German transmission system operator 50Hertz is working with LichtBlick and Granular Energy on a pilot to enable hourly transparency of the origin of green electricity.
As part of the project, several of LichtBlick’s corporate customers can now use a platform set up by Granular Energy to track the hour at which they purchase green electricity from certain renewable generation plants.
The certificates generated in this way can be purchased and managed in 50Hertz’s Energy Track and Trace Register.
In order for an electricity supply to be declared as green electricity in Germany, it has had to carry a green guarantee of origin (HKN) since 2013.
This certifies when and where green electricity was produced and must be purchased from electricity providers in addition to physical electricity.
So far, however, it is sufficient that the proof was drawn up in the balance sheet in the year of delivery.
There is no need for an hourly comparison between consumption and production. In Germany, the Federal Environment Agency maintains the Register of Guarantees of Origin.
“Guarantees of origin are the birth certificate of green electricity,” said Enno Wolf, chief operating officer of LichtBlick.
“They create transparency and prevent the dual marketing of green electricity,” he added. “So far, however, the evidence usually does not guarantee that the green electricity assigned to a customer was also generated at the time of consumption.
“This is where the system can and must be improved. With our project, we are demonstrating that it is possible to compare generation and consumption on an hourly basis.”
In order to be able to purchase and manage the hourly certificates, 50Hertz, together with Elia Belgium, the Danish grid operator energinet and the Estonian grid operator Elering, has launched a system called the Energy Track and Trace Register, which has also been joined by the Dutch certification company VertiCer.
Many companies will need more transparency about the origin of their electricity in the future for their carbon footprint.
With the guarantees of origin on an hourly basis, they can ensure that they not only purchase green electricity on a certain scale throughout the year, but also verifiably at any hour.
“Hourly energy tracking is crucial to increase confidence in green electricity products,” said co-founder of Granular Toby Ferenczi.
He added: “It also creates a razor-sharp price signal that will accelerate investment in the technologies needed to deliver clean energy around the clock around the world.
“This is because it allows companies to set more precise targets for matching production and consumption. This will also create financial incentives for the expansion of flexibilities and storage.”