Corporate power purchase agreements

Both physical and virtual PPAs are attractive green power procurement options.

A PPA is a contract for the purchase of power and associated certificates from a named renewable asset. PPAs allow both the energy generator and the customer to hedge against price volatility in the electricity market. It offers the customer a predictable cost for their electricity use and therefore budget certainty. At the same time, it offers project developers such as Ørsted a predictable revenue, which is key to the continuous build-out of renewable energy assets such as wind or solar farms. Such agreements promote growth in the renewable energy sector.

With a physical PPA, the energy generator, Ørsted, and the buyer must be located in the same power market, or in two markets with connected grids, to allow for physical delivery of the electricity. The buyer will also receive a certificate for every MWh purchased. The certificates prove that the energy purchased comes from a specific renewable asset and can be used to support their scope 2 GHG reporting.

With a virtual PPA, there’s no physical delivery of electricity; the buyer never takes legal title to the electricity. It’s a financial contract that provides a fixed price hedge. However, the buyer still receives certificates for every MWh purchased. The certificates prove that the energy purchased comes from a specific renewable asset and can be used to support their scope 2 GHG reporting.

The net result of a virtual PPA is a less volatile cost of electricity for the customer and therefore budget certainty.

Each MWh of green electricity produced is worth one green certificate. Certificates are used for tracking the specific location where the renewable energy is produced and by which technology (e.g. wind or solar). It allows corporations to document their electricity consumption from a specific renewable asset, such as a wind or solar farm, and to report on their sustainability efforts.

When procuring energy through a CPPA with Ørsted, a certificate is delivered with every MWh purchased. In this case, the certificate is directly related to the renewable asset and the amount of electricity purchased. This is a very transparent way for corporations to report on their scope 2 GHG emissions. 

Certificates that aren’t tied to a PPA can be sold on the open market as an energy commodity. In this case, the price of certificates is as volatile as the market it represents. Certificates alone aren’t linked to the power that a corporation buys.

Ørsted will deliver the power to your energy supplier on your behalf. The renewable energy asset (e.g. a wind or solar farm) generates power that’s fed into the grid and will be transferred to your energy supplier. Your energy supplier will then deliver this volume to the point of consumption under your supply contract. This is referred to as a ’sleeved’ PPA. 

Your energy supplier takes care of the final shaping to match your consumption and delivery of the power, while Ørsted handles the generation, price, and certification. Ørsted can also shape the delivery profile, for example to a baseload block where you’d receive the same power for every hour of every day.

Ørsted has undergone its own transformation from a fossil fuel company to being ranked the most sustainable energy company in the world, three years in a row, by Corporate Knights' Global 100 Index. Ørsted is the global leader in offshore wind. We have extensive experience in building, owning, and operating wind farms around the world. 

Our team members are experts in PPAs. We’re here to help you understand and navigate the complexities of the agreement, right from the initial contact. We can also help you gain buy-in within your organisation, for example by presenting our company to your internal stakeholders.

Ørsted A/S and Ørsted Salg & Services A/S are each rated by Moody’s, and Ørsted A/S is also rated by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch. View our credit ratings and ESG ratings.

Every MWh purchased with a CPPA comes with a REGO certificate. The certificate is associated with the 1 MWh of renewable energy generated and proves that the electricity purchased is renewable and comes from a specific asset. Certificates can be used to account for a corporation’s carbon emission reduction.

Certificates show the environmental part associated with renewable energy and bear different names in different regions: 

UK: REGOs
In the UK, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) issues renewable energy guarantees of origin (REGOs) to renewable energy generators.

Continental Europe: GO
A guarantee of origin (GoO or GO) is the European scheme that provides information on the renewable energy source.

USA: RECs
In the United States, renewable energy certificates (RECs) are also known as green tags, renewable energy credits, renewable electricity certificates, or tradable renewable certificates (TRCs).