Renewable Energy Certificates
The Ohio State University is committed to sustainability, including the goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, as well as the efficient and cost-effective operation of the university’s utility systems.
As part of the university’s support for renewable energy, the university in 2012 signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for 50 megawatts (MW) of wind energy capacity from the Blue Creek Wind Farm. The university receives one Renewable Energy Certificate (“REC”) for each megawatt-hour (MWh) of energy purchased from the Blue Creek Wind Farm.
Due to changes in market conditions, the RECs received from Blue Creek Wind Farm may (or may) not have significant independent market value relative to RECs available in the national marketplace from sellers other than Blue Creek Wind Farm. As a public university committed to responsible resource stewardship, Ohio State evaluates this opportunity on an annual basis on receipt of its contractual allotment of Blue Creek Wind Farm RECs.
If the Blue Creek RECs are of sufficient value, the university may opt to sell the Blue Creek Wind Farm RECs into the market in exchange for an equal number of other national RECs.
In any year when the university decides to exchange its Blue Creek Wind Farm RECs for other Renewable Energy Certificates:
- The transaction will not change Blue Creek’s production of renewable wind energy and its contribution to the energy sources available in the state of Ohio.
- There will be no impact on the university’s carbon footprint. By purchasing national RECs to replace the Blue Creek ones, Ohio State will “retire” one REC for each MWh of energy purchased from Blue Creek Wind Farm. The same number of RECs will be reflected in the calculation of the university’s carbon footprint.
- The university will not “claim” the sold RECs or otherwise claim the use of Blue Creek Wind energy on our campuses for the period(s) associated with the sold RECs.