Milan Cortina 2026: Are Green Energy Certificates Truly Clean?

The Winter Olympics demand an astonishing amount of energy. From illuminating vast arenas to crafting pristine snow for world-class athletes, the power consumption is immense. For the upcoming Milan Cortina 2026 Games, organizers have made a bold pledge: to power virtually all event venues with 100% clean energy. This commitment positions Milan Cortina 2026 as a potential beacon for future clean energy Winter Olympics, aiming to significantly reduce the environmental footprint often associated with major international events. But beneath the headline-grabbing promises, a crucial question emerges: how exactly is this "clean energy" achieved, and are the mechanisms truly as green as they appear?

The organizing committee's focus on energy use is strategic. Historically, energy consumption has been a primary driver of planet-warming emissions at large-scale events. By addressing this head-on, Milan Cortina 2026 seeks to make a profound impact. Italy’s largest electricity company, Enel, has guaranteed the supply of entirely certified renewable electricity for the Games, offering a glimpse into what this ambitious undertaking entails and sparking a vital conversation about the efficacy of green energy certificates.

The Ambitious Green Pledge for Milan Cortina 2026

According to its sustainability report, the Milan Cortina 2026 organizing committee is committed to ensuring that its Games-time electrical energy will be 100% green, derived solely from certified renewable sources. This includes a substantial supply of 85 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power from Enel, enough to energize all Olympic and Paralympic venues. This commitment extends beyond the grid, as in rare cases where temporary power generation is unavoidable, traditional diesel fuels will be replaced with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a more sustainable alternative.

This initiative isn't just about powering an event; it's about setting a precedent. "This is also an opportunity to contribute to a broader shift — showing athletes, spectators and future host cities that cleaner energy solutions are increasingly viable for events of this scale," the committee stated. Their hope is that the steps taken for these Games will support ongoing progress in sustainability across all major events. This innovative approach, as discussed in Milan Cortina 2026: Powering Winter Olympics with 100% Green Energy, represents a significant step forward in the quest for truly sustainable mega-events.

Unpacking Guarantee of Origin (GO) Certificates: How They Work

At the heart of Enel's "100% green" guarantee lies the system of "Guarantee of Origin" (GO) certificates. These certificates, a European mechanism established in 2001, are essentially digital labels. Each GO certificate corresponds to one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity produced from a certified renewable source, such as solar, wind, or hydropower. Enel's strategy involves purchasing these GO certificates on the market from various renewable energy plants to match the entire energy demand of the Games.

Here's how they function:

Tracking Renewable Production: GO certificates verify that a specific amount of electricity has been generated from a renewable source and injected into the grid.
Market Mechanism: These certificates are traded on a dedicated power market, either directly between companies or through brokers. This allows companies that cannot directly source renewable energy (due to location or infrastructure) to financially support renewable generation and claim green energy usage.
Prevention of Double Counting: Once a certificate is used to claim renewable energy consumption, it is canceled. This ensures that the same MWh of green electricity isn't counted multiple times by different consumers.
Supporting Development: The system aims to support the development of renewable sources by creating a financial incentive for their production and helping companies meet their green energy targets and corporate social responsibility goals.

Enel emphasized that their commitment to cleanly lighting up the events "translates the values of sustainability and inclusion inherent in the Games into concrete terms, combining technological innovation and environmental protection." While many experts advocate for GOs as vital tools for promoting global decarbonization, the system, like any market-based mechanism, is not without its critics and complexities.

The Greenwash Debate: Are GOs Truly "Clean" in Context?

Despite their widespread adoption and stated purpose, the effectiveness of Guarantee of Origin certificates in delivering immediate, tangible environmental benefits for specific events like the Milan Cortina 2026 Games is a subject of ongoing debate. While GOs certainly contribute to a broader financial ecosystem that supports renewable energy, their direct impact on the carbon footprint of a particular event drawing power from an existing, mixed national grid is often questioned.

Matteo Villa, who leads the data lab at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, offers a critical perspective. He suggests that while GOs are a "great way to promote your event," they might not be making Italy's energy mix intrinsically cleaner or more renewable for the duration of the Games. Villa argues that the Games can only be as clean, or as sustainable, as the whole of Italy's electricity grid.

