What is vintage and how does it affect my purchase of RECs?
“Vintage” is the month and year when the renewable energy was generated and supplied to the grid and the corresponding REC created. Depending on the certifying agency, there may be specific requirements around the vintage of a REC as it applies to its sale. In the United States, Green-e sets the vintage standards for the RECs Direct Energy Business purchases and sells to our customers for voluntary renewable initiatives. The RECs that we sell to customers to fulfill their supply requirements during any given calendar year, must have a vintage from Q3 or Q4 of the previous year, Q1-Q4 of the current year and/or Q1 of the following year.
