Wondering how other building product manufacturers are treating the use of Renewable Energy Certificates in the EPD process? Nexii is working hard to decarbonize our plants, and where we can’t reduce emissions, investing in regional renewable energy to power operations. Our understanding is that RECs can only be used as supplementary information in an EPD, but are others using green power or RECs in their A-C inventory analysis calculations and what are the rules around this?
It depends on if you have a PPA or VPPA or if your just purchasing RECs? the nly way to count renewable energy is with a PPA at the facility level and thy have to be retired in the company name and the specific g/kw are used by the renewable manufacture.
Per our PCRs (US-based construction products), even with a PPA we are currently only able to list the adjusted results in the Additional Information section of the EPDs. The situation in the EU is different since the Guarantees of Origin are centrally managed, so the PCRs will allow for reporting using adjusted values. There is a work group in the ACLCA PCR Committee that is working on an addendum for the PCR Guidance document to address this gap for the US.
RECs are controlled on a state level and reported to the UE EPA for the % of renewable power in the specific grid in the US when doing an ISO 14064/65/66 audit of the facility the REC’s are applied to the facility power use age as a reduction if they meet the additionality test: 1) PPA with RECs, and 2) PPA and REC’s are in the same egrid or state. example Chicago electrical grid is 520g/kw CO2e and a wind farm in the egrid has a carbon footprint of 10g/kw CO2e if the facility has a PPA with RECs the monthly renewable power purchase from the wind farm is Monthly kwh Purchase X 10g/CO2e = Carbon footprint of the purchase additional grid power purchased is 520g/kw co2e X Grid Purchased electric