Renewable energy certificates (RECs) and carbon offsets allow for flexibility in the way companies meet their environmental targets. Understanding the different standards, registries and how voluntary credits are influenced by compliance markets and related environmental commodities is crucial to developing a cost-effective ESG strategy. 

Many companies made their environmental commitments at a time when the cost of RECs and carbon credits was much lower than today. Typical buying strategies pushed REC prices above $7/MWh last year.

Meanwhile, increased scrutiny on the carbon offset market has driven high quality project prices upward, and this trend will continue. This session will give an overview of the latest developments in the RECs and carbon markets, when it makes sense to buy RECs vs offsets, and other options available to procurement managers.

A case study from the client’s perspective will be presented, including an insider’s view of the overall decarbonization journey and how offsets and RECs play a role.