We issue two main types of certificates: 

• Guarantees of Origin (GoOs)
• labelling certificates for non-sustainable energy (fossil fuel-based and nuclear energy)

Guarantees of Origin: proof of sustainable energy production
GoOs are issued both for sustainable energy and sustainable electricity from combined heat and power plants. This is based on the 1998 Electricity Act and several Ministerial schemes. 

Applications
Guarantees of Origin are issued for both private and commercial production plants and they are issued to traders. They serve to:

• prove that energy that is supplied has been generated from a sustainable source;
• correctly implement the energy labelling programme: the ‘green energy’ label can only be used if the trader has cancelled Guarantees of Origin
• enable the producer to receive subsidies.

In addition, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) uses Guarantees of Origin to gather and publish statistics on sustainable energy. The CBS calculates the amount of sustainable energy produced and consumed in the Netherlands. These statistics are important for the Dutch government, as indicators of whether its energy goals have been achieved. The EU goal for the Netherlands is that fourteen percent of the energy used in 2020 should come from sustainable sources.

Electricity from combined heat and power (cogeneration) plants
You can also apply for Guarantees of Origin for electricity generated in a high-efficiency combined heat and power plant (CHP). CHP is usually more efficient than ‘normal’ power generation, because heat and electricity are generated and used in a combined way. We will issue GoOs for highly efficient CHP plants, if the producer requests for it. The efficiency requirements have been set internationally in European Directive 2004/8 on the promotion of cogeneration based on “useful heat demand” (see Directive 2004/8/EC). 

RECS
Sometimes a Guarantee of Origin will have the notation ‘RECS,’ referring to the Renewable Energy Certificate System. A certificate with this label is easier to trade on the international market as it can also be traded in countries that do not have a Guarantee of Origin system. After consulting a trader, a producer may request that Guarantees of Origin should bear the RECS label. For more information see www.recs.org.

Labelling certificates
Energy suppliers are required to show where their energy has come from by including an energy label on customers’ annual accounts. Several calculation methods have been agreed on to ensure that the various labels are comparable. Certificates, including certificates for grey energy, make the labels more transparent. That is why even non-sustainable energy, for example that from fossil fuel-based and nuclear sources, can be certified, although this is not a legal obligation.

If you would like to know more, please call us at 026 373 16 58 or send an e-mail to servicedesk@certiq.nl. We are available on weekdays from 08:30 to 17:00.