DERs are the amount of emissions certified to be reduced. They are generated according to our ISO-accredited Earth Standard. They are more quickly generated, more transparent, more valuable and more focused on real positive impact than generic emission reductions.

Getting started is simple. Head to app.enerlink.ai/signup, and follow the prompts to register a renewable energy project and your company.

Please check this list before starting the registration process to ensure you have everything you need.

‍Your project should meet these minimum criteria:
- Renewable energy type is solar (if other, please contact us)
- System size is less than 25MW (if larger, please contact us)
- Is owned by a registered organisation (i.e. not owned by an individual)
- The installation did not contribute to any environmental destruction
- No emission reductions or Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) have been issued for the system in the last 2 years
- Both energy production and consumption metrics are available from the energy monitoring system (e.g., SolarMan, Huawei, etc)

‍You will need:
- The Project's title, address, description, and a high quality photo (JPG or PNG)
- Your company or organisation's details (name, address, registration number, logo, cover photo)
- Size of inverter capacity (in kW)
- Name of the system's energy monitoring software (e.g., SolarMan, Huawei, etc)
- Proof of ownership (e.g. invoice, proof of purchase)
- Signed mandate of consent from the owner of the system (if not you)

Yes, you can. You'll just need a signed mandate from the owner, or an existing contract, that gives you permission and outlines any financial arrangements like commission agreements. We can handle the DERs distribution on our side, or let us know if you'll also be managing their funds and we can arrange accordingly.

The number of DERs you can expect to produce depends on your system's location, energy production, and consumption. Use our Emission Reductions Calculator for a rough estimate.

The amount you earn comes down to the number of DERs your system generates, minus Enerlink's fees multiplied by the market price per unit. On average, prices range from USD $3-$5 per unit when the market is performing well.

We pride ourselves on the quality of the Decarb-certified Emission Reductions (DERs) we produce, and hence are confident they will sell on the open market. In the event they aren't sold, you have three options:
1. Hold them in your Enerlink wallet.
2. Retire them and receive a retirement certificate. This for your own carbon accounting.
3. Transfer them to another platform, with any related sales costs to be covered by you. Please note Enerlink will not charge a fee for this transfer.

Once your project profile and energy data checks are complete, it typically takes six weeks to mint, audit, and issue DERs, assuming no complications arise.

Once your system's data is successfully accessed, we publish an approximate value within two weeks. After more stringent audits, the final value will replace the initial estimate. The two values are typically very similar unless discrepancies arise during the auditing process.

The timeline for selling Decarb-certified Emission Reductions (DERs) varies depending on how quickly our carbon exchange partners match them with buyers. Enerlink facilitates the sale, but we don't control timelines or market prices.

After the successful sale of your DERs, funds will be electronically transferred to your account within 1-2 weeks of clearing in Enerlink's account. Transfers are made in U.S. Dollars, and any currency conversion is at your expense.

Systems can be up to 15 months old to be eligible for Decarb-certified Emission Reductions (DERs) under the Earth Standard. Younger projects are always preferable because they have more additionality (the extent to which the DERs enabled the project to occur) and are hence considered more valuable. Older systems up to 3 years old may be considered if the owner can prove they intended to explore emission reduction revenue within 1 year after the project was commissioned. If a project does not meet these criteria, it will be considered under another available methodology.

Energy production and consumption data are essential to calculate your emission reductions. Without this information, Decarb-certified Emission Reductions (DERs) cannot be created or issued.

We access your system's data remotely via an API key or user login details to create a secure connection between your inverter and our systems. A data privacy policy is built into the Terms of Service, but we can also sign a data privacy agreement if it is required by your company.

Enerlink will soon be able to issue credits under other carbon credit methodologies which generate tax-deductible rmission reductions. Any project registered between now and then, which are eligible for Tax Credits, will be issued with these reductions once the methodologies are available. Currently, under the Earth Standard alone, Decarb-certified Emission Reductions (DERs) are voluntary, and can be sold on the Voluntary Carbon Market, which aren't currently recognised under Carbon Tax Schemes.

