Renewable Energy Certificate (United States)

A renewable energy certificate (also called a “REC”) is a special type of certificate in the United States that shows your electricity was made from a renewable source like the sun or the wind. RECs help people who use electricity to support green energy even if they don’t get their electricity directly from a wind farm or solar panel. It’s like buying a ticket to a movie. When you buy a ticket, you get to go to the movie and the money you paid goes to help the people who made the movie. The same thing happens when you buy a REC. By paying for the certificate, you support green energy and the money goes to people or companies who make green electricity. You can buy RECs that are connected to your state or you can buy ones that have no connection to any specific state. That way, you know your money is going toward clean energy.