In order to provide marketers and consumers with consistent and transparent information on `trustworthy’ electricity or heat from renewable energies, specifications and requirements have been defined and incorporated into various laws and regulations.
In accordance with the verification process for guarantees of origin, we confirm the biogenic share of your heat production from CHP. The percentage share of biogenically produced heat in CHP is calculated from the biogenic share of the input materials and reported to you as ‘green’ heat.
We are happy to share our experience in assessing ‘green’ heat with you. Please do not hesitate to call us at any time or send us an email.
We will be happy to provide you with a personalised quote and answer any questions you may have on this topic.
In the context of climate protection and resource conservation, in addition to the proper treatment of waste and the recovery of various materials (e.g. metals, phosphorus), the efficient energy recovery of thermal waste treatment plants is also becoming increasingly important.
The amendment of the European Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) and its implementation in the German Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act (KrWG) followed this development. Incineration plants for municipal waste can be classified as thermal recovery facilities once they reach a certain energy efficiency index. The recovery status applies to plants approved before 1 January 2009 once they achieve an R1 value of 0.60; for new plants approved after 31 December 2008, the recovery status applies once they achieve an R1 value of 0.65.
Waste incineration plants and thermal waste treatment plants must demonstrate sufficient energy efficiency to fall under the R1 recovery process – main use as fuel or other means of energy production.
If a plant for the incineration of solid municipal waste meets the R1 criterion, energy recovery is assumed without further proof of fuel substitution.
Certification for the R1 energy efficiency criterion – procedure and requirements
Information on the GUTCert certification process can be found here.
The EnWG and the associated electricity labelling audit are relevant for all energy suppliers and network operators.
Open, liberalised electricity markets and increased competition also raise the bar for transparency and consumer information regarding the electricity purchased. Protect yourself and create transparency: as an accredited certification and verification body, we are happy to check your electricity labelling in accordance with the applicable regulations and requirements or your own standards.
Legal requirements for electricity labelling
According to § 42 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), there is a binding obligation to label electricity. This includes greater differentiation between energy sources and the graphical representation of the energy generation mix. Electricity labelling must be reported to the competent authority of the Federal Network Agency. Electricity from renewable energies can only be used for the purpose of electricity labelling outside the EEG subsidy scheme if certificates of origin from the UBA guarantees of origin register are invalidated.
There is currently no binding obligation for external verification of electricity labelling in accordance with Section 42 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG). Help with implementing electricity labelling is provided in the guidelines published by the BDEW Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry.
Why have electricity labelling checked externally?
Although electricity labelling is not yet mandatory, the accurate and reliable labelling of energy sources for end consumers is an important part of European climate policy – it is the only way for customers to make informed decisions about their electricity supply and potentially stimulate the market.
Have your electricity labelling checked and confirmed externally: this will increase the credibility and transparency of your communication regarding the energy source used and also protect you against potential risks. Either the BDEW guidelines or your own standards can be used as a basis for the review. As a renowned environmental verification organisation and verification body in European emissions trading, GUTcert has been validating the test reports of Grüner Strom-Label e.V. (GSL) since 2017.
Green electricity label validation process
Validation takes place in a two-stage audit:
The first stage is a pure document check: The data extracts you provide and the basic calculation methodology (calculation formula) for electricity labelling with the information required in Section 42 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) (e.g. energy source mix, carbon dioxide emissions) and the provisions of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) (disclosure of the EEG surcharge) are checked for completeness and consistency.
In the second stage, we carry out random checks at your premises if necessary. Here, selected data sets are traced in depth and in full back to the database (primary data) in order to guarantee reliable electricity labelling.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have on this topic. Simply give us a call or send us an email.
Independent review of the Green Electricity Label Expert opinion
Mit dem Grünstromlabel haben Sie einen transparenten Nachweis, welche Anforderungen Sie an Ihre Stromproduktion und Ihr Unternehmen stellen. Es ist ein wirksames Instrument, um den Wünschen und Erwartungen Ihrer Kunden, Geschäftspartner und Investoren an die Tätigkeiten Ihrer Organisation offensiv zu begegnen.
Als renommierte Umweltgutachterorganisation und Verifizierungsstelle im europäischen Emissionshandel validiert die GUTcert seit 2017 die Prüfgutachten des Grüner Strom-Label e.V. (GSL).
Legal requirements for green electricity
When an energy supplier sells electricity as green electricity, it must submit guarantees of origin to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and have them decommissioned. The aim here is to avoid double counting – however, no further benefit to the environment is guaranteed.
In addition, suppliers can relabel their electricity from nuclear power or fossil fuels as ‘green’ electricity. Only through an ‘optional’ label can the energy supplier guarantee that its electricity really comes from renewable energy sources.
The requirements of the green electricity label go beyond the standard requirements for green electricity and are defined in the following chapter.
Criteria for the green electricity label
The GSL certifies green electricity products for end customers based on two core criteria:
Supply of electricity where the purchase of electricity and the guarantees of origin are linked to the same green power plant
Promotion of energy transition projects with a fixed amount per kilowatt hour of green electricity sold
Furthermore, the label imposes requirements on the supplying company (e.g. with regard to investments in nuclear and coal-fired power plants, company policy and product communication).
We are happy to answer any questions you may have on this topic. Please feel free to call us, send us an email or contact Grüner Strom Label e.V.
Your partner for green electricity or green heat certifications
We are also happy to support you with the external validation of individual test criteria for your green products in order to further strengthen your customers' trust in your credibility.
