Social Energy’s customers have become the first green residential “prosumers” in Great Britain after homeowners in the supplier’s fleet were able to claim Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates for the renewable energy they generate under an Ofgem scheme.
Social Energy requested Ofgem work on a bulk application process to bring small-scale domestic solar PV generators onto the REGO scheme.
The pilot project to certify domestic green energy began 18 months ago.
As a result, Social Energy will be able to use official mechanisms to demonstrate that customers are able to generate, use, and share green energy.
As an energy supplier built specifically to serve the members of Social Energy’s solar and battery VPP (virtual power plant), the company worked with Ofgem and succeeded in generating 5274 REGO certificates to date.
This isn’t the only time that Social Energy has taken the first-mover mantle in the residential solar and storage space, having become the first virtual power plant operator to deliver firm frequency response (FFR) from residential assets, and the first to successfully secure bids in the week-ahead FFR markets with a wholly residential portfolio.
As a result of its push to break new ground in the residential prosumer market, Social Energy recently announced the launch of a 20p/kWh export tariff, available to members of its VPP, with a secondary unlimited export rate of 6p/kWh after the initial 1000kWh per annum capped rate.
The new tariff will now be able to not only pay customers an average £240 back on their annual bill, but to recognise that valuable energy as truly green.
Ben Gatley, managing director of Social Energy UK, said: “The project first started because we wanted a way to engage with the accreditation process with bulk numbers rather than individual generators. An individual application, depending on site size and structure, requires the generator and Ofgem to work together, sometimes over extended timeframes to reach accreditation.
“We have now cut this down to a single click for our customers and Ofgem has simplified and automated its process for small-scale domestic generators.
“As a result, more than 30% of our existing community has officially green generation and 100% of new customers.
“We are looking forward to translating this pilot project into a long-term route of delivering our deep green proposition.
“Although REGOs are just one piece of the puzzle for creating the standards for green energy, we believe that everyone at all levels has the right to be an active participant in the existing energy market.”