Government launches scheme to certify clean energy products
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The news: The federal government has launched a new Guarantee of Origin (GO) scheme, aimed at helping Australian businesses verify the emissions associated with the production, transport and storage of their renewable electricity and clean energy products.
The context: Starting with the certification of hydrogen produced through electrolysis, GO will expand to cover other low-emissions products like green metals, low carbon liquid fuels and biomethane.
The initiative aims to build consumer trust in buying cleaner, Australian-made products which can be used domestically or be exported to countries decarbonising their own economies.
It will also provide a voluntary certification mechanism to increase the transparency of claims made about renewable electricity use.
Businesses can now register with the Clean Energy Regulator for two types of certificates:
- Product Guarantee of Origin (PGO) certificates, which record the emissions intensity and key attributes of clean products such as green hydrogen; and
- Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates, which verify when, where and how renewable electricity was generated.
REGO will overlap with the Renewable Energy Target (RET) certification scheme for five years, providing long-term certainty for renewable electricity investment and procurement.
What they said: "The global shift to clean energy represents one of the biggest economic transformations since the Industrial Revolution – and it presents Australia with an enormous economic and jobs opportunity," said minister for climate change and energy Chris Bowen.
"Global investment in clean energy projects is set to rise over USD $2 trillion. Our government wants to grow this – and this scheme provides the regulatory certainty that Australian businesses and investors need to increase our share in it."
The source: DCCEEW media release
