A guarantee of origin documents the renewable origin of a quantity of electricity. Certificates are cancelled for the corresponding electricity disclosure, to prevent the same renewable characteristic being marketed more than once. The certificate alone does not assess the entire environmental quality of an electricity product.
When procuring for property portfolios, define requirements beforehand: what should procurement demonstrate, which additional criteria matter and which documents are needed internally?
THREE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ELECTRICITY PRODUCT
OriginWhich renewable characteristic is evidenced?
AllocationWhich electricity volume is covered by cancelled certificates?
Additional qualityWhich further characteristics are separately promised?
Check origin and additional product quality separately.
PROPERTY PRACTICE
Clarify requirements in advance.
Separate electricity origin from additional product requirements. A guarantee of origin alone demonstrates neither new generating capacity nor the climate neutrality of an entire building. Additional quality characteristics require separate assessment.
An example.
Schematic offer comparison: two offers provide green electricity. This alone does not show whether both meet the same requirements for generating installations or additional environmental impact. Compare the promised characteristics and proposed evidence.
Guarantees of origin concern allocation of a renewable characteristic. They do not demonstrate a separate physical electricity route to the building.
WHAT MATTERS
Three questions for your portfolio.
01
Which origin and quality characteristics does the offer promise?
02
For which volume and period do these commitments apply?
03
Which documents will the supplier provide for your records?
Make the distinction clear ↗
“Green electricity” is not a complete description of product quality. Clarify whether the promised characteristics also meet your internal requirements.
Sources reviewed: 18 September 2026 · Editorial team: NeoBid
In our first meeting, we discuss your portfolio, upcoming contract deadlines and objectives. Together, we identify useful documents and next steps. You do not need a complete dataset to get started.
