Issue: Importing and assigning updated GHG emission factors

Resources for updated GHG emission factors:

1. Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) 2014:
   https://www.epa.gov/energy/emissions-generation-resource-integrated-database-egrid 

2. The Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database for 2010 (eGRID2010)

o eGRID2010 - State Aggregation Table

o eGRID2010 - Subregion Aggregation Table

2. National Inventory Report 1990-2009: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada

GHG Update Process:

1.  Download the XML files by visiting the EnergyCAP downloads site and use the following credentials:

Username: energycap62    Password: upgradeto62

2. Navigate by expanding the respective folders:  EnergyCAP Enterprise -->  GHG Emission Factors.  Download the desired XML file or the GHG Emission Factor XMLs zip folder. The zip folder contains all of the individual XML files.

GHG XML file notes:

a. Australia_elec_GHGfactors.xml

• Contains emission factors for indirect purchased electricity
•  Most recent emission factors are for calendar year 2006
•  XML last updated by ECI in March 2006

 b. GHG_Canada_NIR 1990-2009.xml

• Contains emission factors for indirect purchased electricity
•  Most recent emission factors are for calendar year 2009
•  The most recent NIR contains consumption as well as generation intensities
•  XML last updated by ECI in July 2011

 c. GHG_Emission Factors_Direct emissions.xml

•  Contains emission factors for direct emission from on site consumption of fuels
•  Contains emission factors for fuels such as NG, Fuel Oil, Propane, etc.
•  XML last updated by ECI in March 2008

 d. GHG_Emission Factors_eGRID2010_by State.xml

•  Contains emission factors for indirect purchased electricity as reported by eGRID in the State aggregation table.
•  State emission factors ARE utilized by EnergyCAP when the GHG assignment selected is “by Place State, by Account State, or by Meter State.
•  Most recent emission factors are for calendar year 2007
•  XML last updated by ECI in May 2011

 e. GHG_Emission Factors_eGRID2010_by Subregion.xml

•  Contains emission factors for indirect purchased electricity as reported by eGRID in the subregion aggregation table.
•  Subregion emission factors are NOT utilized by EnergyCAP when the GHG assignment selected is by Place State, by Account State, or by Meter State.
•  Most recent emission factors are for calendar year 2007
•  XML last updated by ECI in May 2011

 f. GHG Emission Factor XMLs.zip

•  Zipped folder containing each of the individual GHG XML files
• Folder last updated by ECI in July 2011

3. Import the downloaded XML files(s) into EnergyCAP by navigating to the Facility Manager and selecting Import GHG Factors from the Greenhouse Gas top menu.

4. Complete the following steps where applicable:

a. Set Default GHG Reporting Scope and Factor Type

 i.  If you have imported new factor applications (such as eGRID by subregion or Canadian factors using consumption intensity), then you will want to modify the values selected for the Default GHG settings.

 ii. If you are simply updating the currently assigned emission factors such that the latest values are applied, then you can skip this step.

 b. Globally Update Scope and Factor Type for Meters/Counters

 i. Performing a global update will refresh the reporting scope and factor type for every meter of each commodity that is not designated as ignore global update. NOTE: all Canadian emission factors not having a suffix of [CI] or [GI] HAVE NOT been updated and DO NOT reflect the latest emission factor values reported in the NIR 1990-2009.

ii. If a global update is not required or desired, it is possible to perform a meter by meter update as well.

iii. It is important to note that the newly imported GHG factors have not been applied to new calculations at this step, this is simply an update to the assigned scope and factor it does NOT run the GHG processor/calculator.

iv. If you have updated the default values and/or you have imported the eGRID by subregion or the Canadian emission factors based on NIR 1990-2009, you will need to perform the following:

1. eGRID by subregion

 a. Select the desired subregion application code

 b. Set the applicable parent place filter

 c. Run filtered global update for all meters that are to be assigned to the specific application code or update on a meter by meter basis.

