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Certified Renewable Energy

Show the world your business’s commitment to sustainability with Meridian’s 100% Certified Renewable Energy product.

What is Certified Renewable Energy?

Our innovative 100% Certified Renewable Energy product, also known as Certified, is designed for businesses aiming to report their market-based Scope 2 emissions as zero, using the market-based methodology as per the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.  

As New Zealand’s largest renewable electricity generator, we’re committed to generating power solely from wind, water and sun. 

Our Certified product enables businesses to match the amount of electricity they use, with an equivalent amount of electricity put into the national grid from one of Meridian’s hydro stations or wind farms – which have been independently verified as producing 100% renewable electricity by BraveTrace

By choosing Certified, you’re not only supporting renewable but also contributing to our Decarbonisation Fund, which invests in both business and community electrification projects.

Join us in creating a fairer and healthier world with clean energy.

 

Transcript: Certified Renewable Energy explained

Upbeat music plays quietly in the background as an aerial view of a roof covered in solar panels is seen. 
See a lady in a high vis jacket opening the side of an EV van. The van has the words ‘Meridian. The Power to Make a Difference’, on the passenger door, and Satisfy Food Rescue written on the side door. 

See a waitress with the name badge ‘Michaela’, picking up plates in a busy restaurant. See two people fixing a bike outside a shed. 
 
Voice over: Climate change can’t be solved by one company, one person, or one community. We need to work together to make a difference. 
 
See three large wind turbines spinning on a cloudy day. See an aerial shot of a hydro dam generation station surrounded by bare landscape and hills. 
 
Voiceo over while you see the following changing scenes: As New Zealand’s largest generator of renewable energy, we’ve partnered with our Certified customers to help selected community groups reduce their carbon emissions. 
 
See an electric van driving down a road with Everybody Eats written on the side. Meridian and turbine logo can be seen on the passenger front door. 

See a sign on the street. The sign says ‘Everybody Eats. Pay-as-you-feel (Koha) 3 course meal’. There is a print out of tonight's menu attached to the sign. There is an arrow on the sign pointing towards the restaurant entrance. 

See chefs passing food to a waitress in a restaurant who is delivering the food to customers. 
 
Narrator continues to speak as the scenes change below: Meridian’s Certified product allows business customers to match the electricity they use from the grid with an equivalent amount generated by one of Meridian’s hydro dams or wind farms, which have been certified as producing 100% renewable electricity. 

And 100% of the net proceeds from our Certified product goes into Meridian’s Decarbonisation Fund which invests in meaningful community projects that help reduce carbon emissions. 
 
See Electric van pull into driveway that has been sign written with Satisfy Food Rescue on the side. The van also has Meridian, a turbine logo, and Power to Make a Difference written on the passenger door. Written along the side of the van is ‘Thanks to Meridian’s Community Decarbonisation Fund’, and ‘100% electric’. 
 
See five workers in Satisfy Food Rescue high vis vests unloading a van of food in banana boxes into a warehouse. 
 
See an aerial shot of a wind farm showing many wind turbines turning, and a vast green landscape in the background. 
 
See an aerial shot of large transformer pylons and electricity cables stretching across a lake and up a hill. 
 
See a hydro dam building, lake and large pipes flowing down to the generation building. 
See large wind farm working on a cloudy day. The supporters certified logo shows on screen. This is an oblong logo with Certified Renewable Electricity Generation written inside along with the turbine logo. See meridian.co.nz/certified also comes on to screen. 

See an EV ute driving quickly past with Nga Manu Nature reserve written on the side, along with the Meridian name and logo. 
 
See the EV ute pull out of the Nga Manu Reserve property and drive along the road. 

See the outside of a shed with a sign EcoMatters Bike Hub. Then see a bike go past a white EV van that has a sign with – Thanks to the Meridian Decarbonisation Fund – on the side. 
 
See two people outside the EcoMatters Bike Hub fixing a bike while surrounded by many more bikes and signs. The signs say ‘used bikes for sale’, ‘ Welcome’, and ‘Menu - help $0, Advice $0, Use our tools $0, Koha most welcome.’ 
 
