In October 2024, ERGaR launched a dedicated website where the different aspects of renewable gas certificates are explained in detail. You can visit this website at renewablegascertificates.org
Renewable gas certificates proof that a certain amount of gas was produced from renewable sources. This helps organisations and governments to track renewable energy use. These certificates can also be used for quota’s and subsidies.
Renewable gases are produced using different processes and feedstocks. If certain criteria are met, they can be considered sustainable, according to the Renewable Energy Directive. The most common renewable gases are biomethane and renewable hydrogen. Other renewable gases include ammonia, methanol or e-methane. By purchasing renewable gas, organisations of all sizes can contribute to a more sustainable energy system and combat climate change. This may also help reach their own decarbonisation targets, as well as those set at the European and national level.
When injected into a gas grid or transported in another mixed system, the value of renewable gas is recorded with renewable gas certificates. These protect against double counting and indicate the origin and sustainability of the gas to consumers. The certificates in use today in Europe are the Guarantee of Origin, Proof of Sustainability, and several national certificate types.
About biomethane
Biomethane is a renewable source of energy that benefits both the planet and those involved in its production, trading and consumption, leading towards a decarbonized Europe.
Biomethane (also known as “renewable natural gas” or “green gas”) is a near-pure source of methane produced by “upgrading” biogas (a process that removes any CO2 and other contaminants present in the biogas). Biogas is produced from the decomposition of organic materials such as food waste or manure. These residues are placed in a biogas digester in the absence of oxygen. With the help of a range of bacteria, organic matter breaks down, releasing a blend of gases: 45 – 85 vol% methane (CH4) and 25 – 50 vol% carbon dioxide (CO2). The precise composition of biogas depends on the type of feedstock and the production pathway.
Credit: European Biogas Association
Biomethane certification
For producers to sell the biomethane as a renewable source of energy and for consumers/companies to claim that the gas they used is from renewable origin a system of certification is introduced. There are at the moment two types of biomethane certificates established at EU level (Guarantee of Origin and Proof of Sustainability) and in some European countries (e.g. UK, Germany and Austria) also other certification systems are in place.
Guarantee of Origin
The Guarantee of Origin (GO) main purpose is to provide information to the final consumer, primarily to show they have used renewable and not fossil gas. It indicates various types of information such as the location of the production facility, if public support was given for the production, and the feedstock used.
A GO registry issues the GO at the request of the producer following strict rules set in the legislation and relevant standard (EN 16325). After issuance, the GO will be in the registry account of the producer. These certificates can be traded irrespective of the physical flow of the renewable gas via a so-called book and claim system. However, if a PoS and GO have been issued for the same consignment of gas, they cannot be traded separately to different companies. In the final phase of the process, the GO must be cancelled before the final consumer can claim the usage of the renewable gas.
Proof of Sustainability
Besides the GO the Renewable Energy Directive II also introduces indirectly the Proof of Sustainability for biomethane. As is in the name, this certificate provides the proof that biomethane meets the sustainability criteria set in the EU legislation. It can be issued by a renewable gas producer that is certified according to the rules of a EU recognized voluntary scheme. Furthermore, the certificates can be traded by following the physical gas in the supply chain and using the mass balancing principle. In the future the Union
Database will be used for the trade of these certificates. The European Commission is currently developing the Union Database.
Certificate of Origin (CoO)
Certificates of Origin is an umbrella scheme used by the European Renewable Gas Registry (ERGaR) that includes various national biomethane certificates and GOs. The goal and rules of each national biomethane certificate scheme differ. The ERGaR CoO scheme accounts for GO registries or registries issuing other national certificates. You can read more here.
Cross-border trade
The role of ERGaR is to allow national registries to trade in Certificates of Origin between each other. These Certificates of Origin can be Guarantees of Origin as stated in the Renewable Energy Directive or other national certificates. ERGaR allows for the registries that are part of its CoO scheme to trade biomethane certificates with each other, thus working towards a European market. Operating since 2021, the scheme facilitated more than 7TWh in biomethane between the participants.