North American RECs guide

Buy, sell, and trade North American RECs through one renewable certificate network.

GreenPowerHub helps market participants work with U.S. and Canadian renewable energy certificates by reviewing market context, structuring RFQs, surfacing supply, managing counterparties, and moving opportunities into trade workflow.

Choose your REC workflow Check North America coverage

60+ countries supported across certificate markets.

GreenPowerHub network REC workflows in context
Coverage 60+ countries supported
Network 700+ registered companies
Workflow RFQ, marketplace, data, trade workflow

Choose your workflow

What do you need to do with North American RECs?

The right next step depends on whether you are sourcing certificates, bringing supply to market, or trading U.S. and Canadian REC opportunities.

Buyers

Source U.S. and Canadian RECs

Define geography, vintage, technology, tracking, certification, and claim requirements before comparing supplier responses.

Create a structured RFQ
Sellers

List REC supply

Make supply discoverable to qualified market participants while keeping counterparties, pricing context, and next steps in view.

Explore marketplace workflows
Traders

Trade REC markets

Review posted interest, price context, partner status, and trade workflow next steps before moving an opportunity forward.

Explore trade workflow
Not sure? Start with certificate market coverage.

Public GreenPowerHub metrics

Used by buyers, sellers, traders, utilities, and service providers across renewable certificate markets.

60+ Countries supported across certificate markets
700+ Companies registered
100+ TWh Energy certificates traded

For buyers

Source RECs with geography, tracking, certification, and claim requirements in view.

REC buyers need to define more than volume. The right scope can depend on country, state or province, tracking system, generation vintage, facility vintage, renewable fuel type, certification requirements, and whether the purchase supports voluntary use or a specific program.

Use GreenPowerHub to turn those requirements into structured RFQs, compare supplier responses, and keep North American REC market context connected to the sourcing workflow.

Create a structured RFQ Check REC coverage

Buyer criteria to compare

  • United States, Canada, or regional market fit
  • Generation vintage and facility vintage
  • Renewable fuel type and project location
  • Tracking system and certificate attributes
  • Certification or verification needs, such as Green-e
  • Voluntary claim or program-specific context

For sellers

Bring REC supply to buyers and traders looking for North American certificate opportunities.

Renewable generators, certificate holders, suppliers, and traders need a practical way to surface supply with the attributes buyers care about: tracking system, vintage, location, technology, certification, volume, and delivery route.

GreenPowerHub helps sellers list REC opportunities and move from market interest toward structured engagement.

Explore marketplace workflows Review partner controls

Seller value drivers

  • Supply and asset visibility
  • Demand discovery from qualified participants
  • Pricing context before listing or responding
  • Counterparty and partner controls
  • Digital workflow from interest to next action

For traders

Monitor REC activity and move faster from interest to trade workflow.

Trading teams need posted interest, price context, counterparty context, partner status, and a route from market opportunity to trade confirmation and documentation.

Use GreenPowerHub to review REC market activity, manage partner checks, and move accepted opportunities into trade workflow.

Marketplace Closing prices Trade workflow
Market context Regions, tracking systems, vintages, and demand signals
Partner control Counterparty and eligibility context before action
Workflow handoff From interest or quote toward confirmation

Connected workflow

One REC workflow across sourcing, selling, and trading.

GreenPowerHub connects North American REC market context, RFQs, posted interest, partner controls, and trade workflow steps so teams can move from a market question to a controlled next action.

  1. 01 Check market context

    Start with the U.S., Canada, or North America market need.

  2. 02 Define certificate scope

    Clarify tracking, vintage, resource type, certification, volume, and delivery requirements.

  3. 03 Run RFQ or review interest

    Compare supplier responses or evaluate posted buy and sell intent.

  4. 04 Engage counterparties

    Keep partner status, contract context, and next actions visible.

  5. 05 Move to trade workflow

    Carry confirmation, signing, and documentation context forward.

Coverage and market fit

Start with the North American REC market your team needs to cover.

REC work can involve U.S. voluntary purchases, state or regional tracking systems, Canadian REC needs, and North American regional views. Use the coverage lookup for the current GreenPowerHub market view instead of relying on a static country list.

