GREENWASHING WITH REGOS

When a supplier claims that their 100% renewable energy tariff is backed by a renewable energy guarantee of origin certificates, or Regos, it means it will match each megawatt hour of electricity its customers use with certificates representing the same amount of renewable energy. 

Major suppliers including British Gas, Ovo Energy and Bulb use Regos to back up their 100% renewable energy tariffs while buying a small proportion of their energy directly from green projects.

It is a strategy that appears to make sense - but there are loopholes that risk “double counting” the UK’s renewable energy use or even claiming foreign renewables as its own.

If, for example, a big corporation with a clean energy target strikes a deal directly with a solar farm to buy its electricity, the company will receive certificates for every megawatt hour generated. 

Later, it could choose to sell these certificates – separate from the electricity they represent – while using the contract with the solar farm as proof that it has reached its clean energy target.

This allows suppliers to snap up certificates as “proof” that the electricity they supply households comes from a renewable energy source. However, it may have already been promised to an energy-hungry corporate data server or office tower elsewhere in the UK.

Energy suppliers could use a combination of these green energy options to back up their 100% renewable energy tariffs, making it even more confusing for households - link - Jillian Ambrose - link

 ....firms are currently able to advertise their tariffs as “green” even if some of the energy they supply comes from fossil fuels, which industry figures have warned risks misleading consumers - more like this - link