2. Canadian emission factors based on NIR 1990-2009

 a. Select the desired province and intensity type (CI or GI) application code

 b. Set the applicable parent place filter

c. Run filtered global update for all meters that are to be assigned to the specific subregion application code or update on a meter by meter basis.

NOTE: all Canadian emission factors not having a suffix of [CI] or [GI] HAVE NOT been updated and DO NOT reflect the latest emission factor values reported in the NIR 1990-2009.

V. If you are simply updating the currently assigned emission factors such that the latest values are applied, then you can skip this step.

c. GHG Processor

i. Once the desired emission factors have been imported and updated in EnergyCAP, it is necessary to run the GHG Processor in order to generate new emission calculations and complete the linking of the new emission factor(s) to the respective meter(s).

ii. If a specific meter is highlighted when the GHG Processor is selected, the user has the option to run the processor for the given meter, for all unassigned meters, or for all meters in the database.

iii. The GHG Processor function essentially removes all of the previously calculated emission values for each meter that is being processed, and then recalculates the emission values using the currently assigned emission factor.

 After entering new factors, please close EnergyCAP to save them.  Please note that old factors are not able to be deleted. 

Notes Regarding the Latest eGRID Emission Factors:

EnergyCAP, Inc. (ECI) added the greenhouse gas tracking module in 2007. During the development of the GHG module the decision was made to provide EnergyCAP users with the ability to assign emission factors by using the state address of the place, meter, or account. This feature was useful for clients having facilities spread across many different regions. The only way to add that feature was to utilize the eGRID State aggregation tables and create an emission factor for each individual state. At that time there was no means of mapping address fields (zip code, state abbreviation) to the eGRID subregions.

While an automated mapping tool for place address to eGRID subregion is currently not available in EnergyCAP, we have created an eGRID by subregion XML file for clients to import if desired. Please keep in mind that the Use Place State (or meter or account state) applications will only select emission factors from the eGRID State aggregation table NOT from the subregion aggregation table.

Notes Regarding the Latest GHG Emission Intensities Released by Environment Canada:

Shortly after the initial release of the GHG module ECI began to work on an XML import file specifically for the Canadian GHG emission factors. At that time the most current Canadian GHG emission factor data was published in the National Inventory Report (NIR) 1990-2006 (May 2008). The table shown below is an example of how the data was presented in the NIR 1990-2006. There is an individual column of data for every year from 1990 through 2006. The NIR contains a GHG emission intensity table for each province and one that is a national summary.

Figure 1: Table A9-1 from the Canadian National Inventory Report 1990-2006

In May of 2011, Environment Canada published the National Inventory Report 1990-2009. In addition to the updates and changes to the GHG emission factors themselves, one of the most notable changes was to the format of the data provided. The initial XML file imported into EnergyCAP for clients needing to calculate emissions for Canadian facilities, contained yearly data from 1990 through 2006 and only contained GHG emission factors for generation intensities. In subsequent NIR releases the Environment Canada has averaged the 1990 to 1999 emission data into one value for the 1990's decade rather than providing a factor for each year. An equally significant change is that the NIR 1990-2009 contains consumption intensity GHG emission factor values as well as the generation intensity GHG value.

Figure 2: Table A13-1 from the Canadian National Inventory Report 1990-2009

Due to the omission of emission factors for years 1991-1999 and to the addition of the consumption intensity emission factor values, it was necessary to create new GHG applications for the Canadian emission factors. ECI has created two new sets of emission factors derived from the NIR 1990-2009 publication. One set of GHG emission factors is for the consumption intensities (CI) and the other is for the generation intensities (GI). Each set of GHG factors contains data for the following years: 1990, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. It is for the EnergyCAP user to decide whether to use the CI GHG factors or the GI GHG factors. If an EnergyCAP user wants to assign the GHG emission factor for a site in Nova Scotia and they want to apply the consumption intensity value, they would select the NS [CI] emission factor and run the GHG processor in EnergyCAP. Conversely they would select the NS [GI] if the generation intensity emission factor was desired.

Written By: Scott Bair, 07/21/2011