Energy Performance and Carbon Emissions Assessment and Monitoring Tool
ECAM is the E nergy Performance and C arbon emission A ssessment and M onitoring tool ( German energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission assessment and monitoring tool). It is a digital analysis tool for evaluating greenhouse gas emissions in water and wastewater companies.
background
The water sector is considered a previously underestimated source of greenhouse gas emissions . In the entire urban water cycle , processes in water supply and disposal result in carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption of energy, but also nitrous oxide and methane emissions due to biological processes in wastewater treatment. Climate protection measures in the water sector can therefore not only make a contribution to achieving the greenhouse gas reduction targets as set out in the Paris Climate Agreement , but also to lower operating costs and improve water and sanitation.
The tool was developed as part of the Water and Wastewater Companies for Climate Mitigation (WaCCliM) project implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). The project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
application
ECAM is the first tool that provides a holistic approach to identifying ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the urban water cycle. Water and wastewater companies can evaluate and control their greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Basic functions
ECAM takes into account the entire urban water cycle: water supply, sewage and sewage sludge management (water abstraction, treatment and distribution; sewage collection, treatment and discharge / reuse; sewage sludge collection, treatment and reuse / disposal).
The program offers companies the following:
- Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions and identification of reduction potentials within the water sector.
- Opportunities to reduce operating costs.
- Development of future scenarios for the effects of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Calculation of emissions within the water sector; Requirement for climate finance .
- Assistance with performance monitoring and decision making.
The tool only needs data that is typically available in water and wastewater companies. The methodology used together with the ECAM tool can be applied nationally to all water and wastewater companies to facilitate the exchange of knowledge.
Accounting for greenhouse gas emissions
Three different types of emissions are taken into account in the ECAM tool:
- Direct emissions.
- Indirect emissions.
- Other indirect emissions (without taking energy consumption into account).
Direct emissions are, for example, those that arise during wastewater treatment itself. Indirect emissions arise, for example, from purchasing electricity. Other indirect emissions are referred to in the ECAM tool as emissions that are caused, for example, during the transport of waste water or sewage sludge.
The emissions are given in CO 2 equivalents . The closest equivalent of methane and nitrous oxide correspond to the 100-year greenhouse gas potentials ( English Global Warming Potential) for greenhouse gases (GWP 100, AR5), reported by the IPCC . In the tool, users can choose between various IPCC reports and corresponding values for greenhouse gas potentials.
Stage-based approach
The ECAM tool works using a stage-based approach. From level A to level B the level of detail increases.
Level A - Simplified Greenhouse Gas Assessment
In stage A, the program focuses primarily on electricity consumption in the areas of drinking water, wastewater and sewage sludge treatment. It approximates both direct emissions and other indirect emissions based on assumptions under typical technical conditions. The purpose of this is that the user can initiate a first rough estimate of the greenhouse gas emissions in his system in order to see in which areas of the water and wastewater supply there is the greatest potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The output figures are pie and pie charts and show all greenhouse gas emissions as well as the total energy consumption within the water cycle. To better differentiate between the various emissions, the output formats are color-coded.
Level B - Detailed greenhouse gas assessment
Stage B analyzes the system's performance in depth using several data entry options. Some of these options are the same as those from level A, but level B offers the option of entering additional values. The user is given the opportunity to enter values that relate to the pump performance, water efficiency, sludge management, type of treatment, biogas production and many other factors. In addition to the detailed analysis, the energy output and greenhouse gas emissions in various stages and sub-stages of the urban water cycle can be determined in stage B.
Level B - Advanced Rating: Subcategories
The possibility of working with sub-categories means that emissions such as those arising from additional treatment stages can be taken into account. Here, too, the output figures are pie and pie charts that summarize the total electrical energy in the water cycle within each process. These are also color-coded.
options
ECAM identifies the steps in the urban water cycle in which reductions in greenhouse gas emissions have potential and suggests ways of realizing them.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ ScienceDirect. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
- ^ Declan Conway, Sabrina GSA Rothausen: Greenhouse-gas emissions from energy use in the water sector . In: Nature Climate Change . tape 1 , no. 4 , July 2011, ISSN 1758-6798 , p. 210–219 , doi : 10.1038 / nclimate1147 ( nature.com [accessed February 18, 2019]).
- ↑ Energy Performance and Carbon Emissions Assessment and Monitoring (ECAM) Tool | NDC Partnership. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
- ↑ Resources - WaCCliM. Retrieved February 18, 2019 (American English).
- ^ Reports - IPCC. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .