GreenPower Renewable Energy Accreditation

Introduction

Green Power is an Australian renewable energy accreditation company whose accreditation is applicable to every state in Australia. Currently, more than 20,000 businesses and 140,000 households have purchased renewable energy accredited by Green Power.

Objective

Green Power ensures that the renewable energy purchased by customers is from accredited renewable energy sources that exceed the standard in the Renewable Energy Target scheme (RET) introduced by the Australian government.

Renewable energy accreditation requirements

• Electricity retailer

Electricity retailers can apply to become a GreenPower Provider, and if they fulfil GreenPower's accreditation criteria, they can offer GreenPower products to businesses and households and use the GreenPower label to market those products. A GreenPower Provider must purchase energy from renewable energy generators accredited by GreenPower which will conduct rigorous reviews to ensure the amount of renewable energy purchased matches the amount generators produce.

• Power generator

According to the Renewable Energy Target scheme, green power generators are defined as power generators that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To ensure that energy purchased by customers contributes to the development of new renewable energy infrastructure, renewable energy must be sourced from wind, solar, hydro, and biomass power generators to comply with the requirements set forth in the GreenPower Accreditation Program rules.

The GreenPower Accreditation Program excludes:

1. Renewable power generation existing before 1997.
2. Hydroelectric power generation that has undergone major river diversions as part of the ongoing construction of hydropower plants.
3. Biomass from native tropical rainforests.
4. Coalbed methane.
5. All types of non-renewable energy, including coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear.

Renewable energy certificates applicable for Renewable Energy Accreditation

GreenPower currently only accepts Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) but does not accept Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs). LGC generators accredited by GreenPower are also known as GreenPower LGCs or GreenPower RECs.

Only LGCs from GreenPower Generators are eligible as a basis for the sale of GreenPower.

Organizations that recognize Renewable Energy Accreditation

• The National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS)
• Clean Energy Future and the Carbon Pricing Mechanism

Sources

1. Green Power
2. National Green Power Accreditation Program