The Register of Guarantees of Origin for electricity generated from RES went live at TGE on 3 November 2014, with cogeneration technologies added on 2 October 2019. It was set up following to the implementation of Directive 2009/28/EC in Poland in 2013, which involved the creation of guarantee registers in EU countries. The GOR is addressed to generators of energy from both renewable sources and high-efficiency cogeneration, trading companies, brokers and entities that care about the certification of electricity origin.
In the first year of its operation, the Guarantees of Origin Register brought together 56 entities to reach 1,000 by the end of November 2021.
“1000 entities! This result is gratifying! All the more so as we are seeing an increasing demand for green electricity. The creation of the GOR seven years ago was a major step for Poland on the road to clean air. We are becoming more and more conscious as consumers, and we put attention to ingredients or calorific value of the goods we buy. We can achieve a similar awareness by choosing producers that use green energy, i.e. electricity obtained from wind, water or the sun, in the production of goods or services. The guarantees of origin are a way of labelling the electricity thereby differentiating it from electricity generated from conventional sources. Renewable energy sources are becoming our future and a key element of the EU climate policy. They are worth investing in” said Marek Szałas, Director of the TGE’s Registers Office.
The guarantees of origin are an element of the EU's environmental policy aimed at disclosing the types of sources and fuels used for electricity generation. Given that it is not possible to label the electricity as such, a scheme relies on documents which are created upon the generation of electricity, and expire at the moment of their delivery to the final consumer or after 12 months from the generation end date or issuance date. Their purpose is to provide consumers with a tool for selecting the preferred source of electricity while supporting electricity producers. The guarantees of origin allow businesses to demonstrate their care about the environment and commitment to the reduction of carbon footprint of their products or services.
In October 2021, the volume of trading in guarantees of origin for electricity generated from RES at TGE reached 3,048,682 MWh, which represents an increase by 312.5 per cent year on year, while the weighted average price was PLN 1.65/MWh (up by PLN 0.03/MWh year on year).