EAC Certificates: sustainability is good for your brand

The fight against climate change is a global priority. However, the Sustainable Development Goals established in the United Nations 2030 Agenda cannot be achieved without the key contribution of companies that use large quantities of energy every day. According to the United Nations, fossil-fuel based production contributes almost 50% of the world’s CO2 emissions. For this reason, and given the continual growth of the demand for energy, governments are introducing increasingly strict environmental legislation to induce companies to focus on sustainability. By adapting to meet the new requirements, companies are also demonstrating to the wider public that they are taking action to combat climate change, while also safeguarding their own competitiveness in the market. In a market that is increasingly aware of environmental issues, demonstrating that your business is sustainable is essential in order to remain competitive.

These requirements can be met in large part through Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), which attest that the electricity used has been sourced from renewables. The certificates are not only the official standard in the sector for the purchase of clean energy, but also a bona-fide exchange currency for this segment of the energy market, allowing buyers to credibly demonstrate that they have opted for renewables.  As well, they underline the companies’ commitment to limiting global warming to the 1.5° benchmark set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Navigating the technical aspects of this sector in the energy market is not easy. Enel X offers solutions and services to assist large commercial and industrial companies on this journey, helping them to become more aware of their environmental impact and to develop a sustainability-focused integrated energy strategy. The first step is the adoption of our Utility Bill Management (UBM) digital platform, a turnkey service that allows companies to manage their energy bills through complete automation by centralizing and digitalizing the process.  UBM offers access to the Renewable Energy Asset Dashboard, which tracks all the data associated with the purchase, consumption and generation of renewable energy. It measures the impact on corporate sustainability goals and reports on how renewable resource assets are performing both environmentally and financially. The Dashboard keeps track of the company’s Energy Attribute Certificates and progress being made towards predetermined emissions and sustainability goals.

These certificates vary according to the country and region in which they are issued and purchased, but their value remains constant: each EAC demonstrates that 1 MWh of energy from a renewable source, such as solar or wind, has been produced, generated and fed into the grid. For companies, purchasing an EAC is equivalent to buying renewable energy, with all the advantages that this brings in terms of brand image, reputation and credibility for investors, authorities and consumers.

The purchase of EACs means reducing expenses (the cost of renewables is in sharp decline), contributing to grid stability (by supporting the integration of renewables), bolstering the operational efficiency of the business, and also creating the conditions to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. This is an essential step towards increasing competitiveness in a market that is becoming more and more sensitive to environmental issues.