Traditional emission reduction methods rely on manual data processing and auditing, which often lead to errors and doubts about the quality and provenance of the emissions reduction. In generating our Decarb-certified Emission Reductions (DERs), we use digital systems to collect and verify data directly from the source, minimising human error, ensuring accuracy, and improving confidence in the authenticity of the emission reduction.

If the developer provides the project owner's banking details, Enerlink will remit their portion of revenue directly. Alternatively, if the developer will handle payments to the owner, proof of this agreement is required.

No, DERs are Emission Reductions, which are like RECs but better. They cover more emissions (Scopes 1 to 3) and are held to stricter standards, so can demand a higher sales price.

You cannot generate both RECs and Decarb-certified Emission Reductions (DERs) for the same renewable energy system during the same period, as it would be double counting. However, you can switch to DERs in a new time period.

Payments are made in US Dollars. For non-USD accounts, payments are classified as international transfers, and currency conversion fees may apply.

In jurisdictions like South Africa, compliance emission reductions can be used to offset carbon tax obligations and typically command a higher sale price. However, they often involve significant upfront costs. On the other hand, voluntary emission reductions issued by Enerlink are generally cheaper to obtain but sell for less. For larger projects (above 25MW) that generate more revenue, compliance emission reductions may be more beneficial as the revenue can quickly offset the initial costs. For smaller systems, voluntary emission reductions are more suitable as they avoid substantial upfront expenses, providing a more balanced financial approach. We offer both voluntary and compliance emissions reductions.

If you provide legal documentation proving your rights to the Decarb-certified Emission Reductions, the system owner's consent isn't needed for registration. However, we'll still require their consent to access energy data.

Yes, but systems over 25MW require an extra financial additionality assessment, which takes more time due to third-party involvement. Please contact us for more info.

One of the key eligibility criteria under our unique Earth Standard is high impact projects. In the carbon market, older installations don't count as "high impact" because their emissions reductions are not considered additional. Therefore, we only accept newer installations.

You can provide the following to verify ownership:
- A contract with the contractor and their proof of purchase of the equipment.
- A signed letter from the contractor confirming that your company paid for the systems listed on the invoices.

The Earth Standard is based on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol but emphasises environmental and social impact over financial additionality. This ensures that the real-world effects of a project are prioritised, making our standard more impactful.

For specifics about our impact criteria, please see details about our Earth Standard here.

Our Earth Standard is fully verified, meeting ISO 14064 standard, with third-party validation by SGS and international registry Carbon CX. In addition we also offer compliance emission reductions registered with Verra.

Enerlink prioritises projects in countries with a grid emissions factor (GEF) above 0.5kg/kWh. However, we accept projects with a GEF of at least 0.2kg/kWh, provided they contribute more to our Impact Fund as the GEF decreases.

You can remove your project from Enerlink by providing 30 days' written notice. After cancellation:
1. No new DERs will be generated after the notice period.
2. Existing DERs in your wallet can be:
- Held in your Enerlink wallet.
- Retired with a certificate issued (at no cost).
- Sold through Enerlink's partner under the pre-existing terms.
- Transferred to another platform (transfer fees are your responsibility).

Additionality means your system's emissions reductions wouldn't have occurred without your project. Essentially, if your project didn't exist, those reductions wouldn't happen, making the impact "additional."

We use your API key in read-only mode to access energy data from your renewable energy system. This is necessary to calculate your emission reductions. All data is securely stored in compliance with the Data Privacy Laws.

No, we require remote access to raw energy data via a smart meter or similar system. To ensure transparency and provenance, data must come directly from your system's inverter or energy management system. This ensures accurate and verifiable carbon reduction calculations.

Periods without recorded energy data will show zero emissions reduced, meaning no Decarb-certified Emission Reductions will be generated. Please ensure your system is operational to avoid data gaps.

One DER = one tonne of Certified CO2 Emissions Reduction. We calculate how much CO2 emissions have been reduced due to the system's activity by using a combination of the country's grid emissions factor (how 'dirty' the grid is) and the solar system's performance (e.g., consumption data, efficiency, etc).