If solar panels, wind turbines and hydro pipelines are the public face of the Renewable Energy Target, the REC Registry is the essential backroom support.

All transactions under the Renewable Energy Target are completed in the REC Registry: on average some 1 120 transactions a day. This includes participants creating, transferring and surrendering renewable energy certificates. Clean Energy Regulator staff also use the REC Registry as an essential business tool in administering the scheme, for example to assess applications submitted online by participants and to efficiently validate large numbers of certificates.

Since its first release in 2001, the REC Registry has supported around 5.5 million transactions. It is available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to its 13 554 account holders.

To keep pace with these requirements, the maturing of the scheme and emerging technologies, a completely redesigned REC Registry was released on 15 September 2014.

Critical improvements

Detailed stakeholder and client consultation informed the redesign, which began in 2012 after an open tender process. The new system features critical improvements to functionality and usability.

The changes have reduced the administrative burden for scheme participants and improved the efficiency with which the Clean Energy Regulator administers key aspects of the Renewable Energy Target. The improved REC Registry is helping to maintain the smooth operation and integrity of the Renewable Energy Target.

Key benefits

• The design is more intuitive and includes built-in guidance for each function, making it easier to use.
• It is more streamlined and efficient, with extra processes coming online–for example, end-to-end account application processes and annual returns for some 440 power stations and 114 liable entities.
• It is more responsive and reliable during peak times.
• There is better access to certificate data for data analysts, via the public registers.
• A range of additional features benefit all users–for example, enhanced user management, certificate activity log and certificate tagging.
• It enables efficient collection of statutory fees for creation and surrender of certificates, reducing the cost of participating in the Renewable Energy Target schemes.
• It provides important email updates to registered users and allows users to configure the types of emails that they would like to receive.

Positive feedback

The response has been positive, as encapsulated by these comments:

The new REC Registry has been a great improvement overall to stakeholders, providing greater integration and processing ability, easy usability and resulting in a more efficient processing of small-scale technology certificate applications for market.

Daniel Sullivan, FormBay
Registered Agent under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme

As a major user of the REC registry, EDL is extremely satisfied with the change process and welcomes the new functionality of the redesigned REC registry. The transition to the new registry was seamless, well communicated and ensured EDL was able to continue its processes without interruptions. The new functionality, such as point-in-time summaries, makes it a lot easier for us to reconcile the number of certificates at any given time. Another great improvement was the enhancements to the certificate activity log, which provides us a faster and more convenient way to monitor transfers.

Tim Sprey, Manager Corporate and Commercial Affairs,
Energy Developments Limited (EDL)
Participant under the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target