October 19, 2007—The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) announced the publication of new guidelines for calculating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Stakeholders from around the world extensively reviewed the Guidelines for Quantifying GHG Reductions from Grid-Connected Electricity Projects. They are based on the GHG Protocol for Project Accounting previously developed by the two organizations.
As concern about climate change has grown, one of the challenges facing project developers and policy-makers has been to accurately quantify GHG emissions benefits. In theory, coming up with the right answer involves complicated modeling of power grids, which is costly and impractical, or using other methods that are overly simplistic and inaccurate.
The GHG Protocol Initiative addresses this challenge by providing simple methods for estimating GHG reductions that are also rigorous, credible and transparent, the organizations say. Developers of wind energy projects, for example, can use the guidelines to estimate emissions reductions using basic data on local power plants. The methods described in the guidelines can be used anywhere in the world where these data are available.
The guidelines will also be useful to designers of “carbon offset” programs and other initiatives that give credit for GHG emission reductions from renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
The WBCSD and WRI designed the guidelines to provide considerable flexibility in the choice of procedures and calculation methods, so they can be adapted to a variety of contexts. They are compatible, for example, with the GHG quantification methods for renewable energy under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism.
The Guidelines for Quantifying GHG Reductions from Grid-Connected Electricity Projects is the latest publication released by the GHG Protocol Initiative, reportedly the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify and manage greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information visit the World Resources Institute Web site and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Web site.
