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Powering Your Renewable Energy Journey
Energy Attribute Certificates
Prairie Wind Power, USA
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As demand for high-quality carbon credits accelerates, corporate buyers are under pressure to act decisively and credibly. This guide outlines the strategies, purchase methods, and portfolio structures that enable our clients to deliver real impact through the voluntary carbon market. Read on for practical guidance on sourcing carbon credits as part of a long-term climate strategy.
Renewable Energy Portfolio Wind, China
Solar panels, India
EACs remain the largest source of renewable electricity procurement among RE100 member companies.
Accounting for 39% of total renewable electricity sourced (RE100 Annual Report, 2024)
Table of contents
The Business Case for EACs
Purchasing EACs
Understanding EACs
Partnering with Climate Impact Partners
Understanding EACs
Renewable Energy Portfolio Wind, China
39% of all renewable electricity procured by RE100 companies comes from EACs (RE100 Annual Report, 2024).
How do EACs work?
Electricity is the same regardless of how or where it was generated. Every company powered by electricity from the grid draws down that physical electricity from the same mix of sources, which includes renewable and non-renewable sources.
Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) represent proof that one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from a renewable source.
EACs are categorized based on where and when the electricity is generated, where it can be used, and the type of renewable technology, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, or biomass.
What are EACs?
Renewable Energy Portfolio Hydro
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An Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) represents one megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable energy.
EACs are tracked from production through to consumption via third-party registries, ensuring transparent and credible claims.
1. Electricity enters the grid a a mix of renewable and fossil sources. For every 1 MWh of renewable electricity generated, an Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) is issued with a unique identification number.
2. EACs are recorded and tracked in a recognized electronic registry, making it traceable. The registry securely tracks ownership and transactions over the certificate's life, ensuring transparency and integrity.
3. EACs can be held, sold or transferred between registered account holders, such as brokers, buyers, or aggregators. Every transfer is recorded within the registry to maintain a verifiable transaction history and prevent double counting or fraudulent reuse.
4. EACs are retired when used to substantiate corporate claims. When a company uses the EAC to substantiate an emissions reduction or renewable energy claim , it is retired to permanently removes the EAC from circulation, guaranteeing that its environmental benefits cannot be sold or claimed again.
This process ensures EACs deliver credible, transparent, and auditable proof of renewable energy consumption or emissions reductions throughout their lifecycle.
5. EACs are used for reporting. After retirement, companies can use EACs for sustainability reporting, including corporate carbon accounting (Scope 2 emissions), renewable energy targets, or compliance with frameworks such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and RE100.
What are the different types of EACs?
EACs are issued, tracked, and retired through dedicated registries and tracking systems. These platforms ensure that these energy market instruments are unique, traceable, and transparent, forming the foundation for trusted environmental claims.
Solar panels, India
The key international Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) systems are:
There are a variety of national EACs tracking systems in place in countries such as New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
Where are energy attribute certificates generated and where can they be used?
These tracking systems underpin credible EAC reporting in each region.
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The Business Case for EACs
Sadilli Wind Power, Turkey
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Why Companies Buy EACs
Report zero Scope 2 emissions according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG). EACs can support a sophisticated renewable energy strategy that may also include on-site generation, Purchase Power Agreements (PPAs) or green tariffs.
Align with the compliance and voluntary market and ESG frameworks such as RE100, Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), CDP disclosures and GHG Protocol.
Demonstrate climate action, impact and leadership by meeting renewable energy goals.
Avoid long-term cost and complexity of Purchase Power Agreements (PPAs) and on-site generation.
Empower businesses to drive transformation of the grid by demonstrating increasing demand for renewable energy.
Achieve 100% renewable energy targets: EACs enable companies of all sizes to immediately, cost-effectively and accurately meet their renewable energy targets in the geographies most important to them, including where on-site renewables or PPAs are not practical.
Renewable Energy Portfolio, India
“With our commitment to 100% renewable energy and carbon neutrality, we’re on the next stage of our journey towards delivering a net positive impact.”
Hundreds of companies have set renewable energy commitments. Last year, 16% of Fortune Global 500 companies were RE100 signatories.
Multi-year EAC procurement opportunity
Corporate interest in multi-year purchases is growing, with contract terms ranging out to 2035.
Increased certainty in hitting your Scope 2 reduction targets
Locking in currently low prices in several markets
Protection from reporting revisions: Grandfathering of current RE100 Technical Criteria
Renewable Energy Portfolio Solar Project, Africa
The benefits of a multi-year EAC purchase are:
Nicola Acutt, Vmware
Protection from market volatility
Provides future budgeting certainty markets
Considerable reduction in annual admin related to EAC buying and contracting
It is considered “Impactful Procurement” for RE100 reporting, showing your leadership and commitment to supporting renewable energy development
Wind Power project, Turkey
Purchasing EACs
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How to buy EACs?
Crow Lake Wind Power, USA
Quantify your electricity consumption (historic or projected).
Credible claims to renewable electricity adhere to RE100 technical quality criteria. RE100 plays a pivotal role in the EAC market by driving demand, promoting adoption, ensuring transparency, and supporting the global transition to renewable energy.
Establishing targets and milestones for corporates to achieve 100% Renewable Energy usage
Encouraging EACs from generation facilities to be linked to specific markets of consumption
Ensuring the renewable sources providing the EACs are sustainable, and ‘new’ (under 15 yrs old)
Demonstrating that EACs are tracked and retired on credible registries to avoid double counting
Its collective power helps shape both the EAC market and renewable energy policies by:
A best-practice procurement process is developed through a structured four-stage approach, designed to maximize value and ensure long-term impact:
What makes an EAC credible?
Set target and commit to the RE100 initiative to determine the percentage of the total consumption that should be from renewable source.
Select a trusted partner: Liaise with Climate Impact Partners to procure and define your delivery requirements, and we will manage this globally for you.
Build a bespoke EAC strategy with a set of preferred EACs to meet your needs (volumes, origin, technology type, additional eco label and others).
The key international Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) systems are:
Find out how these quality labels can unlock value to deepen your sustainability commitments through high-impact procurement
Working with
Climate Impact Partners
Prairie Wind Power, USA
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Why work with
Climate Impact Partners?
Climate Impact Partners offers EACs in 85+ countries. Our sourcing expertise and network of partners allow us to create a renewable energy solution that delivers the best value for your business in terms of technology, location, and the size and age of the power plant.
All our renewable energy solutions guarantee that certificates have not been double-counted, double-issued, or double-claimed. They are tracked and retired on third-party registries and are underpinned
by leading standards which verify renewable power projects. We are also licensed to sell Green-e® Energy, EKOenergy and P-RECs energy attribute certificates, which bring additional quality criteria to your renewable energy claim.
We have been instrumental in building widespread adoption of the I-REC standard across several countries, including China, Israel, Chile, Brazil, India, Vietnam, Singapore and more recently South Korea in 2025.
Solar panel factory in India
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