Why You Should Choose a Renewable Energy Provider When Installing EV Charge Points

24 March 2022 | News | Commercial Landowners | Local Authorities

Why You Should Choose a Renewable Energy Provider When Installing EV Charge Points

Get to grips with the realities of green energy suppliers and why it's so important to use a renewable energy supplier when installing EV charge points.

How do suppliers offer renewable energy?

A small number of energy suppliers self-generate their own renewable energy to sell directly to customers.

Others contract directly with green generators to buy their renewable energy via Power Purchase Agreements (PPA).

However, most suppliers offering green tariffs rely on energy supplied from the national grid, which cannot be sorted and consists of a mix of renewable and non-renewable sources. In order to comply with the Fuel Mix Disclosure Regulatory requirements, they instead must make use of Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates. REGO certificates are part of a scheme organised by the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, requiring EU Member States to confirm the proportion of electricity consumption generated from renewable sources.

A REGO certificate is issued by OFGEM to a renewable generator for every megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity produced. Suppliers then purchase REGO certificates from the generators to guarantee that a unit of renewable electricity is added to the grid for every unit of renewable electricity they sell to customers.

Are REGO Certificates making a real impact?

The problem with REGOs is that they can be sold separately to the energy with which they are associated. As a result, some suppliers have been accused of buying up certificates but not the energy to match and therefore ‘greenwashing’ their true energy source ratio.

That being said, by switching to a renewable energy tariff versus a standard one, you are helping to send a message that renewable energy matters to you – putting some pressure on suppliers, generators and the government.

It’s important to recognise though, that the REGO scheme in itself won’t accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy mix. The Climate Change Committee has confirmed that the most effective way for businesses to support renewable energy production is to opt for a supplier that holds direct Power Purchase Agreements with renewable generators. Such agreements make a supplier’s green credentials clearer and send a stronger demand signal to renewable generators.

As Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy, Statkraft is contributing to industry change by providing renewable energy, PPAs and certificates of origin to our customers and partners to improve their environmental footprint. Statkraft have operated in the UK since 2006 and contribute to powering Great Britain with clean energy. To find out specifically what we are doing in the UK, read about Statkraft’s ongoing projects.

Business EV charging installation & air pollution

A 2020 survey from Global action plan found that 74% of people believe that businesses need to do more to cut pollution and traffic after the lockdown, so that pollution levels don’t go back to the way they were.

Supporting the UK’s transition to electric cars (EVs) by electrifying your fleet and/or offering commercial or workplace charging can make a big difference to the air quality in your local area. On top of that, you’re providing a valuable service to staff and visitors and at the same time helping them contribute to fighting climate change.

The European Energy Agency has found that, even when taking electricity generation into account, the emissions of an electric car are 17 – 30% lower than driving a fuel-powered car. One EV can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2 in just over a year. And of course, if renewable energy is used to power the vehicle, emissions are dramatically improved.

With new EVs experiencing record sales, UK emissions data is starting to show promising improvements, with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reporting that the average new car CO2 emissions fell by 11.2%, to 119.7g for every kilometre driven in 2021.

Installing electric car charge points with renewable energy

If you are considering EV charging installation, it makes sense to ensure you’re using a renewable energy supplier – further reducing the overall carbon footprint.

Regardless of how an EV gets its electricity, they have a smaller carbon footprint than fuel-powered cars. And in supporting the EV revolution by offering charge points you’re making a difference. But of course, offering greener electricity alongside this service will result in even cleaner EVs on the road – further improving the environmental impact and promoting the dedication of your business in fighting climate change.

As well as the obvious advantage of being able to support the local community and back-up your brand/council values and corporate social responsibility commitments, there are a host of other benefits of EV charging for private and public use. For example, charge points can help you attract and retain customers, employees and visitors, offer new insights, open up new channels of communication, give you a competitive advantage and much more.

Choosing your renewable energy supplier

Choosing a renewable energy provider requires only a small amount of effort on your part, but has the potential to offer great returns for you and the wider community.

With many suppliers claiming to have green credentials, we do advise that when it comes to opting for a green tariff you assess each supplier’s ethos, goals and actions. We’d recommend choosing a supplier whose sustainability values are aligned with your own. Take a look at our blog on green energy to help you make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing the right supplier.

There are a growing number of energy suppliers out there that can supply you with 100% renewable energy – one of which is Bryt, Statkraft’s energy business, and Mer’s sister company. Bryt Energy’s zero carbon, 100% renewable electricity is sourced solely from Solar, Wind, and Hydro meaning customers can report zero carbon emissions for electricity consumption under Scope 2 carbon emissions under the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol market-based method.