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How to Reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) Emissions with Refrigerant Gas Tracking

By Daniel Stouffer

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 29Jan2009 Word count: 760 Viewed: 528 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Carbon emissions reporting, a new monitoring and tracking method based upon requirements to limit Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) from being released into the atmosphere, requires detailed tracking, maintenance of systems, and record keeping of CO2 sources. Greenhouse Gases that occur through various industrial and commercial processes are often referred as the "6 Kyoto Gases" are under tight control.

Carbon (CO2) Emissions Reporting: It's the law.

In many countries, carbon emissions are required by law to be reported across an organization's entire footprint; hence the coined term "Carbon Footprint. Carbon data and detailed records of energy, fuel, and refrigerant gas consumption fall under regulatory compliance rules and must be reported in paper, and increasingly, electronic format.

Similar forms of mandatory monitoring, tracking, and reporting of air, water and soil pollutants fall under the Montreal Protocol (refrigerants gases), The U.S. Clean Air Act (many pollutants), and The Kyoto Protocol (6 GHG gases).

EPA and State Regulatory Compliance

Air, water and soil pollutants resulting from emissions that go beyond the property line or are in excess of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and/or state compliance regulations must be reported in order to maintain a safe and healthy environments. In addition, there is a very high likelihood that the United States will follow suite with many other countries to mandate economy wide carbon emission reporting. Submission of carbon emissions reports help identify main sources of GHG (greenhouse gases) and track the volume emitted into the atmosphere so that these volumes may be ratcheted down over time.

Refrigerant Gases -- Major source of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and an organization's carbon burden.

This is the main basis and high-level background for carbon emissions reporting. Refrigerants gases add higher levels of carbon into the air due to the composition CFCs and HCFCs. The refrigerants used in commercial heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) or regular air conditioning (AC) units include Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and perfluorocarbon (PFC).

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are a collection of commonly used refrigerant and aerosol gasses with a wide variety of other commercial applications. CFCs and HCFCs are considered Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs), as defined in title VI of the US Clean Air Act (Section 608).

The U.S. EPA recognizes that higher levels of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) can be traced back to increased usage of HCFC-type refrigerants. As a result of conclusion, the EPA has implemented protocols requiring owner or operators of refrigerant systems to accurately track their refrigerant usage. Refrigerants, referenced as fugitive emissions, make up one of the four main scopes of carbon emissions.

Carbon Emissions Protocols - Get to know these intimately (scope by scope).

The Climate Registry Protocol was written in preparation of mandatory monitoring and tracking or mobile (vehicle emissions), stationary (electricity production), and fugitive emissions (refrigerant gases). These possible sources of emissions are defined below as noted in The Climate Registry, the ISO standards, the EPA protocols, and the World Resource Institute requirements.

Mobile emissions are those which emanate from transport vehicles. Most commonly, these are emissions from the combustion of fuels in transportation sources and emissions from non-road equipment such as equipment used in construction, agriculture, and forestry.

Stationary emissions are those which come from a regular source but do not disperse over greater areas, rather remaining in concentrations in the specific source area. These are emissions from the combustion of fuels to produce electricity, steam, heat, or power using in a fixed location.

Fugitive emissions are those which may occur as a result of inefficient control equipment or control equipment that is obsolete. Examples include releases of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) from electrical equipment, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) releases during the use of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, process equipment leaks, etc.

The Climate Registry Protocol provides a system of identifying, calculating and determining carbon emission reduction for carbon reporting along, with other EPA, ISO, or international reporting protocols readily available. There is not a single reporting protocol as of early 2009. These protocols offer a clear, concise requirements specification to manage compliance within EPA guidelines related to mandatory carbon emissions reporting but interpretation across the protocols in necessary for complete compliance.

Critical Heads Up - Organizations must organize, manage,and (eventually) report carbon emissions or face tough consequences.

Where refrigerant gases prevail heavily in multiple sources, refrigerant reporting as well as refrigerant tracking will lead to a better phasing in of mandatory carbon reporting. Mandatory carbon reporting will provide the means for progress in greater operational efficiencies and controlled reduction in carbon emissions. The bigger picture is a healthier environment, a reduction refrigerant venting, and better managed organization.

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