Amount of energy generated and consumed by the organization from renewable sources during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used.
This metric is intended to capture the amount of energy produced and used by the organization. For example, if an organization installed solar panels at its factory, it would report the amount of energy produced and used from those panels.
Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, hydro energy, biomass, and other forms. Organizations can 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.
This metric has 0 related submetrics.
Metrics identified as "cross-category" are those that are relevant to any IRIS+ Impact Category or Impact Theme (i.e., these metrics are not specific to any particular industry/category or theme).
April 2021 - IRIS v5.2 Released
No change.
December 2019 - IRIS v5.1 Released
No change.
April 2019 - IRIS v5.0 Released
No change.
February 2016 - IRIS v4.0 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Energy Generated for Use: Renewable (OI2496) replaced Energy Produced On-site: Renewable (OI2496). Metric name and definition modified to improve accuracy.
February 2014 - IRIS v3.0 Released
Immaterial change. Minor revision to metric name and definition language for clarity.
October 2011 - IRIS v2.2 Released
No change.
January 2011 - IRIS v2.1 Released
No change.
August 2010 - IRIS v2.0 Released
Material change. Energy Produced On-site: Renewable (OI2496) and Energy Purchased: Renewable (OI3324) replaced Renewable Energy (OEN37). Metric bifurcated in order to increase specificity by distinguishing between purchased and self-produced energy.
August 2009 - IRIS v1.0 Released
New metric. Renewable Energy (OEN37) developed via Original IRIS Working Group.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).