Representatives of ABGD (Brazilian Association of Distributed Generation) and Totum Institute signed the term that includes photovoltaic DG (distributed generation) in the Brazilian Renewable Energy Program. The signing took place during the 12th Southeast Distributed Generation Forum.
The event, held in the capital of São Paulo by the FRG Group, takes place annually and brings together solution providers, EPCs, integrators, distributors, manufacturers, professionals and academics who have in common direct or indirect involvement in distributed generation from renewable energy sources.
The Totum Institute is the certifier accredited by the Social Security Secretariat, which issues renewable energy certificates, the I-RECs (International REC Standard).
With this, the consumer can prove that the energy consumed comes from renewable sources. Certification can be issued for renewable wind, solar, hydraulic and biomass sources.
To obtain I-REC, the consumer is based on the amount of energy they use. Each REC represents a unit of renewable energy generation (1 REC = 1 MWh).
For Fernando Lopes, director of the Totum Institute, the importance of the certification program is to guarantee the origin of the energy produced and sold. “From now on, GD, which is decentralized generation, becomes an important component within the program”, said Lopes.
According to the president of ABGD, Guilherme Crispim, certification not only brings greater confidence to the consumer, but will also bring more competitiveness to companies and industries in the segment.
“The Totum Institute is the only institution in Brazil today that has this permission. This also greatly validates our partnership relationship, as with this we can offer our associates and the market this possibility of certification”, declared Crispim.
The executive also added that there are other projects in partnership with the Totum Institute. “We are working together with the integrator and installer certificates. It is a partnership of many other actions”, he said.
For the vice-president of ABGD, Carlos Café, the renewable energy certificate brings stability and added value to every kilowatt hour produced in the system.
“We will be able to sell these credits giving due environmental and energy value. Create tools such as “blockchain” and virtual currencies. Ultimately, there are several possibilities to bring these renewable certificates to the market, ensuring that that energy is really clean and is being produced by a renewable unit”, highlighted Café.
Read more:
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How to obtain an I-REC certification?
It is possible to purchase renewable energy certificates for the same amount of energy consumed by the company. Each I-REC represents a renewable energy generation unit.
The certification cycle in REC Brazil It works as follows: the enterprise must adhere to the REC Brazil Regulations and sign a contract with the Totum Institute, certification manager.
The project will present its level of adherence in relation to at least five of the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the UN (United Nations), being audited in a documentary and remote way by the Totum Institute.
After an audit, if the results are in accordance with the Program criteria (each energy source has a specific Technical Standard), the process is sent to a Certification Committee, which makes the final deliberation on the process.
After initial certification, the enterprise can request the issuance of RECs based on its effective energy generation proven by CCEE measurement reports – in accordance with the IREC Standard rules.
