CertiQ certifies renewable energy and issues Guarantees of Origin (GoOs) as evidence that the energy is truly ‘green.’ When a GoO is issued, CertiQ credits them to the account of a trader. If you want to buy and sell GoOs, whether in the Netherlands or internationally, you need to open a trader’s account with CertiQ. This also allows you to cancel GoOs from your account, to correspond with green energy you have supplied, or in relation to the retrospective purchase of certificates to turn grey power into green.

A trader is an organisation that trades in Guarantees of Origin. Anyone can register at CertiQ as a trader, providing they meet the requirements. In practice, most traders are energy suppliers. When a supplier delivers green electricity to an end-user, the supplier must cancel Guarantees of Origin from its CertiQ account.