The RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is designed to help reduce the transactional costs associated with the implementation of clean energy projects. For long-term sustainability, a clean energy project must be technically, financially and legally viable. The high cost of developing comprehensive and customized legal and financial documentation can be a critical barrier to the implementation of energy efficiency, renewable energy and cogeneration projects.

To help overcome this barrier, the CanmetENERGY research centre located in Varennes, in association with the Energy + Environment Foundation (EEF) and with funding from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), has brought together sample legal documents freely available over the Internet to assist project developers and other project stakeholders reduce the time and costs associated with developing legal and financial documentation for their projects. The information and links provided will also help raise private and public stakeholder awareness and capacity regarding the legal aspects of clean energy projects.

Many legal documents in a clean energy project are not exclusive to such projects; these include documents such as incorporation agreements, lease agreements, employment contracts, etc. In keeping with RETScreen's vision of lowering transaction costs, the documents linked in this Training Course are examples of less well-known agreements, those more specific to clean energy projects, or those whose development may entail higher transactional costs. The order of document categories listed is not necessarily sequential. Not all categories are relevant to all clean energy projects. Some of the documents are specific to conventional energy projects but may still be useful as an information resource.

Search for:

Real property agreements
Green leases
Finance agreements
Engineering, procurement & construction agreements
Fuel supply and O&M agreements
Power purchase agreements
Interconnection agreements
Energy performance contracts
Emissions/Environmental attributes trading agreements

Note
The RETScreen Training Course is provided for informational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Canada nor constitute an endorsement of any commercial product or person. Neither Canada nor its ministers, officers, employees or agents make any warranty in respect to this Training Course or assumes any liability arising out of the use of this Training Course.

The documents linked to herein are examples of documents available through a free and public Internet search. They are provided to the public as information resources only. No warranty, express or implied, is made by the Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY, RETScreen International (collectively "Natural Resources Canada") or any of its employees or consultants with regards to any aspect of the documents, including but not limited to their proprietary or intellectual property status. Natural Resources Canada does not accept any responsibility or liability for loss or damage through unauthorized use or misuse of the documents, or through lack of appropriate or sufficient due diligence. The legal documentation linked to:

• is not necessarily comprehensive, complete, accurate, or up-to-date;
• is linked to external sites over which Natural Resources Canada has no control and for which Natural Resources Canada assumes no responsibility; and
• does not constitute professional or legal advice. If you require specific legal advice, you should always consult a qualified professional.

Some of the content of the Training Course has been posted for organizations or other entities that are not necessarily subject to Canada's Official Languages Act. Some of the material found in the Training Course is therefore in the Language(s) used by those organizations or other entities in question.