This is a reprint of an article that ran in the Winter Issue V.7 No. 3 of the Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly. It gives the background of RENEW's role in renewable power product certification in Wisconsin.

Through a collaborative effort organized by RENEW, Wisconsin utilities may become among the first in the nation to seek national third-party certification for their renewable power products.

The purpose of third-party certification is to build consumer confidence in renewable power products, which are becoming increasingly available in both regulated and restructured markets. With nearly 17,000 residential and business customers already purchasing green power here, Wisconsin clearly has an attractive market. About 70% of the state's electricity customers have access to a utility-offered green power product or renewable donation program, and that figure is certain to rise. Yet while the Public Service Commission regulates the prices utilities charge for green power products, there are no regulatory standards in place for determining whether these products actually deliver the environmental benefits claimed in the marketing materials.

Enter the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization with an interest in promoting a vibrant marketplace for renewable electricity. Shortly before California and Pennsylvania opened their retail electric markets to competition, CRS launched Green-e, a voluntary certification service for renewable-based electricity products offered in restructured markets. Renewable power providers that meet stringent standards for customer and environmental protection, as verified by CRS in annual audits, receive the Green-e seal of certification.

In two years Green-e has become a nationally recognized symbol of superior performance in the renewable electricity marketplace. That success inspired CRS to begin developing a separate certification process for utility green power offerings, which was formally launched last November.

Underlying CRS's utility accreditation program is a commitment to engage local environmental groups, government agencies and interested utilities in the development of certification criteria. Under this program, the accreditation process begins with the formation of a stakeholder group to recommend standards for certifying utility programs in its state or region. These standards cover a range of program elements, such as resource content, product pricing, marketing and disclosure. Only when the recommended criteria has cleared both the stakeholder group and the national governing body can a utility program be nominated for certification.

Naturally, Wisconsin's favorable experiences with green power encouraged CRS to search for a local partner that could convene a stakeholder group and start the ball rolling. It didn't CRS very long to learn of RENEW's extensive involvement in shaping utility green power programs, including the negotiation of an agreement with Wisconsin Electric Power over its Energy for Tomorrow program, which is still in effect. Under the agreement reached two years ago, Wisconsin Electric agreed to supply its Energy for Tomorrow program with renewable electricity generated principally from new sources in Wisconsin. In exchange, RENEW and Wisconsin's Environmental Decade agreed to publicly support the program and provide marketing assistance to the utility.

Looking back, it is clear that our agreement with Wisconsin Electric gave environmental organizations a permanent seat at the green pricing table. Once there, we have managed to hash out issues with utilities in a cooperative and nonconfrontational manner. In many ways a dress rehearsal for the CRS initiative underway, the settlement experience provided RENEW with the credentials to assume a leadership role in crafting rules that all Wisconsin participants can accept as fair.

Under RENEW's aegis, the Wisconsin stakeholder group, which has been meeting since December, is very close to submitting its recommendations to CRS's national accreditation board. Our aim is to have the criteria in place by April 15 in time for Earth Day certification announcements.

In terms of resource content, all of the green power subscription programs offered in Wisconsin would meet the minimum requirements for certification, which attests to their high quality. It does not necessarily follow, however, that all green power providers will pursue certification, not does it mean that those who decline certification have substandard programs. While RENEW would encourage all Wisconsin providers to seek certification, utility participation is strictly voluntary. For utilities, that decision will ultimately come down to how well certification would complement their marketing requirements, which can vary significantly from one customer base to another.