Introduction to Green-e Energy

Originally presented Wednesday, July 23, 2014 at 10:00 am PT. A free webinar that explained the Green-e Energy certification program and how it works within the larger voluntary renewable energy market in North America. This webinar covered the basics of how renewable energy is generated, tracked, and sold; how Green-e Energy protects consumers by ensuring clear title to renewable energy purchases that are as advertised; and how consumers, businesses, and renewable energy sellers can become involved with Green-e Energy.

Transcript

1. INTRODUCTION TO GREEN-E ENERGY
   2014 Webinar Series
   July 23, 2014
   Michael Leschke
   Green-e Energy Associate
   

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2. Outline
   1. Welcome/About Us
   2. Renewable Energy Basics
   3. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
   4. How to Get Started
   5. Q&A/Wrap Up
   

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3. About Center for Resource Solutions
   A nonprofit creating policy and market solutions to advance sustainable
   energy since 1997.
   

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4. About Green-e Energy
   The nation's leading voluntary certification program for renewable
   energy.
   

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5. Outline
   1. Welcome/About Us
   2. Renewable Energy Basics
   3. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
   4. How to Get Started
   5. Q&A/Wrap Up
   

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6. Renewable Energy Basics
   •What does renewable even mean, anyway?
   

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7. Renewable Energy Basics
   •What does renewable even mean, anyway?
   •Resource Types. Biomass (Gaseous & Non-gaseous), Geothermal, Hydro,
   Solar, Wind
   

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8. Renewable Energy Basics: Resource Types
   Resource Types in Green-e Energy. Contributions of Renewable Resource Types to Total Green-e
   Energy Certified Retail Sales, 2012.
   

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9. Renewable Energy Basics
   •What does renewable even mean, anyway?
   •Resource Types. Biomass, Geothermal, Hydro, Solar, Wind
   •Two Markets. Compliance vs. Voluntary
   

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10. Renewable Energy Basics: Two Markets. Comparison of compliance and voluntary markets for renewable
    energy, 2005–2012. Courtesy National Renewable Energy Laboratory
    Renewable Energy Basics: Two Markets
    

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11. Green-e Energy certifies approximately 75% of the
    U.S. voluntary renewable energy market
    

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12. Renewable Energy Basics
    •What does renewable even mean, anyway?
    •Resource Types. Biomass, Geothermal, Hydro, Solar, Wind
    •Two Markets. Compliance vs. Voluntary
    •Renewable Energy Product Types. Competitive electricity, green
    power pricing programs, renewable energy certificates
    

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13. Renewable Energy Basics
    •What does renewable even mean, anyway?
    •Resource Types. Biomass, Geothermal, Hydro, Solar, Wind
    •Two Markets. Compliance vs. Voluntary
    •Renewable Energy Product Types. Competitive electricity, green
    power pricing programs, renewable energy certificates
    •Respect the REC. Renewable energy certificates explained
    

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14. Renewable Energy Basics
    •Respect the REC.
    Renewable energy certificates explained
    

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15. Renewable Energy Basics: Respect the REC. Fossil fuel generation produces commodity electricity.
    Renewable generation also produces electricity, but for every megawatt-hour of electricity generated, a
    Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is also produced. This REC embodies the additional environmental
    benefit of renewable energy—little or no pollution.
    

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16. Renewable Energy Basics
    •What does renewable even mean, anyway?
    •Resource Types. Biomass, Geothermal, Hydro, Solar, Wind
    •Two Markets. Compliance vs. Voluntary
    •Renewable Energy Product Types. Competitive electricity, green
    power pricing programs, renewable energy certificates
    •Respect the REC. Renewable energy certificates explained
    •Stake your claim. He who owneth the REC maketh the claim
    

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17. Renewable Energy Basics
    •Stake your claim
    Double Claiming and Double Counting
    REC
    

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18. Outline
    1. Welcome/About Us
    2. Renewable Energy Basics
    3. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    4. How to Get Started
    5. Q&A/Wrap Up
    

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19. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    •The Reason for Green-e Energy. Creating confidence in clean energy purchases
    Michael L. and Green-e Energy Staff
    

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20. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    •The Reason for Green-e Energy. Creating confidence in clean energy purchases
    •Best Practices in Standard Setting. Independent Governance Board, Stakeholder-driven
    standards and policies. Code of Conduct and Customer Disclosure Requirements
    

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21. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    •The Reason for Green-e Energy. Creating confidence in clean energy purchases
    •Best Practices in Standard Setting. Independent Governance Board, Stakeholder-driven
    standards and policies, Code of Conduct and Customer Disclosure Requirements
    •Claims and the Annual Verification Process. Annual verification of sales and claims,
    Marketing Compliance Review
    

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22. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    •The Reason for Green-e Energy. Creating confidence in clean energy purchases
    •Best Practices in Standard Setting. Independent Governance Board, Stakeholder-driven
    standards and policies. Code of Conduct and Customer Disclosure Requirements
    •Claims and the Annual Verification Process. Annual verification of sales and claims,
    Marketing Compliance Review
    •Other Standards Require Green-e Energy.
    

