What is “additionality”?
Additionality is the key issue in the voluntary green energy market. Many of the green tariffs that are marketed as being “green” actually provide no additional benefits above those already required by existing legislation promoting renewable energy, such a guaranteed prices for renewables or obligations placed on energy suppliers. The Eugene Standard offers a simple but effective additionality test which can be adapted to national rules and markets. It has been developed in co-operation with experts from energy suppliers and traders.
The Kyoto Protocol mandates that carbon offsets must be “real, verified and additional to what would have otherwise occurred.” Additionality is a characteristic of an offset market which creates incentives for environmentally–beneficial projects that would not have been possible otherwise. Within the carbon trading industry, additionality means “going beyond business as usual.” While there are a number of factors that contribute to the quality of the offset, additionality is a key in assessing its merit.
