M-RETS defines renewable generation as energy generated by a facility that any state, province, or territory participating in M-RETS considers renewable by law or policy. M-RETS issues one electronic Certificate for each MWh of renewable energy produced by Generators registered and approved in M-RETS. To ensure that double-counting does not occur, Generators participating in M-RETS must report 100% of their generation output in M-RETS. M-RETS maintains a list of state definitions of renewable energy located in the M-RETS compliance footprint here.
Any Generator that delivers energy into North America may register in M-RETS. Other states, provinces, territories, countries or Generators outside of North America may request to use M-RETS subject to the approval of the M-RETS Board. In addition, M-RETS will track other generation forms (e.g. nuclear generation) or other environmental attributes. Requests to add a generator outside North America or to track other generation forms should be made in writing to the M-RETS System Administrator ([email protected]) and M-RETS leadership listed here.
M-RETS may issue Certificates for any energy production serving a load that the grid would otherwise serve if not for the Generator. M-RETS will not create Certificates for generation supplying station service/parasitic load.
For customer-sited distributed Generators, the original data source for reporting total energy production must be from metering at the AC output of an inverter, adjusted to reflect the energy delivered into either the transmission or distribution grid. In the absence of a meter measuring production as described above (i.e. if there is no meter at the inverter), the original data source for reporting total energy production must be from metering placed to measure only the hourly positive generation flowing to the distribution system, adjusted to reflect the energy delivered into either the transmission or distribution grid. Test energy is not treated differently and must also be delivered to the transmission or distribution grid.
M-RETS defines a Generator as an electric generating facility consisting of one or more Generating Units with the same essential generation characteristics with a single meter that measures the output.