What is an LGC?
Australia’s Renewable Energy Target encompasses two certificate programs: the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) and the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES). Under the LRET, a Renewable Energy Certificate Market is established to encourage the development of renewable energy power stations in Australia. This market facilitates the generation and sale of certificates, known as large-scale generation certificates (LGCs).
Power stations accredited under the LRET are authorized to produce LGCs for each Mega Watt Hour (MWh) of electricity derived from their renewable energy sources. These LGCs are then available for sale to:
- Liable entities within the Renewable Energy Target (primarily electricity retailers) mandated to procure LGCs from the market. Subsequently, these entities surrender the certificates annually to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER). The required quantity of LGCs to be submitted by liable entities is determined each year based on the renewable power percentage.
- Companies and individuals, through the secondary Market, seeking to substantiate their claims of emissions reduction through utilization of renewable electricity.