Guarantees of origin

Guarantees of origin in the meaning of Directive 2009/28/EC are the only precisely defined instruments evidencing the origin of electricity generated from renewable energy sources.

Article 15 para 1 of the Directive defines the purpose of guarantees of origin as "proving to final customers the share or quantity of energy from renewable sources in an energy supplier’s energy mix." Member States use guarantees of origin to ensure that "the origin of electricity produced from renewable energy sources can be guaranteed as such within the meaning of this Directive, in accordance with objective, transparent and non-discriminatory criteria."

A guarantee of origin must be of the standard size of 1 MWh, and article 15 para 6 Directive 2009/28/EC states that it must specify at least:

• The energy source from which the energy was produced and the start and end dates of production;
• Whether it relates to electricity; or heating or cooling;
• The identity, location, type and capacity of the installation where the energy was produced;
• Whether and to what extent the installation has benefited from investment subsidies, whether and to what extent the unit of energy has benefited in any other way from a national support scheme, and the type of support scheme;
• The date on which the installation became operational; and
• The date and country of issue and a unique identification number.

These provisions will enter into force in December 2010.

Where guarantees of origin are to be transferred to other countries, the system of the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) can be used for this purpose provided that the principles and rules of operation are adhered to.

In Austria the entire life cycle of a guarantee of origin, from its generation to its transfer and cancellation, is registered in the E-Control guarantee of origin database. The database provides all Austrian market players with an electronic information system that enables them to issue and use standard guarantees of origin in accordance with transparent criteria. It simplifies information transfers along the entire process chain from the generator to the consumer.

Guarantees of origin are issued via the database by system operators free of charge. OeMAG registers the supported renewable electricity bought by it in the E-Control database itself.

Renewable electricity can only be sold as such if a guarantee of origin is transferred to the buyer. Under the labelling system, the GO is cancelled as soon as the electricity is delivered to the consumer (see section 8 [4] Ökostromgesetz [Green Electricity Act] and section 45a Elektrizitätswirtschafts- und -organisationsgesetz [Electricity Act]).

Registration of guarantees of origin in the database is free of charge. There is a registration form for this purpose.

Registration form for use of the electricity guarantee of origin database ANMELDUNG_022007_DT.doc - (German only) 33kB

Registered users can access the database by entering their usernames and passwords.

For further information visit https://www.stromnachweis.at

Technical support:
Department for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Andrea Hilfrich
E-mail: andrea.hilfrich@e-control.at
phone: +43 1 24724-0

Contact for energy issues:
Department for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Angela Puchbauer-Schnabel
E-mail: angela.puchbauer-schnabel@e-control.at
phone: +43 1 24724-0