Registries Supported by APX
Carbon Registries
APX is a leading infrastructure provider for environmental markets in greenhouse gases including carbon commodities. These commodities include emissions allowances and carbon offsets, sometimes called Verified Emission Reductions (VERs), Emission Reduction Units (ERUs), Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), Verified Carbon Units (VCUs), or Carbon Reduction Tons (CRTs). Users of these systems include all key market participants such as project developers, brokers, corporations, NGOs and government organizations. Last year more than 50% of global VERs were issued on APX supported registries. APX greenhouse gas and carbon market infrastructure systems include:
Climate Action Reserve
The Reserve provides a web-based platform and account management tool for the registration, serialization, tracking, and retirement of greenhouse gas offsets. Access to The Reserve is available to the public for information on registered projects and to account holders including project developers, retailers, financial services, corporations and policy makers. GHG emission offsets attributable to projects that are verified in accordance with registry protocols can be banked, sold, traded, and/or retired in the voluntary market. In December 2012 the Reserve was approved by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) as an Offset Project Registry, allowing the Reserve to issue and track offset credits which could then be transitioned to the ARB Cap-and-Trade compliance program.
American Carbon Registry
The American Carbon Registry, an enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading voluntary offset program with strong standards for environmental integrity and transparency. The American Carbon Registry provides an electronic registry system for Members to transparently register serialized offsets as well as record the purchase, sale and retirement of project-based offsets, branded as Emission Reduction Tons (“ERTs”). In December 2012 ACR was approved by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) as an Offset Project Registry, allowing ACR to issue and track offset credits which could then be transitioned to the ARB Cap-and-Trade compliance program.
The APX Verified Carbon Standard Registry
The APX VCS Registry provides the highest quality transaction and data infrastructure for the voluntary carbon markets. The Registry creates trusted and tradable voluntary offset credits, provides a clear chain of ownership that prevents double-counting, and stimulates investments in emissions reductions and low carbon solutions. Extensive public reports make the solution open and transparent. The APX VCS Registry is the preferred registry by project developers and links to the Carbon Trade Exchange providing more avenues for the sale of VCUs. With more than 2 billion environmental credits under management, the 24/7 APX VCS Registry is powered by the most widely used, highest volume, and technically advanced environmental infrastructure that has been developed over nearly a decade.
Renewable Registries
APX systems provide complete coverage for renewable energy certificate (REC) creation, management and transactions across North America to facilitate the continued dramatic growth of clean energy generation and usage. All participants in the North American renewable energy markets – regardless of location – are now able to take advantage of a trusted infrastructure to help manage their role in the market. With the ability to create unique, serialized records for every REC, these registries provide the greatest product transparency, accountability and protection against double counting.
APX renewable energy market systems include:
Michigan Renewable Energy Certification System (MIRECS)
The Michigan Renewable Energy Certification System creates, tracks and enables trading of environmental credits through a unique, traceable digital certificate issued for every megawatt hour (MWh) of qualifying energy generated by facilities registered with MIRECS or imported into MIRECS. These credits include Michigan Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), Advanced Cleaner Energy Credits (ACECs), Michigan Incentive Renewable Energy Credits (ICs) and Energy Optimization Credits (EOCs) which fall under the state’s Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy Act. The system will also support linkages with other state and regional renewable energy market programs.
New England Generation Information System (NEPOOL GIS)
The NEPOOL GIS, established in July 2002, issues and tracks certificates for each MWh of generation produced in the ISO New England control area, including imports from adjacent control areas, and all load served. In addition to the generation, the NEPOOL GIS provides emissions labeling for the New England load serving entities by tracking the emissions attributes for generators in the region. In recent years the NEPOOL GIS has adapted to the various state RPS laws to track combined heat and power, demand response and conservation and load management certificates.
Western Regional Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS)
WREGIS, established in June 2007 and administered by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), is an accounting system designed to issue, register and track RECs to verify compliance with regulatory requirements and participation in voluntary market programs throughout the western United States. WECC oversees electric reliability for more than 71 million people in 14 western states, two Canadian provinces, and the Northern portion of Baja, Mexico. APX’s registry platform serves as the foundation for renewable energy certificate trading across the WECC region.
North American Renewables Registry™ (NAR)
The North American Renewables Registry issues, tracks and enables trading and retirement of certificates through a unique, traceable serial number issued for every megawatt hour (MWh) of qualifying renewable energy or energy savings from projects registered with NAR. The system has been designated as the compliance system for the Missouri Renewable Energy Standard (RES). The State of North Carolina has also designated NAR as an eligible registry for facilities located outside of North Carolina that seek to qualify for the North Carolina’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard. Recently, the Kansas Corporation Commission decided to use NAR to verify RECs purchased by Kansas utilities and cooperatives for compliance with the Kansas Renewable Portfolio Standard. With this addition, renewable energy facilities registered in NAR can now be tagged as eligible for Kansas, Illinois, Missouri and Puerto Rico if they have met the applicable requirements as a renewable facility. Furthermore, NAR is currently able to export certificates to NC RETS and accept imports of certificates from WREGIS, MIRECS, M-RETS and NC RETS.
North Carolina Renewable Energy Tracking System (NC-RETS)
The North Carolina Renewable Energy Tracking System launched on July 1, 2010. NC-RETS issues, tracks and enables trading of Renewable Energy Certificates and Energy Efficiency Certificates for the North Carolina Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS). The NC-RETS system enables North Carolina utilities to track their compliance with the NC REPS. Currently certificates can be imported into NC RETS from the following registries: NAR, WREGIS, PJM, ERCOT, MIRECS and M-RETS. Account holders can also export NC RETS certificates to NAR.