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23. Other Standards Require Green-e. B Corporation, Cradle to Cradle, U.S. Green Building Council’s
    LEED standard.
    

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24. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    •The Reason for Green-e Energy. Creating confidence in clean energy purchases
    •Best Practices in Standard Setting. Independent Governance Board, Stakeholder-driven
    standards and policies, Code of Conduct and Customer Disclosure Requirements
    •Claims and the Annual Verification Process. Annual verification of sales and claims,
    Marketing Compliance Review
    •Other Standards Require Green-e.
    •High Logo Recognition. 21% logo recognition, THE highest
    

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25. High Logo Recognition. Green-e has one of the highest levels of recognition among third-party
    certifications, and the highest among non-governmental labels (Smart Choice is no longer).
    

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26. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    •The Reason for Green-e Energy. Creating confidence in clean energy purchases
    •Best Practices in Standard Setting. Independent Governance Board, Stakeholder-driven
    standards and policies. Code of Conduct and Customer Disclosure Requirements
    •Claims and the Annual Verification Process. Annual verification of sales and claims,
    Marketing Compliance Review
    •Other Standards Require Green-e
    •High Logo Recognition. 21% logo recognition, among the highest
    •At a Retail Seller Close to You. Easy to find Green-e Energy certified products in your neck
    of the woods
    

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27. At a Retail Seller Close to You.
    

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28. Source: NREL, 2013
    At a Retail Seller Close to You. 7 (soon to be 8) of the 10 largest utility green
    pricing programs are Green-e Energy certified, as are 98% of Retail RECs in the
    Voluntary Market
    Rank Utility
    Sales
    (MWh/Year)
    1 Portland General Electric 1,049,981
    2 Austin Energy 863,956
    3 PacifiCorp 634,092
    4 Sacramento Municipal Utility District 423,724
    5 Xcel Energy (CO, MI, MN, NM, WI) 388,157
    6 Puget Sound Energy 380,155
    7 Connecticut Power & Light/ United Illuminating 273,658
    8 CPS Energy 205,713
    9 Tennessee Valley Authority 199,067
    10 WE Energies 17,711
    

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29. Equivalent to powering nearly 1/3 of
    U.S. households for 1 Month
    

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30. increase in 2012 retail MWh certified
    compared to 2011
    increase in # of customers buying Green-e
    Energy certified products in 2012 compared to 2011
    average increase per year in total MWh
    certified since 2008
    The Value of Green-e Energy: Certification Growth
    29%
    15%
    30%
    

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31. Outline
    1. Welcome/About Us
    2. Renewable Energy Basics
    3. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    4. How to Get Started
    5. Q&A/Wrap Up
    

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32. How to Get Started
    •Check out green-e.org/find. Search for Green-e Energy Certified
    products at “Find Green-e Certified Renewable Energy for Your Home or
    Organization”
    

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34. How to Get Started
    •Check out green-e.org/find. Search for Green-e Energy Certified
    products at “Find Green-e Certified Renewable Energy for Your Home or
    Organization”
    •Learn, Learning, Learned. Check out www.green-e.org/learn
    

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35. Learn, Learning, Learned. A dedicated
    section of the website with instructional
    materials, a dictionary, an FAQ, and
    whitepapers discussing claims and ownership
    for RECs.
    

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36. How to Get Started
    •Check out green-e.org/find. Search for Green-e Energy Certified
    products at “Find Green-e Certified Renewable Energy for Your Home or
    Organization”
    •Learn, Learning, Learned. Check out www.green-e.org/learn
    •Holler. Contact Green-e Energy staff at info@resource-solutions.org
    

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37. Outline
    1. Welcome/About Us
    2. Renewable Energy Basics
    3. Green-e Energy and Consumer Protection
    4. How to Get Started
    5. Q&A/Wrap Up
    

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38. ?
    

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39. Upcoming Webinars
    •Carbon Offsets 101. August 6th
    •Renewable Energy 101. September 3rd
    •An In-Depth Look at Solar Claims and Green-e Energy Eligibility.
    September 12th
    •Tracking Renewable Energy for the U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan:
    Guidelines for States to Use Existing REC Tracking Systems to Comply
    with 111(d). September 23rd
    Learn more and register at www.resource-solutions.org/events
    

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40. Michael Leschke
    Green-e Energy Associate
    415-568-4286
    michael@resource-solutions.org
    CONTACT
    

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