Yes International projects can purchase US-based RECs to demonstrate compliance with the credit requirements.

Alan, any project worldwide can purchase qualifying Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified RECs. Most often you would need to purchase these from U.S. companies. A wind project in your local area could qualify but only if they are selling Green-e certified or equivalent RECs.

Non-Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified products need to demonstrate equivalency with the requirements of the Green-e Energy Standard. This has proven difficult for many international projects so if you follow this path make sure you read the standard and write a narrative describing how the local green power meets each of the major provisions of the standard.

100% would be worth and ID credit. You could possibly earn another ID credit for the carbon offsets depending upon quantity.

Thank you Marcus. Just so I'm clear, carbon offsets cannot be used for EAc6.

You perhaps could use carbon offsets for EAc6 for the electricity use of the building. You would need to demonstrate that the offsets were equivalent to the requirements of the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. standard. You cannot use offsets for the gas consumption of the facility and have them count toward EAc6.

For this credit you need to buy RECs to offset your total electricity use for the year (for a two year period). If you net zero electricity use for the year. Then you could buy 0 REC for 0$/kwhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu./year and offset 100% of your energy use. Free points?

It depends on the on-site renewables you use to net zero the project. If it is all PV, for example, as long as the project retains the RECs and the system is grid-connected (say through net metering) then they could be applied to EAc6. If they have been sold then they must be replaced to earn EAc6.

So yes potentially free point(s).

John, I think the issue here is that to comply with the EAc6 requirement for RECs to be Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified or the equivalent. I assume the RECs here are not certified, and I think it's rare for LEED project teams to pursue that in a case like this.

I am not sure if this would translate for NC-v2.2, but if this were an NC-2009 project there is a possibility you could qualify under EAc2. See the Nov. 2011 LEED addenda on EAc2.

A Power Purchase Agreement may or may not include the RECs, it depends on the individual agreement.

If you own the RECs from this system you may be able to demonstrate equivalency with the requirements in the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. Standard and earn this credit. This path is implicit in the credit language.

If you own the RECs and the power you may be able to earn both EAc2 and EAc6 plus get all the points for EAc1 as a net zero project. I would need to know more to be sure but I think it is possible.

@Marcus and Tristan - Sounds like the catch would depend on two things (yet undetermined as we are in DD/CD phase) 1. Will power purchase agreement contract allow the school to purchase Renewable Energy Credits from the on-site solar arrays? 2. Will the third party go the extent to Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certify their RECs?

Perhaps the best route is to put out a request for proposals including language that would help us come up with a PPA that could contribute to EAc2 and EAc6 and help us to achive net zero thus contributing to EAc1.

Thanks!

Yes you can. The source of the RECs (i.e. grid connected) is what matters not whether you access them through the grid.

I know that this was possible in the past without an additional fee. However, I am not sure of GBCI's current policy. Worst case I would imagine is that you would have to pay for an appeal.

Hi Marcus
I have a similar question: is it possible to submit part of the construction credits since documentation is complete for some? And can the remaining of the construction credits be submitted at a later stage? In another word is it possible to submit construction credits in 2 stages? And if so is there any risks in doing so?
Thanks
Geraldine
Geraldine

You are only allowed to submit twice in a split submission. Usually the design credits are submitted and then the construction credits. If you already went through a design review you will need to submit all of the remaining credits together in one construction submission.

It would be for an ID credit.

The CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide seems to indicate that the offset must be a Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified offset. Those offsets appear to be primarily for renewable energy projects. It also indicates that the quantity of the offset must be equal to or greater than the green power purchase required of the project to earn EAc6.

Other offsets may qualify but you would need to demonstrate equivalency with the applicable Green-e standard.

The exerpt below is from the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. Standard.

B. Vintage of Eligible Renewables
A Green-e Energy Certified product may include only renewables that are generated in the calendar year in which the product is sold, the first three months of the following calendar year, or the last six months of the prior calendar year.

If the RECs meet that criteria, and all the rest of the Standard, then they qualify for LEED. If not then they don't.

As Marcus mentioned, all RECs have an associated Vintage Year depending on when the renewable energy was generated. While LEED does not require that the Vintage Years of the RECs match the time period being offset. For example, you could purchase two years' worth of 2011 Vintage RECs to green your electricity from 1/1/2012 - 12/31/2013.

However, matching the Vintage Year to the period being offset is required for participation in programs such as the EPA Green Power Partnership, and many of 3Degrees' partners have selected this option as a best practice.

Feel free to shoot me an email if you'd like to learn more about the different options - mloving@3degreesinc.com.

This was an error which was clarified by a CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide later. Here is the line-by-line text you can use in the ID credit Template, with minimal adaptation for your project:

ID Credit Title:
Exemplary PerformanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements.: EA credit 6 (70%)

Narrative Statement of Credit Intent:
Encourage the development and use of grid-source, renewable energy technologies on a zero net pollution basis.

