Synergies for the Energy Transition: Interactions Between Guarantees of Origin and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the German Electricity Market

As the EU advances toward its 2050 climate neutrality goal, Guarantees of Origin (GOs) have evolved to play new roles in renewable energy market expansion and corporate accountability under frameworks like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This thesis investigated whether interactions between GOs – specifically those issued for renewable electricity – and the CSRD create positive synergies that support the energy transition, focusing on two research questions: (I) What are the regulatory overlaps between GOs and the CSRD? (II) Do these overlaps incentivize renewable energy additionality and prevent greenwashing? Using a socio-legal approach combining comparative legal analysis and exploratory expert interviews focused on the German market, this study found that while regulatory overlaps exist, they remain largely administrative and uncoordinated. The CSRD could potentially increase transparency and stimulate corporate demand for GOs, but it does not prescribe criteria that would ensure additionality or prevent misaligned climate claims. The instruments’ current implementation results in only weak synergies based on voluntary corporate action; political uncertainties and other market mechanisms continue to play a far greater role in shaping the renewable energy transition. Improving the interaction and strategic value of GOs and the CSRD for the energy market will require clearer regulatory alignment, agreement on their intended roles, market reform, and stricter corporate sustainability criteria.