestation on file with CRS, an additional form doesn’t need to be submitted. Check a facility’s tracking attestation status on the Green-e® Energy Participant Portal. Tracking System Report + PAGE 20 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
21. Scenario 7 – Purchasing Certified Directly from a Tracked Facility Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Tracking Attestation Form Tracking attestations are required regardless of if the Participant purchased certified wholesale or not. Tracking System Report + PAGE 21 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
22. Scenario 8 – Purchasing from a Tracked Facility via Multiple Wholesale Transactions Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Tracking Attestation Form If a facility is tracked in a tracking system, only one tracking attestation needs to be submitted to CRS regardless of how many entities take ownership of the RECs during the chain-of- custody. This same process applies if the most recent wholesale transaction was certified. Tracking System Report + PAGE 22 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
23. Scenario 9 – If Facility is Tracked but Generator Won’t Complete Tracking Attestation Chain-of-Custody Participant Company (You) Customer Generator Attestation Form Wholesale Attestation Form Generator and/or Wholesale Attestations must be submitted through the whole chain-of-custody AND a Tracking System Report is required. Wholesale Attestation Form Tracking System Report + PAGE 23 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
24. Tracking System Reports - Appendix E - Separate Sub-Account - “Green-e® Energy RY2020” - RETIRED (retail) or TRANSFERED (wholesale) - Transaction confirmed, not just “pending” - Transfer reports need to be uploaded into verification software PAGE 24 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
25. Q&A PAGE 25 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
26. © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved. Contact verification@green-e.org Judy Chen MANAGER, CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS judy.chen@resource-solutions.org 415.568.4281 Lucas Grimes SENIOR ANALYST, CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS lucas.grimes@resource-solutions.org 415-561-2120 www.resource-solutions.org