To create certificates, individuals and companies must apply to become a 'registered person' as defined under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. A registered person may:
- seek accreditation of a renewable energy power station and, if the application is successful, become the 'nominated person' for that power station
- create large-scale generation certificates for an accredited renewable energy power station, as the nominated person for that power station
- apply for registration as an 'agent'–owners of eligible small-scale systems can assign the right to create certificates for that system to agents (individuals or companies), and
- create small-scale technology certificates for an eligible small-scale system, as the owner or agent for that system.
143 registered persons and 68 registered agents in 2014
During 2014, the Clean Energy Regulator:
- approved 143 registered person applications, bringing the total number of registered persons to 7 426 as at 31 December 2014, and
- registered 68 agents, bringing the total number of registered agents to 1 503 as at 31 December 2014.
Agents include retailers, installers and traders. Agents take responsibility for small-scale technology certificates and provide small-scale system owners with a financial benefit, such as a discount on the price of the installation. Small-scale system owners assign their right to create certificates to the agent after the system has been installed and demonstrated to be working.