C-Zero Markets
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Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) are certificates that are issued by Ofgem for each Megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity that has been generated from a renewable source.
REGOs are tagged with the technology that was used to generate the renewable electricity. ‘Deep green’ REGOs from wind, solar or hydroelectric installations command a higher price than those from biomass or landfill gas.
REGOs can be retired to demonstrate that associated electricity was renewable. If they are not retired, REGOs will expire 15 months after the date of the associated renewable electricity generation.
If you are generating electricity from a renewable source, whether to use yourself or to export to the grid, you should be able to claim REGOs. You are not required to be Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) or Renewable Obligations (RO) accredited to benefit from REGOs.
If you export power under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), there is often a section of the agreement that specifies that a REGO should be transferred to the energy supplier for each MWh of electricity that is exported to them.
+ Claiming REGOs enables them to do their intended job of rewarding investment in renewable technology. C-Zero can help administer this process on your behalf, calculating the number of REGOs that need to be transferred to the supplier, completing the transfer, calculating the number of retained REGOs and finding the best price for these on the open market. -Perhaps more importantly, REGOs associated with any power that is used on site and that is not exported can be retained by the generator and sold on the open market, often commanding a significant premium over the PPA price.
C-Zero are excellently placed to sell your REGOs. We have access to numerous buyers in the UK and Europe and can aggregate volumes from smaller generators to create tradable tranches of certificates.
The certificates have a long history and were introduced in the UK in 2001 following the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive (2001/77/EC).
+ -This required EU member countries to be able to guarantee that certain units of electricity had been obtained from a renewable source. The European equivalent is the Guarantee of Origin (GoO), which enables certificates to be traded between EU member states.
REGOs play a crucial role for electricity suppliers, who must be able to demonstrate how the electricity they sell was generated as part of their Fuel Mix Disclosure (FMD).
+ -Every unit of electricity that is declared as ‘renewable’ as part of their Fuel Mix Disclosure (FMD) must be backed by a REGO, which is then retired in the system to prevent double-counting. They can also be used by businesses to voluntarily offset any electricity that they use from fossil fuel sources.
REGOs can be described by the compliance period or ‘CP’ in which the associated electricity was generated. Compliance periods run from April to March – for example CP23 refers to the compliance period running from April 2024 to March 2025.
+ -Typically, REGOs from the current compliance period, or a compliance period that has recently ended, command a high price than older REGOs. This is because they can still be used by the energy suppliers for their Fuel Mix Disclosure. After the FMD is made, the price of REGOs for that same compliance period typically falls as there is less demand.
Sites need to be accredited for REGOs on Ofgem’s Renewable and CHP Register. Sites may already be registered as part of their FiT application. C-Zero can determine if you have an existing accreditation and if not, help you navigate the application and accreditation process.
As green tariffs have become more popular with consumers, so has the need for energy suppliers to obtain REGOs to evidence the credibility of green tariffs.
+ -Corporate firms are purchasing the certificates to prove their use of renewable power as the UK transitions towards net zero. This has fuelled a significant increase in the REGO price. Originally REGOs traded for pennies, but this is no longer the case and there is now significant value associated with them.