New briefing examines how to strengthen integrity in Renewable Energy Certificates from hydropower
The Hydropower Sustainability Alliance has published a new briefing examining how sustainability assurance can address growing concerns around the credibility of hydropower Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
Titled Closing the integrity gap in hydropower Renewable Energy Certificates, the publication focuses on a key limitation in today’s REC markets: while certificates verify that electricity is renewable, they do not provide assurance on the sustainability credentials of how that energy is generated.
As the use of RECs expands across corporate reporting and procurement, this lack of differentiation is coming under increased scrutiny. This new interactive digital briefing examines the growing disconnect between renewable electricity claims and the underlying sustainability of generation, especially for hydropower.
Furthermore, it sets out how the Hydropower Sustainability Standard (HSS) can complement REC systems by providing independent, third-party verification of sustainability performance across environmental, social, and governance criteria. It highlights how the HSS is a consistent reference point across procurement, finance and investment, already recognised within frameworks such as RE100, the Climate Bonds Initiative and MSCI.
Examples linking sustainability attributes to RECs
The briefing also explores practical pathways for integration, including registry tagging, certificate stacking and the emergence of differentiated products on energy exchanges, while sharing early examples from Malaysia and North America that demonstrate how sustainability attributes can be linked to RECs within existing market infrastructure.
This is the latest in a series of digital briefings developed by HSA. It follows the recent publication of Strengthening hydropower’s credibility in carbon markets, which examines similar integrity challenges in carbon crediting and the role of the HSS in addressing them.
Designed as a web-based resource, the new briefing supports corporates, market operators, financiers and policymakers in navigating the next phase of REC market development, where credibility will depend on demonstrable sustainability performance.
The briefing is now available to explore online.
