And Why They’ll Become Indispensable

They are currently the only legally recognized proof in the Netherlands that electricity has been sustainably generated: Guarantees of Origin (GoOs). Vincent Veer, Senior Portfolio Manager and GoO trader at COMCAM, works with these certificates every day. “Right now, many people may not fully understand what a Guarantee of Origin is or how they can benefit from it,” says Veer. “But five years from now, everyone will.”

A GoO offers both environmental and financial advantages. In order to benefit from these certificates, producers and companies must understand what GoOs are and how they work. A GoO is a digital certificate that proves a specific amount of electricity-typically 1 megawatt-hour-was generated using a renewable energy source, such as solar, wind or hydropower.

“A green certificate isn’t some piece of paper with a wind turbine, a green sticker and a thumbs-up on it, like the ones energy suppliers often hand out,” Veer explains. “It’s a digital certificate issued by a government-designated certification body: VertiCer.”

A Non-Transparent Market

Many entrepreneurs with solar panels are unaware that they can earn additional income from their generated electricity. “The GoOs you receive for any energy you produce in excess of your own consumption can be sold,” Veer says. “Be aware of that.” The challenge, however, is that many small producers don’t know how to monetize their GoOs. The GoO market is not always transparent to outsiders. “It’s a complex market in which brokers play a central role.”

Often, small producers are unaware that their energy supplier may be profiting from the GoOs associated with their generated electricity. “They’ve installed solar panels without making any agreements about the rights to these certificates. If the energy supplier is also the trader, the producer often receives nothing in return.”

Trading Accounts and Registration

To sell your GoOs, you need a trading account, which costs at least €3,500 annually. “Even for a farmer with 500 solar panels, that’s rarely profitable,” says Veer. That’s why COMCAM offers a solution for energy producers: we support the registration and sale of GoOs, enabling entrepreneurs to generate extra income without having to maintain a trading account themselves.

One important tip for owners of older installations-or anyone not directly managing their own account-is to ensure that not only the installation itself is registered and approved, but also that the measurement data is transmitted correctly. Technical faults can result in underreporting of electricity production, which may cause GoOs to be only partially or not at all issued. Therefore, it is crucial to regularly verify the status of your registration with VertiCer. Also, be mindful of the registration’s validity: for installations larger than 15 kWh, the registration expires after five years. Without timely renewal, no GoOs will be issued-regardless of how much electricity your installation has produced.

An Affordable and Effective Solution

Companies are not obligated to purchase GoOs. However, proving that your organization is committed to sustainability and uses renewable energy can be done in two ways. The first is by generating it yourself-something that is often complex and expensive. The second is by purchasing GoOs. These certificates allow companies to demonstrate their use of green electricity, even if it’s technically not feasible to produce it on-site.

Businesses aiming to become more sustainable often run into practical obstacles: limited roof space for solar panels or grid congestion that prevents installation. Relocating to a more energy-efficient building is not always a realistic option either. In such cases, GoOs are often the ideal solution.

A Growing Demand

GoOs are not only a smart and sustainable financial tool-they are also an increasingly common way to demonstrate a company’s environmental impact. Regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are pushing companies to make their sustainability performance more transparent. “Large corporations already had to prove their green credentials last year,” Veer notes. “Eventually, this will reach the SME sector as well.”

It starts with publicly listed companies and is gradually filtering down to smaller businesses. Major supermarket chains and corporate buyers increasingly expect their suppliers to prove they operate sustainably. Companies that fail to produce GoOs may be excluded from partnerships or receive lower prices for their products. Veer offers an example from the agricultural sector: “Dairy farmers receive a higher price per liter of milk if they can prove they operate sustainably.” Demand for GoOs will only continue to grow in the coming years.

The Benefits of Trading GoOs

GoOs were developed to certify that electricity was sustainably produced-not as a financial instrument. Yet that is what they have become. Their value has increased as proof of sustainable operations has become more relevant. But the advantages of GoO trading extend beyond the financial: they actively support Europe’s transition to a greener energy system. Every MWh of green electricity generated means less reliance on fossil fuel-based power, such as gas-fired plants. Currently, just over 50% of energy in Europe is generated sustainably. The rest still comes from fossil sources.

Moreover, sustainability is becoming increasingly important to the workforce. The younger generation expects companies to operate in an environmentally responsible manner. Businesses that fail to do so risk becoming less attractive employers and may face difficulties in attracting and retaining talent.

Local Sustainability and Market Preferences

GoOs are also increasingly being used to support local sustainability. “Some companies don’t just want green energy-they want it from specific regional sources,” Veer explains. “No Romanian solar GoOs, but certificates from Dutch renewables. This leads to regional price differences, even though the energy itself is identical. It highlights how important it is to stimulate Dutch green energy production-and how much value companies place on investing in domestic renewable sources.”

Another notable trend is that there is currently little to no price difference between wind and solar GoOs-even though wind GoOs are available in much larger volumes than solar ones. Normally, scarcity drives price. According to Veer, this might be linked to perception. “Many companies and organizations prefer wind energy based on image or branding, making wind GoOs more popular than solar ones.”

Misconceptions in the GoO Market

There are several common misconceptions about GoOs. For instance, some providers make claims about how much revenue a specific solar panel will generate, but such predictions are unreliable. The actual income depends on the market value of both electricity and GoOs at any given time, as well as on the panel’s production, which varies with weather and other factors. “If someone offers you a too-good-to-be-true deal, be cautious,” Veer warns. “The only thing we can say with near certainty is that the GoO market will continue to grow in the coming years. So the question is no longer: What are the benefits of GoOs? But rather: How will you continue doing business without them?”