Trust sets the standard
The International Tracking Standard Foundation determines who may issue renewable energy certificates, and how, in more than 60 countries. These certificates form the basis for global trade in renewable energy. But do customers trust the standard? And does the operator adhere to the guidelines? Only if both question are answered with a resounding “Yes” is it right. Barnebies investigated.
Guided Audit for customer trust and effective case development
The International Tracking Standard Foundation’s IREC-(E) standard is the basis for global energy certificate trading. It is a open standard: There is competition, and a power generator can choose to use a different standard or platform. Trust and ease of use are therefore fundamental to the Tracking Standard Foundation. For this reason, the standard specifies the issuance and trading of certificates in more than 80 clauses.
Step 1: Surveying users
We tested the performance and appropriateness of more than 50 clauses by surveying more than 800 users of the standard. They could indicate the extent to which they were satisfied with the features and implementation, as well as submit evidence. Their opinion of what works and what doesn’t work well with the standard is of great importance: As users, they are most critical of the product’s value.
Step 2: Audit the Operator
The operator was questioned on the same points in greater detail; we collected evidence on everything from certificate layout to server maintenance contracts. Additionally, using the findings from the user survey, we asked the operator for their response and, where necessary, how they would resolve the issues.
With this quick, effective method, a substantial amount of structured evidence was collected, making it easy to analyze in PowerBI. Based on this, the public report has been developed and will be published online by the end of 2024.