Office of the Prince of Wales and Duchy of Cornwall to receive UK’s first Certificate

Posted: 13 June, 2013. Written by James Beard

REAL to celebrate new logo and website at REA Awards Evening

UK’s first Green Gas Certificates to be presented tonight

The Office of the Prince of Wales and The Duchy of Cornwall will receive the UK’s first Green Gas Certificates tonight at the annual awards dinner of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) [1]. The non-profit Green Gas Certification Scheme (GGCS), operated by Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd (REAL), tracks biomethane, or ‘green gas’, through the supply chain to provide certainty for those that buy it.

The two Certificates represent 1,000,000kWh of biomethane injected into the local gas distribution network by J V Energen LLP at Rainbarrow Farm in Poundbury, Dorset, in December 2012. The Office of the Prince of Wales and The Duchy of Cornwall are receiving the Certificates as they have purchased this green gas for use in their property. The Duchy of Cornwall is also part of the joint venture J V Energen LLP which built and operates the Rainbarrow Farm anaerobic digestion and biomethane injection plant. The project is shortlisted for two REA Awards.

Andrew Phillips, Rural Director of Finance for the Duchy of Cornwall, who is responsible for managing the Duchy’s carbon footprint, said:

“I am delighted that the first Green Gas Certificates in the UK have been purchased by The Office of the Prince of Wales and The Duchy of Cornwall to reduce our emissions from heating fuels. This has been one in a number of initiatives to reduce the organisations’ carbon footprints, and it is particularly pleasing that these come from the Rainbarrow Farm plant in which the Duchy is lead investor. Establishing a credible renewable gas trading scheme in the UK is crucial to the development of the biomethane industry.”

How the Green Gas Certification Scheme works

The producer generates biogas from anaerobic digestion, upgrades it to biomethane and injects it into the gas grid. GGCS assigns each unit (kWh) of this biomethane a Renewable Gas Guarantee of Origin (RGGO), effectively ‘tagging’ each unit in much the same way as a Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) ‘tags’ a unit of renewable electricity in the power grid.

The underlying principle is ‘one unit in, one unit out’, ensuring that there can be no double counting of the green benefits of the gas. This enables the producer to sell their guaranteed ‘green gas’ on to users who are keen that their gas comes from a renewable source. This could help measure performance against a simple sustainability plan, or potentially also demonstrate compliance with Government environmental policies such as the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation or Zero Carbon Homes.

In this instance, the producer is J V Energen LLP, a joint venture between J V Farming, The Duchy of Cornwall and Active Business Partnerships. Scotia Gas Networks supplied the equipment for upgrading the biogas and injecting it into the local gas network, and Barrow Green Gas handled the gas shipping and trading of the Green Gas Certificates. The Duchy of Cornwall is also receiving one of the Certificates, as the rationale behind the project was to reduce the organisation’s own carbon footprint. The Certificates will be presented by John Baldwin of CNG Services, who has been actively involved in developing both the GGCS and the Poundbury Project.

Ciaran Burns, GGCS Certification Manager, said:

“We’re extremely pleased to be involved with this project. It is an excellent example of inputs from the local area, including waste food from local businesses, being transformed into a renewable gas which can be used as a replacement for conventional gas and provide excellent carbon emissions savings.

“The Green Gas Certification Scheme is allowing the Rainbarrow Farm AD plant to supply renewable energy to any gas consumer on the grid. This is a great example for other developers to follow and we look forward to working with other projects due to come on stream in the very near future.”

New logo and website for Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd

REAL will also celebrate tonight the launch of its new logo and website: www.renewableenergyassurance.org.uk

The new website, created by SAV London Ltd, acts as a central hub for REAL, signposting all the different activities REAL undertakes in both consumer codes and certification schemes.

REAL was founded in 2006 with an initial focus on ensuring best standards in the sale and leasing of domestic renewable energy systems. However, REAL has grown substantially since then, and the Renewable Energy Consumer Code is now just one of seven core activities that REAL undertakes.

REAL Chief Executive Virginia Graham said:

“The past year has seen major positive developments for REAL. The REA’s merger with the Association for Organics Recycling brought three compost certification schemes into the REAL family of activities. The merger also strengthened our expertise on anaerobic digestion, which underpins the Biofertiliser and Green Gas certification schemes. Finally, we also won a joint bid with Gemserv to oversee the Green Deal Code of Practice as part of the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body.

“So it was high time to relaunch the REAL brand. The logo gives us a strong sense of identity, and I hope that industry and consumers alike find the new website a useful source for information on all of REAL’s consumer code and certification scheme activities.”

Notes to editors

• Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd carries out a range of certification and consumer protection activities, all of which promote sustainable energy. REAL’s activities fall under two headings: consumer codes and certification schemes. REAL was incorporated in 2006. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Renewable Energy Association.
  For more information, see: www.renewableenergyassurance.org.uk
  
  
• The Green Gas Certification Scheme tracks biomethane, or ‘green gas’, through the supply chain to provide certainty for those that buy it. Each unit of green gas injected into the grid displaces a unit of conventional gas. So the GGCS tracks each unit of green gas from its injection into the distribution grid, to any trades, to its sale to a consumer, or group of consumers. It tracks the contractual rather than physical flows to ensure there is no double-counting from production to end use.
  For more information, see: www.greengas.org.uk
   
• The Renewable Energy Association represents renewable energy producers and promotes the use of all forms of renewable energy in the UK across power, heat, transport and renewable gas. It is the largest renewable trade association in the UK, with over 1,000 members, ranging from major multinationals to sole traders.
  For more information, see: www.r-e-a.net

1. For details of the 2013 Awards shortlist and how to register for tonight’s Awards ceremony, see: www.r-e-a.net/events/british-renewable-energy-awards-2013