2006 Emissions Inventory

Required Reporting (77% of emissions)

Purchased Electricity
& Natural Gas

PG&E account representative for UC Berkeley

California Climate Action Registry Protocol: Electricity (kWh) and gas (therm) values are from PG&E account data. 

Steam
(co-generation and auxiliary boilers)

Utility Engineering

Delta Power (cogeneration plant)

California Climate Action Registry Protocol and more specific emissions factor analysis: About 95% of steam (by weight) consumed by UC Berkeley is produced by the Delta Cogeneration Plant, with the remaining 5% from the Plant’s auxiliary boilers. UC Berkeley’s fractional share of the total cogeneration plant’s greenhouse gas emission was computed from the fractional steam energy consumed compared to the total energy output (both steam and electrical) of the plant, as described in the California Climate Action Registry General Reporting Protocol. The total emissions of the Delta Cogeneration Plant were computed using the measured natural gas consumption and an estimated emission factor for natural gas burned. Emissions from the auxiliary boilers were similarly computed using the measured natural gas consumption and the same emission factor.

Fugitive (refrigerants)

EH&S 

California Climate Action Registry Protocol: 
The categories most relevant for our emissions inventory are the emissions of HFCs from air conditioning systems.  We determined whether HFC emissions are significant, performed a mass balance equation, and convert each HFC emission to CO2e.

Campus Vehicle Fleet

Fleet Services

California Climate Action Registry Protocol and more specific emissions factor analysis: We use the actual odometer reading data for 575 vehicles owned by the University to extract total mileage.  Then we used EPA's Miles Per Gallon values taken from <www.fueleconomy.gov> to estimate fuel consumption in gallons.  Then we applied emissions factors for diesel and gasoline fleet to calculate CO2 emissions.

Optional Reporting (23% of emissions)

Municipal Solid Waste Disposal (Landfill)

Campus Recycling and Refuse Services

California Climate Action Registry Optional Reporting Protocol and more specific emissions factor analysis: We applied an emissions factor from the EPA for landfilled waste with methane recovery and electric generation (verified by Geoff Harrison of West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill). 

Staff, faculty, and Student Commute

Parking and Transportation

California Climate Action Registry Optional Reporting Protocol and more specific emissions factor analysis: We applied an emissions factor for auto commuting from the EPA. Emissions associated with public transportation are not included in the current analysis due to limitations in the way that commuting information is reported.  The initial calculations were based on transportation surveys with data on travel mode split and trip distance from 1990, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2005.  Population numbers and number of work/school days were obtained from UC Berkeley IST and Budget Office.

Air Travel

UC Berkeley Department of Travel and entertainment

UC Berkeley specific, based on World Resources Institute:
The method used for estimating GHG emissions - 1) collect estimates of commonly assumed emissions rates per kilometer of air travel; 2) collect ticketing data on air travel at UCB; and 3) calculate UCB air travel emissions, based on emissions rates and total UCB air travel..

Water Consumption

Utility Engineering 

Based on the water consumption data on campus, we applied the emissions factor associated with EBMUD’s water supply, conveyance, treatment, and distribution, and sewage collection, treatment, and disposal to calculate emissions.