A registry is the official platform where energy attribute certificates are issued, held, transferred, and cancelled. Each major EAC market has its own registry (or set of regional registries), and certificates cannot exist or move outside that infrastructure.
A registry issues certificates based on verified generation data, maintains account balances for market participants, processes transfers between accounts, and records cancellations against specific renewable energy claims. It is the system of record for which certificates exist, who owns them, and what has been done with them.
Registry operators vary by market. In Europe, each EU member state designates a single issuing body, including VertiCer in the Netherlands, Umweltbundesamt in Germany, and Grexel-operated registries across the Nordic and Baltic regions. In the UK, Ofgem runs the REGO scheme. In the US, regional tracking systems such as WREGIS, M-RETS, and PJM-GATS operate independently. In I-REC markets, national Issuers accredited by the I-TRACK Foundation handle issuance.
Most registries operate as closed national systems. In Europe, the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) provides a connecting layer through the European Energy Certificate System (EECS) Hub, allowing participating registries to transfer GoOs across borders under a common standard. Outside Europe there is no equivalent: a US REC tracked in WREGIS cannot move into a European GoO registry, and vice versa.
A registry is the system of record for who owns each certificate and what state it is in (active, transferred, cancelled). An exchange or broker is where buyers and sellers negotiate price and execute trades. The exchange does not hold the certificates; it instructs the registry to transfer them once a trade is agreed. A trader needs both: an exchange or counterparty to source supply, and a registry account to hold and use the certificate.
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