On July 10, the Centre for Resource Solutions (CRS) opened a second 60-day open stakeholder comment period on a new draft Green-e standard that will provide access to certification for voluntary renewable electricity and Environmental Attribute Certificate (“EAC”) transactions in a growing number of international electricity markets. CRS are accepting comments until September 7, 2023.  

The new standard, called the Green-e® Renewable Electricity Standard for International Certification (the “International Standard”), provides criteria for Green-e® certification in selected electricity markets. The International Standard will not replace any Green-e® certification standards that already apply to particular countries or regions, but instead allows certification in certain new markets, to be determined by CRS.  

CRS has also developed a Terms of Reference (“TOR”), which lays out the goals of the International Standard and the key issues that it would address. These include market need, sustainability, comparison to and compatibility with other existing relevant standards (e.g. RE100, CDP, LEED), implementation risk, and how to address such risk. The TOR also discusses how certification under the International Standard will be structured, how that differs slightly from Green-e® Energy certification under other current standards and how certification interacts with renewable energy tracking systems. 

Both the International Standard and TOR are open for stakeholder comment through September 7, 2023. Stakeholders can provide feedback through an online survey that contains targeted questions about the International Standard, TOR, program structure and the stakeholder process. Comments are also accepted via email at comments@green-e.org.