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In our lesson, we talk about the relation of Energy Consumption to Scopes 1,2 & 3.
I would advise you to check out the “Asking You” section, I think this one is really interesting.
Today's Lesson: Scope Terminology
Why energy consumption matters so much
Number Of The Day
In a carbon footprint analysis conducted by a colleague at the university of Dundee in Scottland, they found that 38 % of emissions were defined as Scope 1. However, for their partner Universities in Edinburgh and Cambridge, these numbers changed to 10%/29% due to using less natural gas for heating
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Energy and Scope Terminonolgy
Reducing energy consumption is not only beneficial for the environment, but it is also a way to comply with future regulations.
Many companies have Net Zero goals, and understanding how much they depend on energy consumption is crucial.
For academic labs, this might become just as important in the future when funding bodies ask for those numbers or to develop better arguments to encourage your institute/university to take action. To start off, let’s revisit the scope terminology but with reference to energy consumption:
Exemplary factors contributing to each scope with those related to energy consumption highlighted.
Scope 1 - Direct Emissions
These are direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by an organization.
Energy Related Examples include:
The gas used to operate boilers at an institution, including the natural gas for Bunsen burners.
Emissions from institution-owned vehicles, as they release emissions from the fuel burned.
Interestingly, emissions released by your experiments (such as syntheses) also count as Scope 1. Theoretically that means you could report on the CO2 release of your E.coli : )
Scope 2 - Indirect Emissions
In other words, GHG emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.
Energy Related Examples include:
Electricity purchased to used to power equipment like centrifuges, freezers, fume hoods, and other specialized machinery.
Energy used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), as well as lighting.
Scope 3 - Emissions From The Value Chain
This category includes greenhouse gas emissions that are generated by the institution's suppliers and service providers. It broadly includes all embodied emissions from sourcing materials, manufacturing, delivery, etc. Scope 3 emissions focuses much less on energy consumption.
However, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol identifies 15 categories, including “Fuel- and energy-related activities (not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2)” and “End-of-life treatment of sold products.”
How To Calculate Emissions
Typically, quantifying involves:
A) Gathering data on energy consumption and fuel use.
B) Applying appropriate emission factors.
C) Converting the data into carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e).
The calculations follow specific methodologies outlined by standards such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol or ISO 14064. Here is a quick example:
Scope 1: Fuel Combustion in Boilers:
Assume 10,000 liters of diesel fuel used in a year
Emission Factor: 2.68 kg CO2e per liter of diesel (this value will vary by region and source!)
= Emissions (CO2e): 10,000 liters × 2.68 kg CO2e/liter = 26,800 kg CO2e.
Of note, not all institutions receive their energy from the grid. Many universities produce electricity and heat locally from gas through a combined heat and power (CHP) plant.
However, calculating its footprint is more complex, as it requires assessing the percentage of heat produced from natural gas versus the condensing boiler, as well as the efficiency of conversion (from gas into electricity/heat).
Scope 2: The Impact of Electricity
Assume a lab requires 5,000,000 kWh of electricity in a year.
- Emission Factor: 0.233 kg CO2e per kWh (Choose "Direct line" "Regional" or "National" emission factors)
= Emissions (CO2e) = 5,000,000 kWh × 0.233 kg CO2e/kWh = 1,165,000 kg CO2e.
For Scope 3 it is basically the same, unless your provider gives you the emssion data right away. Heads Up During Interpretation:
Although interpreting this data seems straightforward, there are a few pitfalls:
Repeated measures are essential to observe trends and outliers
Scopes aggregate data - for example, an overall reduction in Scope 1 emissions could result from changes in one specific area, while other areas might still have substantial inefficiencies.
Numbers remain numbers – for instance, an institution might sell all its cars to replace them with electric vehicles. This might immediately lead to a drop in emissions, but only once—there are no long-term accounting rules
Boundaries of the assessment vary. For example, which buildings are included and whether vehicles, servers or HVAC systems are accounted for.
Detailed data (e.g., specific energy consumption of individual lab or pieces of equipment) might not be available, so estimates are often necessary. Therfore, consumption is often estimated through “spent” (expenses for e.g., fuel or gas)
Yes, so complex is measuring and regulating energy consumption in a laboratory. A rough schematic outlining a few major measurement systems in the laboratory. Please note that mainly the “afferent” recording streams are outlined, however, based on input the main sever could regulate a pump or other equipment as well. Especially for HVAC applications that is curcial. Also, HVAC systems measure multiple parameters such as temperature, pressure, humidity, CO2 content etc. By the same token, individual meters on instruments might measure electricity consumption but also air flow rates or opening status.
Applying The Knowledge
As you can see, Scope 1 and 2 emissions are primarily composed of energy-related emissions. Therefore, if you plan to reduce emissions, these will provide your greatest leverage.
However, if you analyze emissions from others, remember to take a closer look at Scope 1 and 2. It might not take much time, but differentiating between natural gas and electricity use makes a big difference.
Assessing Scope 1 and 2 emissions is relatively simple; the challenge lies in gathering all the necessary data. Therefore, if you do so yourself, be sure to identify key personnel in your institution and build good relationships with them.
PS: I'm looking forward to seeing how you calculate the CO2 released by your E. coli cultures. :)
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