Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC

GE Energy Financial Services and the AES Corporation partnered to form Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC to invest in and develop projects that reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions. From these and third-party projects, Greenhouse Gas Services provides greenhouse gas credits to help companies meet emissions reduction targets and offset their emissions.

The environmental challenge

GE is continuing its commitment to practices that reduce its impact on the environment by investing in greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects.

GE's innovative solution

GE Energy Financial Services and the AES Corporation formed Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC, a venture that invests in and develops projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sells independently verified GHG credits to businesses that want to meet internal emissions reduction targets or to offset emissions from consumer products and services. These projects prevent or reduce greenhouse gases that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere, or by reducing fossil fuel consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy generation. For each metric ton of CO2 equivalent reduced or avoided, a certified credit is created.

Greenhouse Gas Services has been recognized under GE’s ecomagination program in collaboration with GreenOrder, a sustainability strategy firm, which serves as an advisor to provide a quantitative environmental analysis and verification of GE’s ecomagination claims. Furthermore, Greenhouse Gas Services’ GHG credits will be verified by qualified independent third parties, and supporting data for each project will be reported transparently to the public.

Environmental Impact

GHG credits may be generated through a variety of projects, including projects that reduce methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a warming potential 21 times greater than CO2. The company is pursuing projects designed to capture greenhouse gases from escaping into the atmosphere at sites that treat agricultural waste and wastewater, as well as at landfills and coal mines. The venture is also pursuing projects that reduce emissions through energy-efficiency projects, power generation from renewable sources, forestry and land management, and industrial gas destruction projects.

Under Greenhouse Gas Services’ rigorous standard of practice, all of its GHG credits are independently verified to ensure their environmental and scientific integrity. In addition, the standard of practice requires that projects must not have been required by law or common industry practices, projects must result in permanent reductions of GHG emissions or guarantee delivery of promised reductions, and standard- and methodology-related documents are made publicly available on www.ghgs.com

Cutting Costs

Greenhouse Gas Services, LLC seeks to create an annual production volume of at least 10 million metric tons of GHG credits by 2010. For each metric ton of CO2 equivalent reduced or avoided, a credit is created. Commercial and industrial customers can purchase these credits to help offset their own carbon footprint or GHG emissions from products and services. Greenhouse Gas Services' credits are intended to complement customer's internal projects, providing a cost-effective tool to help achieve emission reduction goals.