To understand this nuance, consider Italy's energy landscape. Enel's preliminary data for 2025 indicates that nearly three-quarters of the electricity it produced in Italy was carbon-free. Roughly 50% came from hydropower, 17% from geothermal sources, and less than 10% from wind, solar, and other renewables. The remainder was mostly generated by gas-fired power plants. While northern Italy, where many of the Games' mountain venues are located, has a significant share of hydroelectric plants, the energy consumed by the Games will ultimately be drawn from the national grid – a mix of renewable and non-renewable sources.

The core of the criticism lies in the concept of "additionality." When a company buys GO certificates, it supports renewable energy producers financially. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that *new* renewable energy capacity is added to the grid *specifically because* of that purchase, nor does it mean that the electrons flowing to the event venues are exclusively from green sources. The electricity reaching the venues is still physically sourced from the interconnected national grid, which includes both green and fossil fuel generation. The GOs simply certify that an equivalent amount of renewable energy was produced *somewhere* in the European system.

Therefore, while the Milan Cortina 2026 organizers can legitimately claim to be using "100% certified renewable electricity" based on their GO purchases, the immediate, real-time reduction in emissions directly attributable to the Games' power consumption might be less direct than the headline suggests. It's an accounting mechanism that finances green energy, rather than a guarantee of directly consumed green electrons.

Beyond Certificates: A Holistic View of Sustainability for Major Events

While the debate around green energy certificates is crucial, true sustainability for a major event like the Milan Cortina 2026 clean energy Winter Olympics extends far beyond energy procurement. A comprehensive approach requires addressing all facets of environmental impact. To truly set a new benchmark, as explored in Winter Olympics 2026: Setting a New Standard for Sustainable Events, events must:

Energy Efficiency: Implement robust energy-saving measures across all venues. This includes state-of-the-art insulation, smart lighting systems, efficient heating and cooling, and optimizing snow-making processes to reduce energy and water consumption.
Sustainable Transportation: Minimize travel emissions for athletes, spectators, and staff through efficient public transport networks, promoting electric vehicles, and incentivizing carpooling.
Waste Management: Aim for ambitious waste reduction, reuse, and recycling targets. This includes eliminating single-use plastics, composting organic waste, and responsible disposal of hazardous materials.
Local Sourcing: Prioritize locally sourced food, materials, and services to reduce transportation emissions and support regional economies.
Water Conservation: Implement advanced water management strategies, especially critical for snow production, to minimize usage and protect local water resources.
Legacy Planning: Ensure that infrastructure investments and operational changes leave a positive, lasting environmental and social legacy for the host regions, avoiding "white elephants."

The Milan Cortina 2026 organizers recognize this broader picture, seeing the Games as an opportunity to inspire a larger shift towards cleaner energy solutions. Their efforts, even if primarily via certificates, contribute to the financial viability of renewable producers and raise awareness about green energy.

Practical Implications and Future Outlook

For future host cities and organizations planning major events, the Milan Cortina 2026 experience offers invaluable lessons. While green energy certificates are a valuable tool for supporting renewable energy development and meeting environmental targets, they should be part of a broader, more integrated sustainability strategy. It is imperative to:

Scrutinize Claims: Understand the nuances of "100% green" claims. While GOs are legitimate, they don't always equate to direct, real-time consumption of newly generated green electricity at the point of use.
Invest in Additionality: Where possible, prioritize investments that directly lead to the creation of new renewable energy capacity, rather than just certifying existing production.
Focus on Efficiency: The cleanest energy is the energy not used. Aggressive energy efficiency measures should always be the first step in any sustainable event planning.
Transparency: Be transparent about the methods used to achieve "green" status, educating the public about the complexities and limitations, as well as the benefits.
Holistic Approach: Integrate energy strategy into a comprehensive sustainability plan encompassing transport, waste, water, and legacy.

For spectators and consumers, it means adopting a critically informed perspective. Supporting events and companies that prioritize sustainability is vital, but so is understanding the mechanisms behind their green claims. Asking questions and demanding transparency can drive genuine change.

In conclusion, Milan Cortina 2026's commitment to a clean energy Winter Olympics is commendable and represents a significant step forward in raising awareness and channeling funds towards renewable energy. The reliance on Guarantee of Origin certificates is a legitimate and widely accepted method for claiming green energy usage within the current market framework. However, the debate surrounding their direct environmental impact highlights the ongoing challenge of achieving truly "clean" events within a complex, interconnected energy grid. The Games serve as a powerful reminder that while innovation in green finance is crucial, real, lasting environmental sustainability demands a multi-faceted approach, combining certified clean energy with aggressive efficiency, responsible resource management, and a commitment to a positive long-term legacy.