Renewable Energy Certificates may overstate corporate environmental efforts

The reliance of many major companies on a certain type of highly scrutinized energy credit could be an indicator that the private sector is far behind efforts

The reliance of many major companies on a certain type of highly scrutinized energy credit could be an indicator that the private sector is far behind efforts to limit contributions to climate change, according to new research.

The research, published in early June in the journal Nature Climate Change, focuses on renewable energy certificates (RECs), which are documents that show that a certain amount of energy has been generated using renewable methods like wind or solar. 

The research found that many companies would have far larger carbon footprints without the credits, which many environmental experts consider to be ineffective.

“In my opinion, [RECs are] always misleading, because in a physical sense, they are not using renewable energy,” said Anders Bjørn, a postdoctoral fellow at Concordia University and the lead author on the study.

The difference once RECs are removed creates a major discrepancy, putting many companies behind goals meant to meet the Paris Agreement. The agreement, adopted in 2015, is an international treaty among 192 countries and the European Union that seeks to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to keep global temperature levels from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/renewable-energy-certificates-may-overstate-corporate-environmental-ef-rcna34157


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