| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.17 |
| Liaison | Emily Vollmer |
| Submission Date | May 16, 2024 |
Virginia Tech
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.52 / 3.00 |
Emily
Vollmer Sustainability Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
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:
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 2022 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?:
Yes
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 | 68,149 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 12,109 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
80,258
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 127,842 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
127,842
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
0
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 6,116 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 13,113 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 | 30,108 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | No | --- |
| Other sources | No | --- |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
49,337
Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
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 Blacksburg Transit Company. Electricity Transportation and Distribution (T&D) loss was calculated based on the utility (Appalachian Power Co.) T&D loss percentage. 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 detail in the GHG Assessment Report.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Yes
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 38.07 Tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 0.59 Tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 48.44 Tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 4.60 Tons |
| Ozone (O3) | --- |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 0 Tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | --- |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | 3.44 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.
TOTAL VOC EMISSIONS FOR 2022 3.44 TONS/YR
TOTAL NOx EMISSIONS FOR 2022 38.07 TONS/YR
TOTAL SO2 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.59 TONS/YR
TOTAL PM10 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 4.60 TONS/YR
TOTAL PB EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.00 TONS/YR
TOTAL TRS EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.00 TONS/YR
TOTAL TNMOC EMISSION FOR 2022 (Landfills only) 0.00 TONS/YR
TOTAL non-VOC/non-PM10 HAP EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.00 TONS/YR
FEE EMISSIONS FACILITY-WIDE TOTAL FROM ABOVE 46.70 TONS/YR
TOTAL CO EMISSIONS FOR 2022 48.44 TONS/YR
TOTAL PM2.5 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 1.21 TONS/YR
TOTAL NH3 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.28 TONS/YR
TOTAL VOC EMISSIONS FOR 2022 3.44 TONS/YR
TOTAL NOx EMISSIONS FOR 2022 38.07 TONS/YR
TOTAL SO2 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.59 TONS/YR
TOTAL PM10 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 4.60 TONS/YR
TOTAL PB EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.00 TONS/YR
TOTAL TRS EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.00 TONS/YR
TOTAL TNMOC EMISSION FOR 2022 (Landfills only) 0.00 TONS/YR
TOTAL non-VOC/non-PM10 HAP EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.00 TONS/YR
FEE EMISSIONS FACILITY-WIDE TOTAL FROM ABOVE 46.70 TONS/YR
TOTAL CO EMISSIONS FOR 2022 48.44 TONS/YR
TOTAL PM2.5 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 1.21 TONS/YR
TOTAL NH3 EMISSIONS FOR 2022 0.28 TONS/YR
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 2022 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.