What is double counting? How can I avoid it?
Double counting (sometimes used as double attributing, or double claiming) refers the risk of electricity attributes being allocated intentionally, or unintentionally, to two separate end-users. In order the double counting to be avoided, all Member States shall ensure that the same unit of energy from renewable sources is taken into account only once. However, in Europe also exist the so called European Energy Certificate System (EECS), which is a standardization system for the European Guarantees of Origin (EU GOs) and which makes all forms of double counting, attributing or claiming impossible.
What is electricity disclosure? How to avoid double disclosure?
Electricity Disclosure is a requirement implemented in the revised Electricity Market Directive (2009/72/EC). All suppliers of electricity to final customers have to disclose to their customers proper information regarding their fuel-mix in the preceding year. In order to avoid the double disclosure, energy from renewable sources in relation to which the accompanying guarantee of origin has been sold separately by the producer should not be disclosed or sold to the final customer as energy from renewable sources.
Some countries have more strict disclosure rules than others, however most countries agree the electricity tracking via the EECS-GO system is one of the best methods to ensure proper fuel-mix disclosure.
Additionally, a project for Reliable Disclosure Systems for Europe (RE-DISS project) was launched in April 2010 in order to improve the reliability and accuracy of electricity disclosure. Furthermore a European Platform for Electricity Disclosure (EPED) was also put in place.
