Green power

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Hi all eQUEST users,

Can anyone enlighten me on what is the exact difference between Carbon
offsets, REC and green power.

This query is regarding the LEED V4 rating system credit: *green power and
carbon offsets.*

I am kinda confused with this, would really appreciate if someone helps!!!

Thanks,
Tejas

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Hi.

Carbon offsets mitigate the carbon dioxide produced due to source
energy consumption in your building. For instance, if your building
generate 1 Ton CO2, a carbon offset of 1 Ton CO2 indicates that your CO2
generated is absorved anywhere in the world. You buy this certificate.

RECs are certificates that electricity is generated by a renewable sources.
For instance, if your site building consumption is 1 MWh, a REC of 1 (MWh)
indicates that the energy your building use is also generated by renewable
sources anywhere in the world. You buy this certificate. For LEED RECs
should be Green-e certified or equivalent.

Green Power is renewable energy produced on-site and also used in your
building.

Hope that helps,

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Hi Tejas,
Try this EPA document, newly updated, for explanations of the variations of ?Green Power?.

My attempt at an explanation: Green power and RECs are products that capture the benefit of renewable electricity generation at an off-site location.
You can think of RECs as the added value of renewable electricity versus fossil-fuel generated electricity. Solar power is awesome! Coal-fired power is still pretty impressive. If you want to pay for the difference between awesome and impressive, you buy RECs.

What if you want to buy all the awesome, including the electricity itself? You buy Green power/energy. You purchase green power through an electric utility (or an energy supplier, depending on how the electricity market is regulated where you live). You pay for the same electricity that was going to come in through your electric service no matter who you bought it from or how much you paid for it. But you also pay for the added value of an equivalent amount of renewable energy that was generated somewhere else. Buying green power is basically buying dirty power + RECs.

Note: ?Green power? is not the same as ?on-site renewables?. Installing solar PV or wind power etc. on the building or building site is covered in LEED V4 ?Renewable Energy Production?.

I have a cynical view of carbon offsets and will just leave it at that.

Regards,
~Bill

William Bishop, PE, BEMP, BEAP, CEM, LEED AP
Senior Energy Engineer

[Pathfinder-EA-logo-2]T: (585) 698-1956 F: (585) 325-6005
bbishop at pathfinder-ea.com www.pathfinder-ea.com
[cid:image004.png at 01D449EA.FEF85710]134 South Fitzhugh Street
Rochester, NY 14608 Ask me why Carbon Fee & Dividend may be right for you.

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Building Rotation:
It is easy if your original building faces 0 Deg North, and you do 90 Deg rotations for orientation, But what if your North is, say, 110 DegE. Is there a simple parametric to make the facing directions correct? Or must I put in the actual compass directions?
John
On Tuesday, September 11, 2018, 1:17:41 PM PDT, Bishop, Bill via Equest-users wrote:

Hi Tejas,

Trythis EPA document, newly updated, for explanations of the variations of ?Green Power?.

?

My attempt at an explanation: Green power and RECs are products that capture the benefit of renewable electricity generation at an off-site location.

You can think of RECs as the added value of renewable electricity versus fossil-fuel generated electricity. Solar power is awesome! Coal-fired power is still pretty impressive. If you want to pay for the difference between awesome and impressive, you buy RECs.

?

What if you want to buy all the awesome, including the electricity itself? You buy Green power/energy. You purchase green power through an electric utility (or an energy supplier, depending on how the electricity market is regulated where you live). You pay for the same electricity that was going to come in through your electric service no matter who you bought it from or how much you paid for it. But you also pay for the added value of an equivalent amount of renewable energy that was generated somewhere else. Buying green power is basically buying dirty power + RECs.

?

Note: ?Green power? is not the same as ?on-site renewables?. Installing solar PV or wind power etc. on the building or building site is covered in LEED V4 ?Renewable Energy Production?.

?

I have a cynical view of carbon offsets and will just leave it at that.

?

Regards,

~Bill

?

William Bishop, PE, BEMP, BEAP, CEM, LEED AP

Senior Energy Engineer

?

T: (585) 698-1956???????????????????????F: (585) 325-6005

bbishop at pathfinder-ea.com????????www.pathfinder-ea.com

134 South Fitzhugh Street??

Rochester, NY 14608???????????????????????? ??????Ask me why Carbon Fee & Dividend may be right for you.

?

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