Kath Prins – General Manager, Waipuna Community, Youth & Child Services, speaks to the camera: We can be more sustainable as an organisation and we can cut some costs so we can put that money back into our young people. 
 
See solar arrays on the Waipuna Community building. See the outside of the Waipuna building and the colourful cartoon artwork along the side of the building. The sign says Waipuna Community, Youth and Child Services. St John of God Hauora Trust. 
 
Narrator speaks over the following scenes: In 2023, the fund distributed $1.1 million to 14 community projects around the country. 
 
See many solar panels covering the top of the Waipuna building. 

The words appear on screen – 2023. $1.1m distributed, 14 community projects, and a map of New Zealand with 14 locations highlighted across the country as to where the projects are. 
 
Brent Bielby – Team Lead Bikes, EcoMatters speaks to camera. He is standing outside the EcoMatters bike hub and their EV van: We’re able to save on fuel costs and the money we save we’re able to put back into supporting more people getting on bikes. 
 
See Brent loading a bike into the EV van next to others. See arial shot of the EcoMatters EV van driving away from the Bike hub. See many bikes lined up outside the hub. 
 
Narrator continues to speak as the scenes change: The fund helps community organisations make the switch to sustainable energy solutions. 

From electric vehicles that reduce carbon emissions. 

See Satisfy Food Rescue van up close with someone opening the back door. 
 
Phillipa Hunt – Founder/Chairperson - Satisfy Food Rescue, speaks to camera: We were able to purchase a brand new EV van, which has been fantastic, that has allowed us to grow our operations so we’re supporting more people in need. 
 
See the Satisfy Food Rescue EV van pulling away from the warehouse and see workers packing boxes of fruit inside the warehouse wearing high vis vests. 
 
Narrator speaks while the scenes change: To solar arrays that harness the power of the sun, these changes make a big difference in our communities. 
 
See aerial shot of the top of a building at Nga Manu Nature Reserve covered in solar panels. 
See the top of the Waipuna building covered in solar panels. 

See two more buildings at Nga Manu Nature Reserve with solar panels on the roof, surrounded by bush and a lake. 
 
Anna McKenzie Hawea – General Manager – Nga Manu Nature Reserve speaks to the camera: Without their support we wouldn’t have been able to put solar panels on three of our buildings and with the money we’re saving from that, we can put that back into our conservation projects that are the core of our kaupapa. 
 
Narrator continues to speak as the scenes change: At Meridian we’re committed to doing good things with our energy. 

And thanks to our Certified customers together, we’re creating a brighter, more sustainable future for all kiwis. 
 
See an aerial scene of a wind farm and six large wind turbines working on top of a hill surrounded by bush. 
See close up of the top of a wind turbine looking out over the mountains, river and green farmland. 

See Anna McKenzie Hawea getting out of the Nga Manu Nature Reserve ev ute and walk past the camera smiling. 
 
See two workers from Everybody Eats carrying boxes of food across a Wellington street. The Everybody Eats EV van is in the background. 
 
See Brent Bielby from EcoMatters load a bike into the EV van. See two waitresses at the Everybody Eats restaurant, listening to a chef and smiling. 
 
See the end screen in blue and teal. The Meridian turbine logo is spinning on the bottom right hand side of the screen and the words on screen read ‘Meridian. The Power to Make a Difference’ 

How Certified works

The emission of greenhouse gases from electricity generation is a major driver of global climate change. A range of internationally agreed initiatives are tackling this. One of them is Renewable Energy Certificates or RECs.  
 
Here’s how our Certified product works:

  • The ‘Certified’ electricity that you buy from Meridian is matched on a monthly basis to the power put into the grid by our hydroelectric (water powered) power station and wind farms, which are independently verified as 100% renewable and releasing zero carbon emissions by BraveTrace.  

  • That process earns you internationally recognised RECs.  

