Certificate expiration is the point at which an EAC can no longer be cancelled to back a renewable energy claim. Expiration is set by each registry's rules and is typically defined as a fixed period after the end of the production period.
Expiration rules vary by registry and certificate type. European GoOs typically expire 12 months after the end of the production period. UK REGOs follow the UK compliance period (April to March) and expire at the end of the relevant compliance year. US RECs vary by state and tracking system, with some accepting older vintages indefinitely and others enforcing strict vintage windows.
An expired EAC remains in the registry as a record but can no longer be cancelled to back a renewable claim. It cannot be transferred, sold, or used for compliance. In practical terms, the certificate has lost its commercial value, although it remains in the portfolio holder's account.
Stranded certificates are EACs held past their usability window: either expired, or so close to expiration that they cannot be sold in time. They represent a measurable financial loss for the holder. Stranded certificates are typically the result of poor vintage tracking, with operations teams unable to see in advance which certificates are approaching expiry across their multi-registry portfolio.
Expiration risks are managed by maintaining real-time visibility of vintage and expiry dates across the full portfolio, allocating older vintages to obligations before younger ones (a First In, First Out or FIFO approach), and selling excess length before vintages approach their expiry windows.
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