| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.87 |
| Liaison | Cindy Shea |
| Submission Date | Dec. 23, 2020 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.73 / 3.00 |
Lew
Kellogg Executive Director Energy Services |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1. Greenhouse gas emissions inventory
Yes
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
GHG Inventory Methodology
System Boundary
Carolina uses an “operational control” approach to set a system boundary. This means emissions from entities under the authority of the University are claimed. The most notable exclusion is the UNC Hospitals. Although the University and UNC Hospitals share space and infrastructure, they are funded and operated separately. Carolina, however, claims all emissions from steam production despite UNC Hospitals’ steam use.
Emission Sources
For greenhouse gas inventories, emission sources are separated into three scopes. Scope 1 emissions are any emissions that the party is directly responsible for. The University’s scope 1 emissions consist of stationary combustion, vehicle fleet, refrigerant use, and fertilizer use. Scope 2 emissions are any emissions from utilities such as electricity or chilled water purchased by the party. Carolina’s scope 2 emissions consist solely of electricity purchases. Lastly, scope 3 emissions include all other emissions. These are typically referred to as supply chain emissions and include emissions from upstream sources. The University’s scope 3 emissions consist of commuting, air travel, food purchasing, paper purchasing, waste, wastewater, and energy losses.
Data Collection
To complete this inventory and the previous restatements, data was collected from 19 different University departments. To find a complete list of data sources and contributors, see Acknowledgments.
Calculation Tool
Historically, Carolina’s GHG inventory calculations were completed using a customized spreadsheet based on World Resources Institute’s GHG Protocol. While the spreadsheet precisely fit the University’s needs, it was not standardized with other universities, enabled calculation errors, and was difficult to share. For the 2017 inventory, Carolina switched to the Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) tool created by the University of New Hampshire. This tool is widely used, makes the inventory more reliable, and easily enables data sharing.
Restatements
In addition to changing the tools used to calculate GHG emissions, the University increased the number of emission sources included in the 2017 inventory. Due to this, all past inventories were restated. These restatements ensure consistency in the inventories and allow accurate year-over-year comparisons.
System Boundary
Carolina uses an “operational control” approach to set a system boundary. This means emissions from entities under the authority of the University are claimed. The most notable exclusion is the UNC Hospitals. Although the University and UNC Hospitals share space and infrastructure, they are funded and operated separately. Carolina, however, claims all emissions from steam production despite UNC Hospitals’ steam use.
Emission Sources
For greenhouse gas inventories, emission sources are separated into three scopes. Scope 1 emissions are any emissions that the party is directly responsible for. The University’s scope 1 emissions consist of stationary combustion, vehicle fleet, refrigerant use, and fertilizer use. Scope 2 emissions are any emissions from utilities such as electricity or chilled water purchased by the party. Carolina’s scope 2 emissions consist solely of electricity purchases. Lastly, scope 3 emissions include all other emissions. These are typically referred to as supply chain emissions and include emissions from upstream sources. The University’s scope 3 emissions consist of commuting, air travel, food purchasing, paper purchasing, waste, wastewater, and energy losses.
Data Collection
To complete this inventory and the previous restatements, data was collected from 19 different University departments. To find a complete list of data sources and contributors, see Acknowledgments.
Calculation Tool
Historically, Carolina’s GHG inventory calculations were completed using a customized spreadsheet based on World Resources Institute’s GHG Protocol. While the spreadsheet precisely fit the University’s needs, it was not standardized with other universities, enabled calculation errors, and was difficult to share. For the 2017 inventory, Carolina switched to the Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) tool created by the University of New Hampshire. This tool is widely used, makes the inventory more reliable, and easily enables data sharing.
Restatements
In addition to changing the tools used to calculate GHG emissions, the University increased the number of emission sources included in the 2017 inventory. Due to this, all past inventories were restated. These restatements ensure consistency in the inventories and allow accurate year-over-year comparisons.
Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:
Yes
A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
After the inventory was complete, the data and calculations were reviewed by a staff member not involved in the inventory process. The basic methods and results were then presented to several key stakeholders for internal validation and approval.
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
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Scope 1 GHG emissions
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 233,296 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 13,146 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
246,442
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 2 GHG emissions
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 101,506 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
101,506
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
GHG emissions from biomass combustion
0
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Scope 3 GHG emissions
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 69,424 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 39,316 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | Yes | 5,774 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | No | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 11,444 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 2 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | No | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
125,960
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Scope 3 emissions are calculated using the same methods, protocols and tools as Scope 1 and 2. See general methodology.
Part 2. Air pollutant emissions inventory
Yes
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 222.68 Metric tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 250.86 Metric tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 90 Metric tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 12.53 Metric tons |
| Ozone (O3) | 0 Metric tons |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Metric tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 14.44 Metric tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | 0 Metric tons |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 113.55 Metric tons |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | Yes |
| Area sources | Yes |
| Mobile sources | No |
| Commuting | No |
| Off-site electricity production | No |
None
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
1. Continuous emissions monitoring direct measurements
2. Performance stack testing measurements and flow data to determine mass rates
3. EPA emission factors (AP42) and fuel use data
2. Performance stack testing measurements and flow data to determine mass rates
3. EPA emission factors (AP42) and fuel use data
Optional Fields
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Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
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Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.