Best Practices in Public Claims for Green Power Purchases and Sales

Growth in the largely unregulated voluntary renewable energy market has highlighted the need for clear guidelines on what constitutes legitimate environmental claims. In order to evaluate green electricity claims, one must first determine what constitutes a claim. Some claims are explicit and easy to identify. Others, however, can be simply implied or even unintentional. This paper identifies some typical types of claims and provides guidance to renewable energy sellers on truthful advertising practices.