Frequently Asked Questions

• What is renewable electricity?

  Renewable energy is considered to be an inexhaustible but not necessarily sustainable energy source. Renewable energy sources are wind energy, solar energy, hydro power, biomass, geothermal energy, wave and tidal energy. The electricity generated by means of a renewable energy source is considered renewable electricity.

• What are the advantages for electricity consumers when buying renewable electricity?

  Consumers can make a choice and choose for more viable electricity sources. Renewable electricity is a valid way to reduce your carbon footprint and more cost efficient then offsetting.

• Is renewable electricity per definition sustainable?

  Renewable energy is considered to be inexhaustible but not necessarily sustainable. This is especially the case when it comes to biomass. Not all feedstock for biomass is sustainable. Also not all hydro power is sustainable looking e.g. at the possibilities for fish swimming upstream.

• How can I get renewable electricity?

  Because in Europe and in the USA, all the electricity that is made is always injected onto the grid as a single big mix, you can’t get renewable electricity directly. The alternative would be to have a direct cable to each house from the energy producer. Buy upgrading to allnewpower.com, we make sure that the green power you ordered is injected for you into the grid

  Why should I buy a Renewable Energy Certificate?

  Because it is the only of making sure that the renewable energy put into the grid is reserved just for you, and not for customers who buy regular power. The certificate also makes sure that the producer of renewable energy gets more for their electricity than the non-renewable producer.

• Are any installations required?

  There are absolutely no installations required when you upgrade to allnewpower. We allow you to green your power without any capital costs or modification to your current commercial, industrial or residential space.

• Is my consumption of renewable electricity additional? / Surely this is just paying for electricity which would have been produced anyway

  We believe that renewable electricity must enhance environmental values in society. That’s why we are reinvesting half of the money you pay to create new power sources. Environmentalists call this “additionality”

• Where does my money go?

  Over half of the money paid for the certificate goes to the creation of more renewable energy (additionality), the rest goes to the price of the certificate itself and the operations of All New Power

• What is the grid?

  The grid is the network of cables and transformation stations that delivers electricity between your home and all the producers of energy. Every electrical plug in Europe is connected to the same grid. It's the same in the US

• What is a Renewable Energy Certificate?

  A renewable energy certificates (RECs) is the representation of a specific instance of the production of one unit, 1 megawatt hour (1 MWh = 1000 kWh) of renewable electricity. A certificate can be sold separately from the megawatt-hour of electricity it is associated with, and represents the "green" portion of green power. This flexibility enables customers to offset a percentage of their annual electricity use with certificates generated elsewhere.

  It is also known as green tags, green energy certificates, or tradable renewable certificates, RECs.

• What is a Guarantee of Origin?

  A Guarantee of Origin (GO) is an “electronic document which has the sole function of providing proof to a final customer that a given share or quantity of energy was produced from renewable sources as required by Article 3 (6) of Directive 2003/54/EC”.

• What is the relation between carbon footprinting and renewable electricity?

  Based on RECS standards, a consumer can rightfully claim to have a zero or almost zero carbon footprint for the consumption of the renewable electricity part.

• Does purchase of renewable electricity reduce carbon emissions? / These certificates don’t actually mean that LESS polluting electricity is being produced, do they?

  Suppliers and consumers of renewable electricity can make a claim on the carbon neutrality of the product and thus a zero carbon footprint but you can never make the claim to have reduced overall carbon emissions. Consumers can only make claims related to their own carbon footprint.

• What claims can I make when buying and using GO/RECS-certificates?

  RECS International, following the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064 guidelines, recommends using the following phrases when claiming carbon neutrality of renewable electricity, based on EECS certificates:

  • Renewable electricity, based on EECS certificates, is carbon-neutral and did not lead to any CO2 emissions during its production.
  • The production of grey electricity causes CO2 emissions. In country X the average emission of grey electricity is – according to country X’s disclosure regulation – xx CO2 per kWh.
  • In 200y Company Z reduced its indirect CO2 emissions [by x %] (at x tons of CO2 eq.) by purchasing electricity from a renewable source.

• What is the European Energy Certificate System (EECS)?

  The European Energy Certificate System (EECS) is a well-tested system and is based on a harmonized environment, structures and procedures. It ensures the reliable operation of international energy certificate systems across Europe. EECS provides a harmonized and minimum common set of definitions and criteria for the creation, issuance, transfer and use of a certificate (Guarantee of Origin/RECS certificate) and therefore excludes double issuance.

• Where can I read more about certificate systems for renewable energy?

  For Europe, please go to the AIB website.

  For the US, please go to the Green-e website.

If you cannot find an answer to your question, just drop us an email at: contact@notallnewpower.com