Onsite renewable energy, although becoming more common, is still relatively rare. If your project does have onsite solar or another eligible renewable energy source, the door has been opened to achieving all five available points. Keep in mind that some offsite renewable energy sources, such as a power purchase agreement, may qualify as onsite renewable energy for this credit. Check the LEED Reference Guide for more info on eligibility for offsite scenarios. 

Projects without onsite renewable energy still have the option to purchase green power. This path maxes out at four points, but still offers many benefits since it’s often economical on a cost-per-point basis, and it can be purchased at any time during the performance period or even in the review process. For these reasons, green power is often kept on the books as a contingency strategy for meeting a project’s LEED certification goals.

When comparing pricing, keep in mind that carbon offsets can be used to mitigate the effects of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions whereas RECs can only be used to mitigate the effects of Scope 2, electricity use.

Teams should remember that purchasing Green-e Energy certified RECs or Green-e Climate certified offsets will make your life a lot easier in the documentation process. If you don’t chose certified options, you’ll need to demonstrate equivalency to the Green-e standards. Some projects do this, especially non-U.S. projects that prefer to use a regional option, but it takes some extra work.

What’s New in LEED v4

• This credit has been renamed; under LEED 2009 it was called On-Site and Off-Site Renewable Energy.
• The performance thresholds have been aligned with the LEED BDC rating systems.

Readiness Review Questions

• Does the building have a corporate owner who purchases RECs and carbon offsets at the corporate level that can be applied to the project building? If so, the credit can be particularly easy to meet. If not, are the resources available to establish a renewable energy contract?
• What opportunities exist to add onsite renewables to the building? What are the costs and benefits? What incentives are available?