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How can you only get electricity from sustainable sources? Are you sure it will be 100% renewable? And what about gas? Endesa Única brings ecological awareness to every switch in your house.
Renewable, sustainable, green... When talking about energy there are many labels to indicate its eco- or environmentally-friendly qualities.
Endesa Única is renewable, sustainable and green. We calculate your unique, personalised payment, based on your profile and consumption history. You pay the same every month and only consume sustainable energy.
Differences between renewable, sustainable and green energy
- Renewable energy: energy from something that is never going to run out for as long as the planet lasts. This applies to solar, wind and hydro power, and other less widespread types of energy, such as geothermal and tidal power. We have sun, wind, water, tides... potentially inexhaustible renewable resources for the generation of power. The opposite of renewable is non-renewable: Those that need a fuel that might run out, such as coal and oil. Endesa Única offers 100% renewable energy.
- Sustainable energy: here the focus is different and what we are talking about is energy sources that won't impact the wellbeing of future generations. While renewable energies are generally sustainable, in some cases they may not be. For example: biomass, energy obtained from the burning of organic waste. This is renewable because organic waste is never going to be in short supply, but the question is where this waste will be obtained from. If it is from rubbish, it is renewable and sustainable. But if we decide to alter a habitat to generate biomass (e.g. cutting down forests to plant an energy crop that will feed the biomass), then it is renewable but not sustainable. Endesa Única offers 100% sustainable energy.
- Green energy: this term has become a little confusing, using various shades of green to try to convey whether we are talking about renewable, sustainable, or renewable and sustainable. Fortunately, the Spanish Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) is responsible for certifying the true renewable nature of the kWh of energy sold in Spain. Endesa Única offers 100% green energy. rcializan en España. Única de Endesa te ofrece energía 100% verde.
Endesa Única
Renewable, sustainable and green
Renewable energy
Energy from inexhaustible sources (such as the air, sun and water).
Sustainable energy
Energy whose production does not affect the ecosystems where its plants are located.
Green energy
Energy with green energy certification from the CNMC.
Consuming only renewable electricity
So can we guarantee that all the electricity supplied to our home is renewable? In reality, the energy that reaches your home comes from the national grid, where the whole mix of available energies, both renewable and non-renewable, converges. It is impossible to know exactly what source of energy you're consuming at any given time.
The most important thing, however, is that it is perfectly possible to strive for more and more renewable energy to be generated in Spain. How? By ensuring that your energy company buys 100% renewable energy from the market to cover all of the kWh that you consume, at least. This is what Endesa Única does.
For clarity, here's an example:
- You find a unique option that guarantees that 100% renewable energy will be purchased in the wholesale market.
- The CNMC certifies that 100% renewable energy has been purchased to cover the kWh consumed by all the people who have chosen this unique option.
- More and more people choose this option, so more and more renewable energy needs to be purchased, so more and more renewable energy needs to be generated... And the overall result is that CO2 emissions are reduced.
This option exists and you can sign up for it. It is Endesa Única, with a commitment to 100% sustainable and 100% renewable energy. With no minimum duration requirement and with the peace of mind of knowing that you will pay a customised fixed monthly quota in accordance with your consumption profile.
Consuming only sustainable gas
The situation is slightly different for natural gas.
- It is not a renewable energy: The fuel comes from underground pockets of gas, which will run out one day.
- It is not zero emission: although the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere from this energy source is low, it cannot be said to be zero.
So how can we make a commitment to the environment by consuming natural gas? The carbon footprint associated with gas consumption can be balanced if we offset it with projects that capture the equivalent of the CO2 emitted.
If we plant an entire forest, the amount of CO2 captured by all this plant matter offsets the emission of CO2 linked to gas consumption. Forests have a sink effect (they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and release oxygen) that helps us achieve a neutral emissions balance: I avoid as much as I emit.
What's more, these projects are accredited as sustainable: They achieve social benefits for the local population and help preserve vulnerable species.
Endesa Única promotes this type of project and undertakes to achieve a neutral emissions balance for all of its gas customers. This commitment is audited by international bodies. The more gas these customers consume, the more these sustainable projects will grow.
Unique sustainability projects
Única currently covers the gas consumption of its clients for the entirety of 2021 with the Weyerhaeuser Uruguay reforestation project. In this video you can find out about an adventure that involves the capture of 10,000 tonnes of CO2, creates 260 jobs and provides resources for rural schools.
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Another project that forms part of Unica's renewable, sustainable and green action plan to bring ecological awareness to every switch in your home is the "Brascarbon Methane Recovery Project", an initiative undertaken in tandem with EDF Trading, a wholesale energy market specialist.
The aim of this project is to obtain methane, convert it into biogas and, subsequently, generate energy, all from the organic waste produced by 30 pig farms in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo, in Brazil.
"Anaerobic digestion” is the foundation of the "Brascarbon Methane Recovery Project", a process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. As part of an integrated waste management system, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and produces high-quality biogas suitable for generating energy that replaces fossil fuels. In addition, the nutrient-rich solids that this procedure produces can be used as fertilisers. Anaerobic digestion also helps to improve waste water management, making more water available for irrigation.
The chief contribution of the "Brascarbon Methane Recovery Project" is that it reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by around 110,000 tonnes of of CO2 per year, in addition to increasing local skilled jobs in the manufacture, installation, operation and maintenance of equipment. It also improves the quality of water used in the waste water management system, with the result that it can be used for irrigation.