Looking to jumpstart or accelerate your organization's decarbonization journey? Learn how through this new quarterly blog series that provides three resources every three months to highlight pathways to emissions reduction.
GHG EMISSIONS REDUCTION AUDIT SCOPE OF WORK TEMPLATE
WHAT: The GHG Emissions Reduction Audit Scope of Work Template is designed to help organizations specify emissions reduction audits for their buildings, which leads to a long-term plan to significantly reduce operational emissions. A GHG Emissions Reduction audit identifies opportunities for emissions reduction through energy efficiency, electrification, fugitive emissions reduction, the use of low-global warming potential refrigerants, and the addition of onsite renewable energy.
WHY: Using this template can simplify the process of completing an emissions reduction audit and create an actionable, phased plan for an organization to achieve its decarbonization goals at a site. Many of the emissions reduction measures found through building audits can be scaled to the portfolio level.
HOW: Provided as a Word document, the template should be customized to your organization’s needs. The document provides instructions for completing the template, as well as examples to streamline the specification of an in-depth decarbonization audit.
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RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES OVERVIEW
WHAT: A Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a tradable, nonphysical commodity in the U.S. energy market that represents certain attributes associated with 1 MWh of generated renewable energy, including the type of renewable energy, the emissions rate associated with that energy, and the grid to which the energy was delivered. There are two types of RECs: bundled and unbundled. A bundled REC covers renewable electricity purchased with the associated REC whereas an unbundled REC covers the associated environmental benefits without purchasing the renewable energy itself.
WHY: RECs can help an organization reduce its carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency when it is not possible to generate renewable energy onsite. Purchasing RECs helps enable more renewable energy projects and can accelerate growth in the green power marketplace.
HOW: This document provides an overview of RECs to help building owners and managers learn more about the REC market in the U.S. energy market as well as how to track, buy, and report RECs.
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ASSEMBLING AN EFFECTIVE TEAM FOR RENEWABLE GENERATION AND STORAGE PROJECTS
WHAT: Interest in onsite renewable energy is increasing, but implementation requires skilled teams. Assembling an effective team before a project begins can streamline the implementation of these systems and ensure that the design, installation, and operation of the system are well aligned with the needs of the facility owner.
WHY: This document details best practices for implementing onsite renewable generation and storage systems. Real world examples shared by partners include how to use these systems to increase resilience from electric outages, reduce electric bill costs, lessen financial risk due to utility rate structure uncertainty, and serve increasing electrical loads resulting from facility electrification.
HOW: Use this guide, based on real world examples, to assemble an effective team for renewable projects. It includes information to help identify common skillsets, explore who can fill these skillsets (both internally and externally), and determine additional project considerations to maximize cost-effectiveness and impact.
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