Green Source Product Verification

In recent years electricity consumers have become more aware of the environmental consequences consumption of electricity has. This has led to an increase in Suppliers offering electricity products to consumers that guarantee the electricity provided is from renewable ( also known as “green”) fuel sources.

Regulation

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) went through a consultation process with Suppliers on how green source products would be regulated in Ireland. This culminated in the CRU’s decision CER/15/205 in August 2015.

The decision was based on the principles that:

• A regulatory approach to green source products was seen as the most appropriate
• Any supplier offering green source products must go through a verification process to ensure they have sufficient green fuel mix attributes to cover their sales of green source products
• Suppliers who were shown to provide 100% green source energy to all its customers for the same calendar year would be exempt from needing to complete any further validation of their green source products for that particular calendar year.
• SEMO would administer the verification process, with CRU approving and publishing a report on the outcome of the verification process for each supplier.
• Suppliers must ensure the information on the fuel mix of the green source product and non-green source product customers is made available via their websites, telephone and other communication channels, as prescribed in the decision.

SEMO and Green Source Product Verification

Annual Process

The annual Green Source Product Verification (GSPV) process occurs once every year. Due to the interactions with the annual Fuel Mix Disclosure process, the annual GSPV process concludes approximately 9 months after the end of the disclosure year it is related too.

Suppliers in Ireland that have green source product customers, but are shown from the Fuel Mix Disclosure to not have 100% of all their customers electricity sourced from renewables must complete the GSPV process. This entails submission of relevant information on the volumes of electricity sold as green source products and an independent audit of this declaration. This information is then used by SEMO, along with information from the Fuel Mix Disclosure process, to determine if the Supplier has sufficient green source electricity to at least meet the consumption of their green source product customers.

Further details on the annual GSPV process is provided in CRU’s decision CER/15/205.

The GSPV timetable (2024 Calendar Year) can be found here.

Interim Process

Given the annual verification process only occurs once every 12 months, SEMO, in their role in administration of the GSPV, have implemented an “interim GSPV” process. This interim process provides confidence to consumers that Suppliers, who do not have historical evidence of meeting the GSPV requirements but have begun offering green source products, are on track to meet their green source product promises to consumers.

For further details on the interim GSPV process please contact guaranteesoforigin@sem-o.com.