Sustainability certification by TÜV SÜD
The strengthening and use of renewable resources is mitigation of climate change in practice. TÜV SÜD's sustainability certification of biomass, biofuels and other bioliquids furnishes evidence of compliance with the relevant sustainability standards. Further services include certification of green power and electricity produced from renewable sources, calculation of carbon footprints and proof of carbon neutrality. At E-World, held in Essen between 8 and 10 February 2011, the TÜV SÜD experts present their range of services (Hall 1, Stand 322).
In its Directive 2009/28/EC concerning the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, the European Union has defined binding sustainability standards for the production of biomass and its processing into bioenergy. In accordance with this framework standard, biomass must meet certain criteria to be eligible for remuneration, tax reductions and crediting to the biofuel quota. TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH supports companies and operating facilities in furnishing proof of their compliance with the legal sustainability criteria across the chain of custody (COC). "After we had gained accreditation from the Federal German Agency for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, BLE), we issued the first sustainability certificates for biofuels as early as in September 2010", reports TÜV SÜD auditor Elena Schmidt. These certificates provide expert confirmation that biofuels comply with the criteria of the biofuel sustainability ordinance (Biokraft-NachV). TÜV SÜD is accredited to conduct certification as per the German biofuel sustainability ordinance and carries out certifications as per RedCert and ISCC. The development of the certification schemes already enables the TÜV SÜD experts to gain extensive experience benefiting practical implementation.
TÜV SÜD also offers a reliable guarantee of origin and of the injection of biogas into the natural gas grid in the form of its GreenMethane certification. This evidence must be submitted to obtain subsidies under Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and to be eligible for crediting under the Act on the Promotion of Renewable Energies in the Heat Sector (EE-WärmeG) or Germany's biofuel sustainability ordinance (Biokraft-NachV). "GreenMethane certification covers not only the production and injection of biomethane, but also retailing and the products supplied to consumers", emphasizes Elena Schmidt. The certification benefits the operators of gas grids and injection systems, energy suppliers and fuel retailers.
From green power certification to carbon services for the transport sector
Today, the certification of electricity from renewable sources is almost considered a 'classic' among the range of services provided by TÜV SÜD Industrie Service. "We assess the entire chain of custody from production to delivery to the consumer", explains Klaus Nürnberger, expert for green electricity and electricity from renewables at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service. TÜV SÜD's catalogues of criteria for the certification of green electricity products and the production of green electricity form the basis of the certification process and provide important sources of information for interested parties, consumers and external market analysts. The certification of green electricity products is used as a tradable guarantee of origin (TÜV SÜD Renewable Units: TRU, TRU+, TRUnew) and is recognized by many countries. TÜV SÜD's Internet registry database BlueRegistry facilitates the efficient administration of these and other certificates, including EU-conforming guarantees of origin (GoO). .
The experience gained from the certification of green electricity and biofuels also influences the development of a new GreenMobility standard. "We intend to offer a premium quality standard for the transport of people and goods based on energy from renewables in the future", announced Nürnberger. An idea of what such a standard could look like is supplied by initial projects by Deutsche Bahn and DB Schenker Rail in the carbon-neutral rail transport of people and goods, and by REW in targeting an innovative e-mobility package comprising electric cars and the supply of ecopower. "The market is characterized by a high level of dynamism", notes Nürnberger. "However, from our activities in these projects we know that reliable and high-quality standards are of major importance for the credibility of these offers."
Carbon footprint and carbon neutrality
Companies that have tracked their corporate carbon footprint and made efforts to turn their business carbon-neutral can now document these facts by obtaining TÜV SÜD certification. "Voluntary commitment to mitigate climate change not only improves a company's carbon footprint", explains Thomas Claßen, Project Manager Voluntary Mitigation of Climate Change at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service. "In addition, companies benefit from targeted cost savings, minimized risks and a positive reputation." The objective is to measure CO2 emissions systematically and to reduce and offset them. TÜV SÜD's climate-change experts first review the companies' greenhouse-gas inventories – their 'carbon footprint' – and then the measures they have taken to offset their carbon emissions and ensure carbon-neutral business operations.
TÜV SÜD's "Carbon Footprint" and "Carbon Neutral" certifications are based on extensive catalogues of criteria. "We not only assess the initial situation, for example in the fields of corporate policy and energy efficiency; we also verify that emissions have been measured precisely, transparently and conservatively", explains Thomas Claßen. In addition, the company verifies the scope and quality of the CERs from climate change projects as per the CDM-/JI standard or various voluntary standards and retires them. Another highly recommendable procedure is if companies approach the issue of mitigating climate change directly via their products. Energy suppliers, for example, may offer certified carbon-neutral products such as carbon-neutral natural gas or carbon-neutral electricity and reduce part of their emissions via the generation of bio-heat, ecopower or biogas.