Narrative Statement describing Credit Requirements:
Provide at least 70% of the building's electricity (based on calculated or default consumption) from renewable sources by engaging in a two-year contract to purchase power generated from renewables sources that meet Center for Resource Solution s (CRS) Green-EGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. products certification requirements. This is a doubling of the EA credit 6 Green Power requirements and is based on the errata issued 6/29/06 that states: Exemplary performance can be achieved by doubling the requirements, either by the amount of electricity or the length of the contract.

Narrative Describing Project's Approach to the credit:
The owner has chosen to offset 70% of the electricity-use of this building over two years with Green-E RECs in order to achieve an innovation point for exemplary performance in this category (based on the errata dated June 29, 2006). The electricity use was estimated by using the energy model provided by the engineer.

Sorry, that should read "corrected by the Errata", rather than "by a CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide". This should apply to Schools, but it is worth checking the Schools 2007 Errata on the USGBC website here: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1586

It's not possible to sell RECs twice for same unit of power generated, so you shouldn't see a power plant doing this.

Some utilities sell RECs, which is the same as saying that some utilities sell green power.

Not sure if I'm answering your question—what are you referring to?

"It's not possible to sell RECs twice for same unit of power generated, so you shouldn't see a power plant doing this"

I believe that answers it. Thanks.

Project A buys green power directly from a plant, since they are within the district.
Project B buys RECs from the plant, since they are not.

Both projects apply their "green power" to their LEED submittal. My question was that it appears that the power used to obtain two seperate LEED points could in fact be the same power. There is no way to know.

Yes, there IS a way to know. Green power used for LEED compliance must be Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certifed. Green-e contains checks to prevent such double-counting.

If the power plant is selling RECs for the same unit of electricity twice, they're also committing fraud.

I believe I understand:

the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. program is a mechanism tracking the assignment of green power (RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. and non-REC) produced by a plant and ensuring that they dont overlap.

In my scenerio above, the power Project A buys would not be available as REC purchase for Project B.

Right.

Also, utilities in the U.S. are required to produce a certain percentage of their power (like 5%) from renewable sources. This is called portfolio renewables, or something like that. "Green power" like this that is already legally mandated to be produced cannot be used for Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified RECs. The idea is that the Green-e RECs represent green power going above and beyond the norm—it's not "business as usual."

PS, I am asking specifically regarding an NC 2.2 project; it seems like they've clarified it for v3.

Yes you can. The annual electricity consumption for the facility is less because of the PV array. The final result for EAc1 includes the PV array, so while it is not explicitly stated in the Reference Guide or via CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide, the EAc6 purchasing requirement is based on that final result.

For this credit in particular, your project would need to offset 35% of the annual electricity usage for 2 years (1 LEED credit), or 70% of the annual electricity usage for 2 years (1 LEED Credit + 1 ID credit). Typically both years are purchased up front. Please contact me if you'd like to have a discussion about your project in question.

Thanks!

We aren't yet completed with construction documents, can we purchase the RECs now for a 2 year period beginning now? IE: when can we begin the 2 year period, does it have to be post construction, or post CD's, or anytime after project registration with USGBC? Is there any requirement on the timing of the purchase?

I don't believe there is any specific start date - as long as it is within a reasonable time frame. Purchasing RECs during DD can contribute to off-setting the construction carbon release as well as the building's direct energy consumption. During either purchase time, the credit intent is still being met. That being said, I would be very interested to know if anyone has had any trouble with this credit.

Hi Matthew-

This is a tough question to answer, as different states have different definitions for what Tier 1 and Tier 2 are. Normally, tiers are used to designate green power for state Renewable Portfolio Standards, so it varies by state. Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. does not certify all Tiers, so most importantly, if the RECs you are purchasing are Green-e certified, they will be accepted by the USGBC. Let me know if this answers your question, or feel free to email me at lmalone@renewablechoice.com

Thanks Lana. We're checking with the RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. provider to ensure that we purchase the right ones.

Hi Omer!

According to the LEED NC 2.2 Reference Guide, other sources of green power are eligible if they satisfy the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. program’s technical requirements.The Gold Standard is a high quality carbon credit label for both Kyoto and voluntary markets, and would most likely be accepted with proper documentation. Gold Standard RECs are typically much more expensive than Green-e RECs as well.

I hope this helps!

Omer,

You may be interested to learn that the USGBC has recently approved carbon offsets from a renewable energy project for this credit. http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/04/28/haworth-turns-offets-over-recs-e...

In line with the intent of EAc6, carbon offsets from renewable energy projects encourage the development and use of grid-source, renewable energy technologies on a net zero pollution basis. They also have the added benefit of ensuring a fully additional increase in renewable energy capacity on the grid as well as unambiguous ownership of greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Yes, it is true that high quality carbon offsets certified to a robust international consensus based standard will likely cost more (especially in regions with high grid emissions factors) but there is a strong case to be made that they deliver significantly more tangible and documentable environmental benefit. I do think it is fair to correlate the current historical low prices for RECs to the actual benefit that is being delivered. This paper from a group of leading climate NGOs provides more background. http://www.offsetqualityinitiative.org/OQI%20REC%20Brief%20Web.pdf

If you need help with the GHG conversions or submittal language I would be happy to help.