Canada gets a greener power standard

OTTAWA, CANADA - In a climate of change — an uncertain economy and an altered environment — the need for reliable, cleaner and greener electricity is stronger than ever.

The EcoLogo Program, one of North AmericaÂ’s most recognizable eco-labels, publicly released its standard for Renewable Low-Impact Electricity Products and is set to help change the way greener electricity is defined across Canada.

“EcoLogo has long served as the de facto standard for greener electricity generation in many Canadian jurisdictions and this newly revised standard will help the top environmental performers in the electricity sector to receive the recognition they deserve,” says Dr. Angela Griffiths, Executive Director of the EcoLogo Program.

Under this newly revised standard, the availability of certified Renewable Energy Certificates RECs and bundled electricity will make it easier for consumers and purchasers to support renewable low-impact electricity products, leading to the potential growth in this market over time.

Bundled renewable low-impact electricity and RECs recognized in this standard can be derived from the following generation technologies: biogas-fuelled electricity, biomass-fuelled electricity, solar-powered electricity, wind-powered electricity and hydro-powered electricity. New additions to this revised EcoLogo Renewable Low-Impact Electricity Products standard are geothermal, tidal and wave-powered electricity.

The benefits of renewable, low-impact electricity products, are numerous: the displacement of non-renewable fuels with renewable, more sustainable fuel sources lower air emissions that contribute to climate change, smog, acid rain and air-borne particulate pollution the reduction of solid wastes arising from both the mining and extraction of non-renewable fuel sources, and the disposal of toxic metal emissions and nuclear wastes and the reduction of impacts on aquatic, and terrestrial ecosystems from electricity generating activities.

For more information about this newly revised standard, visit www.ecologo.org, click on “Our Standards” and choose CCD-003 for Renewable Low-Impact Electricity.