# Will old hydro or wind RECs still count for our buyer's SBTi target under V2?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/sbti-v2-renewable-certificate-15-year-age-limit

Not if the plant is older than 15 years. SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0, C31.3, limits market instruments to low-carbon generators commissioned or re-powered within the 15 years before the consumption period they cover. A certificate from a 2005 windmill would not count for 2027 power.

## Instruments V2.0 accepts (C31.1)

- Physical power purchase agreements with grid-connected low-carbon generators.
- Virtual power purchase agreements with such generators.
- Supplier contracts for low-carbon electricity attributes, such as a green tariff.
- Unbundled certificates for low-carbon electricity, such as RECs.
- Default-delivered low-carbon power backed by certificates, or in grids that are at least 95% low-carbon with no registry.

## The age test

The generator must have been commissioned, or re-powered, within the 15 years before the period of use. The test moves every year: a plant that passes for FY 2027-28 can fail a few years later. Re-powering, replacing turbines or panels, resets the clock.

## Why a supplier should care

The rules cover electricity used in the value chain as well as a company's own (C30 and C31 apply to Scope 3 activity pools). If your buyer counts your renewable power toward its targets under V2.0, an old windmill or hydro REC may not pass. Under version 1 and today's GHG Protocol guidance, there is no such age limit.

## What to check before buying

1. The generator's commissioning or re-powering date, in writing from the seller.
2. Whether the certificate record shows that date.
3. That generation falls within 12 months of the use it covers (C25.5).
4. That the certificate is retired in your company's name.

## Example: power used in FY 2027-28

- Consumption period starts April 2027
- 15 years earlier: April 2012
- Wind farm commissioned 2009, not re-powered: fails
- Solar park commissioned 2019: passes until about 2034, depending on its commissioning month

Example plants.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reports market-based Scope 2 from the certificate and contract data you provide, next to location-based Scope 2 from your bills. It does not judge whether an instrument meets SBTi V2.0. It does not set, validate or assure SBTi targets.

- [Indian RECs for an SBTi Scope 2 target](https://senseible.earth/answers/indian-recs-for-sbti-scope-2-target)
- [REC vintage: which year it covers](https://senseible.earth/answers/rec-vintage-which-year-can-it-cover)
- [Tamil Nadu mill's own windmill](https://senseible.earth/answers/tamil-nadu-mill-own-windmill-scope-2)
- [Scope 3 supplier evidence](https://senseible.earth/scope-3-supplier-evidence)

Sources: [SBTi, Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0, Criteria (final, released June 2026, effective 1 February 2027): C25.5, C30, C31](https://files.sciencebasedtargets.org/production/files/Corporate-Net-Zero-Standard-V2-Criteria.pdf), [GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance (2015)](https://ghgprotocol.org/scope-2-guidance)

Last reviewed 2026-11-01.