Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:11:58 +0100 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273446#Comment_273446 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273446#Comment_273446 Sat, 20 Apr 2019 22:41:21 +0100 tony https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273447#Comment_273447 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273447#Comment_273447 Sun, 21 Apr 2019 12:24:39 +0100 djh
(1) If it is possible to claim electricity is 'green' as long as you have a REGO matching the quantity, what happens to the REGO-less renewably-generated but now un-green electricity? Is it possible somebody else claims that is 'green' too? Or is it now dirty? Regardless of the mechanisms, it seems only sensible it should be impossible (i.e. illegal) to claim greenness for the same electricity twice. So is it an incredibly naive and bad piece of law/regulation drafting, or is there something more complicated going on?

(2) I understand the purpose of being able to demonstrate the renewableness of some electricity, but I don't understand the purpose of allowing it to be separated from that electricity. Why isn't it just metadata about the electricity, in a similar way as an invoice, for example?]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273450#Comment_273450 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273450#Comment_273450 Sun, 21 Apr 2019 18:07:49 +0100 finnian
In the absence of REGOs, you could contract with renewable companies to produce a unit of power, and sell that power to your customer, and it would be meaningful to say that you deliver 100% renewable energy.

But once there is a UK-wide obligation to produce a certain amount of renewable energy, all this does is mean that someone else produces less renewable energy (assuming the number of customers wanting pure green energy is less than the current obligation).

So then the electricity companies play funny games to claim that their energy really is green. They have to do something 'additional' to make the claim, like actually construct and own renewable power plants (which, again, doesn't obviously change the total number in the UK because the REGOs effectively control how many are built in total). What they could do is retire the REGOs (rip them up) but that would cost money so they don't (they used to do this a bit but apparently now don't bother).

I think effectively you can sell your REGOs and still point up at your wind turbines and talk about how green you are.

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/energy/do-green-energy-tariffs-make-difference]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273486#Comment_273486 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273486#Comment_273486 Fri, 26 Apr 2019 16:46:53 +0100 jamesingram you get whats available at the time.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273487#Comment_273487 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273487#Comment_273487 Fri, 26 Apr 2019 18:00:01 +0100 CWatters https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/rego/about-rego-scheme

"Renewable generators of any size in Great Britain and Northern Ireland can apply for the scheme".

..but I suspect you have to export 1MWh before you can claim one.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273488#Comment_273488 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273488#Comment_273488 Fri, 26 Apr 2019 18:09:22 +0100 CWatters
https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/new-energies/new-energies-media-releases/first-utility-becomes-shell-energy-retail-ltd.html

"All of our electricity comes from 100% renewable sources like wind, solar and biomass. Our renewable electricity is certified by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs), which guarantee that for every unit of electricity our customers use, a unit of renewable electricity is put into the grid by renewable generators in the UK."

...just not necessarily at the same time? or is that covered by "All of our electricity comes from 100% renewable sources"?]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273511#Comment_273511 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273511#Comment_273511 Sat, 27 Apr 2019 17:04:35 +0100 Cliff Pope
Averaged over the year, or at every single moment when a customer is drawing electricity?

Does it really mean that if every single non-green generator shut down suddenly, Shell customers would be unaffected?

Surely the more green customers they have, the more dependent they will be on the maintenance of non-green back-up generation in order to maintain their claim?
A small supplier with one green customer could guarantee 100% green energy without having to do anything at all. But a large supplier 100% green customers and they'd be struggling to meet their guarantee?]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273520#Comment_273520 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273520#Comment_273520 Sun, 28 Apr 2019 09:53:28 +0100 CWatters
https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/blog/2019/03/27/shell-energy-s-renewable-promise-highlights-the-problem-with-regos/

"If we look at First Utility’s last published energy mix (below) they sourced just 3.7% of their supply from renewables. But — as if by magic — post takeover from the oil and gas giant Shell they are now ‘100% renewable’. And all of this without a single article showing partnerships or contracts with a renewable provider."

snip

"The reason for this is that Shell do not have to contract or even contact any renewable generator to claim that the electricity they supply is ‘renewable’. All they have to do is buy surplus REGOs from suppliers who have already used this power to supply their customers. It’s little more than an accounting trick and, hidden somewhere amongst the smoke and mirrors, is the reality that some customers aren’t getting what they think they’re paying for. It’s a loophole, and an incredibly cheap one at that — the current price for a REGO is ~£0.35/MWh, or £1 per customer per year; to put this into context this is 0.1% of an annual bill. "]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273521#Comment_273521 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273521#Comment_273521 Sun, 28 Apr 2019 09:54:08 +0100 CWatters https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273526#Comment_273526 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16106&Focus=273526#Comment_273526 Sun, 28 Apr 2019 21:36:52 +0100 tony