  • This allows you to report your market-based Scope 2 emissions as zero (using the market-based reporting methodology, in accordance with the GHG Protocol’s Scope 2 Guidance). 
     
  • Once the operating costs of the Certified product have been met, 100% of the net proceeds go into the Meridian Decarbonisation Fund. 

  • The Meridian Decarbonisation Fund consists of a business fund and a community fund. The business fund empowers Certified customers who meet specific criteria to use the net proceeds from their RECs to fund their own eligible electrification projects. However, most of the funding goes into the community fund to support grassroots community projects that reduce carbon emissions and provide a tangible positive impact to the communities they serve. 

As of July 2024, 191 businesses across the country have taken part – accounting for 2,030 GWh of electricity and more than $1 million in funding for community decarbonisation projects. 

Why Certified is right for your business

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    Report zero market-based Scope 2 Emissions

    Report your market-based Scope 2 electricity emissions as zero in accordance with the GHG Protocol’s Scope 2 Guidance.

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    Investment in sustainability

    All net proceeds from our Certified programme are channelled into the Decarbonisation Fund. This fund supports electrification projects, including those driven by grassroots community organisations, enhancing your company's impact on environmental sustainability. 

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    Transparency and recognition

    Receive an annual Certified Impact and Transparency Report detailing the community projects funded through our partnership. You'll also receive a Certified customer marketing toolkit to clearly show your commitment and impact to your stakeholders. 

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    Enhanced brand value

    Gain the right to use the Certified Renewable Energy mark, showing your brand's commitment to supporting renewable energy generation in customer interactions and corporate reporting.

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    Alternative to carbon offsetting

    Purchase a credible, cost-effective alternative to offsets to meet your renewable energy reporting goals.

What makes Certified different from other REC products

Certified stands out from other Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) products by actively contributing to reducing or preventing emissions through investments in electrification projects funded by the Decarbonisation Fund.  
 
This approach ensures 'additionality,' meaning it creates extra benefits that wouldn't have occurred without it. In addition to allowing companies to report lower market-based Scope 2 emissions (in accordance with the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance), the Certified product channels 100% of its net proceeds into local projects that reduce or prevent carbon emissions, thereby making a real impact. 
 
This isn't just about funding - it's about empowering. We know that decarbonising Aotearoa will take collective effort and that prioritising decarbonisation is hard for many community groups. While they'd love to invest more in reducing carbon emissions, they need to prioritise their limited funding towards the important work they do. The Community Decarbonisation Fund is designed to help them on their sustainable journey. 

For eligible businesses, it’s about using the net proceeds from their RECs to fund eligible electrification projects within their own business. 

Here’s what Satisfy Food Rescue had to say:

“Incorporating an EV into our fleet has been a game-changer. The EV significantly reduces our fuel and maintenance expenses, allowing us to allocate resources more effectively towards our core mission of food rescue and distribution.”
Phillipa Hunt - Satisfy Food Rescue Chair
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The Community Decarbonisation Fund

The Community Decarbonisation Fund, supported by the Certified Renewable Energy product, invests 100% of the net proceeds from the Certified product into grassroots community projects.  

These projects aim to reduce carbon emissions and provide tangible positive impacts in the communities they serve. Eligible projects must meet requirements around carbon reduction targets, timing, feasibility and social benefits to the community.

Thanks to our Certified customers, we’ve been able to invest more than $1 million through the fund to make a real impact for many community groups. From installing solar panels to funding electric vehicles (EVs) – we’re able to make a tangible difference for these groups.

Each year, an annual Certified Impact and Transparency Report is published to update Certified customers on the contributions and impacts of the funded community projects.

 

Partnering for a greener future

We love working with like-minded companies through Certified, because reducing New Zealand's carbon emissions is a real challenge and together, we’re stronger. But don’t just take our word for it – check out some of the projects we've funded through the Community Decarbonisation Fund.

Explore funded projects
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Ready to take the next step towards sustainability?

Contact us today to learn more about our Certified Renewable Energy product and discover the pricing options that best suit your business needs.