Hi LEED experts,
My project is a factory, using boilers with rice husk on-site. I received LEED review comments: if the Biomass is to be claimed as renewable energy, demonstrate the Biomass fuel meets the Green-e Renewable Fuels requirements (http://www.greene.org/programs/renewable-fuels). When I checked the standard "Green-e Renewable Fuels Standard v1.0-2021", in the Fuel Types section, it says: "Biomethane is the only fuel type approved under this Standard. Other renewable fuels may be considered in future versions of this Standard". So this standard is only for Biomethane. Does it mean Rice Husk is not eligible type as per Green-e standard? In the "Green-e Energy National Standard Version 2.3", they list eligible renewables, including Agricultural crop residue that is unmerchantable as food. So I still think rice husk is an eligible type And my project used Rice husk onsite, we don't trade the energy to others, then do I need to prove the Verifiable chain of custody, Tracking of GHG reductions, Mechanism to prevent double-counting, Third party–verified retail transaction?
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5899 thumbs up
July 23, 2024 - 12:29 pm
The v4.1 Guide states: "Note: earlier versions of LEED allowed some biofuels produced off-site to qualify as on-site renewable energy. However, based on the clarifications provided in ASHRAE 90.1-2016 for on-site renewable energy, and the clearer distinction between on-site and off-site renewable energy in LEED v4.1, biofuels are only considered on-site renewable systems when the renewable source is harvested on site, and used for on-site generation of electric or thermal energy."
So the rice husks are not considered on-site renewables.It appears that v4.1 has significantly limited what is considered a renewable. Is the project registered under v4 or v4.1? Perhaps it might still count under v4?
Michael
Project Manager14 thumbs up
August 8, 2024 - 3:47 am
Hi Marcus, my project is registered under v4 but for this renewable energy credit, we switched to v4.1. So, do we still count the rice husk as on-site renewable or we have to follow the new ASHRAE 90.1-2016? and another problem is the LEED reviewer asked to prove Green-e equivalence but the standard "Green-e Renewable Fuels Standard v1.0-2021" only covers Biomethane. It is quite irrelevant to base the rice husk on this standard.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5899 thumbs up
August 8, 2024 - 8:48 am
The rice husks clearly do not count as renewable under v4.1. I know it can be advantageous to switch to v4.1 from a points perspective but not if the points are denied. You should consider reverting back to v4.0. As you indicate this does appear to be considered a renewable under the Green-e standard and it appears to still be considered a renewable biofuel. While it is not listed in the Reference Guide it is not on the list of excluded biofuels.
I think the reviewer led you in a direction that simply does not apply relative to the other Green-e standard. I would ignore that part of the review or you could ask for them to provide further clarification as to why it applies.