GO (Guarantee of Origin)

Written and checked by the Energy Merchants desk · Reviewed 3 October 2026

Guarantee of Origin (GO) is a federal certificate scheme that lets a buyer verify where energy and some products come from. It was created by legislation passed in 2024 and is administered by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER). The aim is a trusted record for claims such as “made with renewable electricity” or “low-emissions hydrogen”.

There are two main certificate types. A Product Guarantee of Origin (PGO) covers products, with hydrogen the first, and certifies the emissions intensity of making them. A Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certifies a megawatt-hour of renewable electricity. See REGO.

In practice

Rooftop installers will rarely deal with GO directly. It matters in three ways.

• Large buyers. Businesses with renewable electricity or emissions targets want certificates that stand up to audit. GO gives them a government-backed instrument beside voluntary options.
• Generators. Larger projects may create REGOs as well as LGCs, subject to the scheme rules.
• Policy outlook. The Renewable Energy Target ends in 2030. GO is part of the architecture that carries renewable claims beyond it. Check the CER for the current rules, because implementation details and start dates are still evolving.

For installers, the immediate certificates remain STCs, battery STCs and, in Victoria, VEECs.

Common confusion

GO is not a replacement for STCs. The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme runs to the end of 2030 as legislated, and rooftop systems still earn STCs on their deemed output. GO sits alongside rather than inside the Renewable Energy Target.

It is also different from LGCs, which are compliance certificates retailers must surrender. GO certificates are for tracking and claims, and they are not a liability instrument.

For the certificates we handle, see STC trading and what is an STC worth. The glossary has more.