United States Canada North America Green-e Tracking systems Voluntary procurement

Common REC attributes

Generation vintage Facility vintage Renewable fuel type Project location Tracking system Certification
Search certificate market coverage

REC basics

What are Renewable Energy Certificates?

A Renewable Energy Certificate represents the non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation. In the U.S. market, EPA describes a REC as issued when one MWh of renewable electricity is generated and delivered to the grid.

RECs can carry attributes such as certificate data, tracking system, renewable fuel type, project location, facility vintage, generation vintage, and whether the certificate is eligible for certification or a specific renewable program.

REC treatment depends on the relevant market, tracking system, certification, program rules, and intended claim. Green-e can be relevant when buyers need third-party certification for eligible renewable electricity or REC transactions.

US EPA REC overview US EPA tracking systems Green-e Energy

Market use cases

Separate voluntary procurement from program-specific requirements.

North American REC questions can involve voluntary renewable electricity procurement, supplier disclosure, regional tracking systems, certification, and state or provincial programs. The same certificate language can point to different requirements depending on the market and intended claim.

Voluntary procurement

Buyers may use RECs to substantiate renewable electricity use claims.

Program-specific needs

Eligibility can depend on regional rules, tracking systems, and certificate attributes.

Certification

Green-e and other verification routes can matter for quality and claim confidence.

Tracking

Electronic tracking systems help prevent double issuance and support ownership transfer.

FAQ

REC questions by role.

Buyer questions

What is a REC?

A REC is a market-based certificate representing the non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation. In the U.S., RECs are generally issued when one MWh of renewable electricity is generated and delivered to the grid.

Can RECs support renewable electricity claims?

RECs can substantiate renewable electricity use claims in the U.S. market, but the right treatment depends on tracking, certification, certificate details, and the intended claim.

What should a REC RFQ include?

Include market, tracking system, generation vintage, facility vintage, fuel type, project location, certification needs, volume, delivery route, and retirement expectations.

What is Green-e?

Green-e Energy is a third-party certification program for eligible renewable electricity and REC transactions. It can be relevant when buyers need independent certification or verification.

Seller questions

Can sellers list REC supply?

Yes. Sellers can list REC supply in GreenPowerHub when their product and account setup support the relevant market, then use marketplace and partner workflows to manage visibility, counterparties, and next steps.

Does GreenPowerHub set REC prices?

No. GreenPowerHub is a marketplace. Buyers, sellers, and traders set their own prices for bids, offers, and negotiated trades. GreenPowerHub helps participants see market context and manage the workflow, but pricing decisions stay with the market participants.

Which REC attributes should sellers make clear?

Sellers should make market, location, vintage, technology, tracking system, certification, volume, and delivery context as clear as possible.

Can sellers control counterparties?

GreenPowerHub includes partner and counterparty workflows that help teams manage who they engage with before moving forward.

Trader questions

What affects REC prices?

Prices can vary by market, state or region, tracking system, vintage, technology, certification, volume, delivery route, and market conditions.

What is posted interest?

Posted interest is visible buy or sell intent with product details such as market, vintage, technology, volume, certification, and price context.

How do closing prices support REC trading?

Closing prices can help trading teams compare market context over time where data is available, alongside visible interest and counterparty context.

What happens after an opportunity is accepted?

Accepted opportunities can move into trade workflow for confirmation, signing, documentation, and next-step tracking.

Market-system questions

Are RECs and offsets the same?

No. EPA distinguishes RECs from offsets: RECs represent renewable electricity attributes, while offsets represent a metric ton of emissions avoided or reduced.

How are RECs tracked?

Electronic tracking systems issue unique certificates, record ownership transfers, and help prevent double issuance and ownership disputes.

Are Canadian RECs part of this page?

Yes. This page covers North American REC context, including the United States, Canada, and regional market views.

Where should I check market coverage?

Use the GreenPowerHub certificate market lookup for the current public coverage view, then open the relevant scheme guide for more background.

Official references

Sources for REC and North American market facts.

US EPA REC overview US EPA tracking systems US EPA procurement considerations Green-e Energy Canada clean electricity initiative GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance

Next step

Start with the REC workflow that matches your role.

Choose the path that matches the work in front of you: sourcing, supply, trading, or North American certificate coverage discovery.

Buy or source RECs Sell or list supply Trade REC markets Check certificate market coverage