| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.78 |
| Liaison | Nathan King |
| Submission Date | Feb. 18, 2021 |
Virginia Tech
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.63 / 3.00 |
Sean
McGinnis Director, Green Engineering Program College of Engineering |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
A VT GHG Emissions Assessment Report is attached. The Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) was used for the GHG Assessment. The assessment considers the VT main campus in Blacksburg primarily using 2019 calendar year data, all Scope 1 and 2 sources, and some Scope 3 sources as detailed in the VT GHG Emissions report.
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?:
A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
The GHG inventory has been quality checked several times by a number of VT faculty, students, and staff. It has also been 3rd-party verified by SIMAP and revised based on their recommendations.
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 78,332 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 17,010 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 124,166 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 9,184 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 20,849 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | No | --- |
| Capital goods | No | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 31,173 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 67 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | No | --- |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Car commuting was estimated from parking permits and a campus commuter survey. Bus commuting was estimated based on direct fuel usage from the transit company. Electricity Transmission & Distribution (T&D) losses were calculated based on the utility (Appalachian Power Co) T&D loss percentage from 2016, the most recent year with published data. Upstream methane leakage from direct and indirect natural gas usage was estimated based on leakage rates from several recent scientific articles. Air travel emissions estimates were based on passenger-miles data from VT travel agencies and EPA airline emissions factors. Wastewater water and solid waste amounts were compiled and emissions estimated by SIMAP using default emissions factors. All of these methodologies and calculations are provided in more detailed in the GHG Assessment report.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 78.09 Tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 19.49 Tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 68.85 Tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 6.48 Tons |
| Ozone (O3) | --- |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 1.13 Tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | --- |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 3.53 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 |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
We use EPA AP-42 emission factors and total fuels used as specified by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
See VT 2019 GHG Emissions report for details.
See VT 2019 GHG Emissions report for details.
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.