Energy Purchased: Renewable (OI3324)

Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, hydro energy, biomass, and other forms. Organizations may refer to the glossary for additional information.

Large-scale hydropower is oftentimes excluded from the definition of renewable energy, since water itself is a renewable resource, but the natural ecology of rivers is not and hydroelectric dams can adversely affect aquatic ecosystems. Organizations can refer to the following source for further guidance on creating low impact hydropower operations: Low Impact Hydropower Institute (http://lowimpacthydro.org).

In some contexts, this metric can serve as an indicator of whether the outcome being sought by an investor or organization is occurring (the WHAT dimension of impact). For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see specific guidance document. No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.