Guarantees of Origin

Guarantees of Origin are certificates which can be used for disclosure purposes. They can be used to prove that a consumed MWh was generated from renewable sources.

As a rule, Guarantees of Origin are not delivered together with electricity. On EEX, Guarantees of Origin are traded as certificates without electricity, which could for example, be traded using Phelix Futures.

In some European countries,  utilities, specified by law,  will have to prove that a share of their portfolio, was generated from renewable sources. This quota can  be fulfilled with the help of tradable certificates, such as ElCerts in Sweden and Norway. There are national rules with regard to this for the fulfilment of which Guarantees of Origin cannot be used. Guarantees of Origin are to be used exclusively for disclosure purposes.

Guarantees of Origin do not correspond to any label, such as the labels awarded by by TÜV Süd or Verein EnergieVision. However, Guarantees of Origin can be used in the context of labelling. Trading in Guarantees of Origin on EEX has been certified by TÜV Süd. As with numerous supervisory authorities, this ensures the security of GoO trading on EEX and the quality of the products.

On EEX, Guarantees of Origin can be traded up to three years ahead. Three products are available for trading:

• Nordic Hydro GoOs from Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark
• Alpine Hydro GoOs from Austria, Germany and Switzerland
• Northern Continental European Wind GoOs from Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands

Guarantees of Origin acquired through EEX are transferred to the buyer’s sub-account at ECC shortly after expiry of the future and, afterwards, these GoOs are delivered to the buyer’s national registry account. Afterwards, the buyers can cancel the Guarantees of Origin in their Guarantee of Origin registry, as usual, for disclosure purposes.

The technical infrastructure and the control mechanisms at the ECC clearing house ensure that only Guarantees of Origin of the promised quality are delivered. 

At present, only those plants which do not receive any funding under the German Renewable Energies Act (EEG), can receive GoOs. As a result, only those plants which directly market the electricity generated by them according to Art. 33 b 2. and 3. EEG (Green Power Privilege or other direct marketing) can submit an application for GoOs to the Federal Environment Agency.