Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI) (7)
SEAP/SECAP should be developed on the basis of reliable information related to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the territory of local self-government bodies. Due to this, at the initial stage a comprehensive assessment of the current (baseline) situation and structures should be made. The assessment starts with determination of the level of energy consumption in respective sectors of the city’s/town’s economy and development of the Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI), determination of the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission related to energy consumption in the baseline year.
The BEI and further inventory-making of CO2 emission (if available) constitute the main tool allowing local authorities to determine priority measures and efficiency of the measures implemented by them, aimed at reduction of greenhouse gas emission.
Development of the BEI constitutes an obligatory stage of SEAP/SECAP preparation and the key aspect in the performance of commitments under the Covenant. The Inventory should be included into the full version of SEAP/SECAP officially approved by local authorities.
The main characteristics of the BEI are provided below:
- The BEI should reflect local situation, that is should be based on local data on energy consumption/production and other information necessary to prepare the inventory. Assessments and estimations based on national or regional means will not reflect the real situation locally (in the city/town), since in most cases they are characteristic of a specific territory position. The inventory estimated on the basis of such data will also not constitute an important reference point for the assessment of the efficiency of efforts taken by local authorities to achieve their goals in the field of СО2 emission reduction.
- Methodological approaches and sources of the data used in the estimations should not change for several years. That means that the methodology used for the BEI development should also be used for further inventory-making measures to be taken on a regular basis for the sake of monitoring the progress in emission reduction (Emission Inventory Monitoring).
- The BEI should include at least the sectors where the local authorities intend to take measures aimed at achievement of their emission reduction goals, that is the sectors that constitute important sources of СО2 emission (a detailed description of the sectors included in the BEI is provided in the second part of the SEAP Guidebook, see below).
- The BEI should contain reliable information or at least common-sense vision of reality (that is, if possible, most objectively reflect the current situation).
- The process of input data collection, the sources of data and calculation methodology for the BEI should be duly documented (that can also be done within SEAP/SECAP, or, at least, the necessary data should be preserved in the local authority’s documents).
- Signatories from Eastern Partnership countries are insistently recommended to include monitoring of energy costs into the BEI as well as into further inventory-making activities.
More detailed information on the BEI preparation can be founded in the SEAP Guidebook for the cities/towns of Eastern Partnership and Central Asia, Part I (Section 2) and Part II – Baseline Emission Inventory, developed by the Joint Research Centre in 2014.
Is it possible to use existing tools for calculating the CO2 emissions?
Written by Raphael ChateletAll Covenant signatories can choose their own tools for the calculation of their emissions. However, they need to make sure that the reported inventory is in line with the general principles specified and detailed in the SEAP Guidebook (en, de, fr, it & es) available in our online library. Notice the SEAP guidebook refers to the mitigation part only and the guidelines remain the same when developing your Baseline Emission Inventory for a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP).
Which is the baseline year for calculating the CO2 emissions?
Written by Raphael ChateletBaseline year is the initial year in reference to which CO2 emission should be achieved by the end of 2020. Thus, the volume of emission reduction in 2020 is assessed in comparison with emission figures in the baseline year.
Unlike the recommendations provided in the SEAP Guidebook for European countries (for which mainly 1990 is the baseline year), Signatories from Eastern Partnership countries are recommended to take the latest year as the baseline one (not before 2000), which is the most illustrative in terms of reflection of the current economic situation and for which reliable statistical data can be collected.
The main reason for this is that local authorities in Eastern Partnership countries are frequently faced with problems in their search of reliable statistical data for compiling the Baseline Emission Inventory for 1990.
Another reason for not taking the baseline year applied in the European countries as the benchmark is the fact that the cities/towns willing to include industrial sector into their SEAPs/SECAPs cannot do this, since the majority of post-Soviet countries lived through a considerable economic crisis in the 90ies, due to which the level of their industrialization at that time may not correspond to the current level.
Some local authorities paying attention, inter alia, to proximity of 2020 and, as the result, to insufficient time interval for comprehensive implementation of CO2 emission reduction measures may set the tasks of emission reduction for a longer period (for instance, by 2030). In this case they should set some interim goals for 2020 in order to ensure comparability with other signatories.
What is the scope of the Baseline Emission Inventory?
Written by Raphael ChateletThe Baseline Emission Inventory should essentially be based on the final energy consumption data, i.e. what is consumed by the final end-users (incl. electricity, heat/cold and fuel) within the boundaries of the local authority.
Local energy production can also be included in the inventory if the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan includes actions related to it (e.g. PVs, wind power, district heating or Combined Heat and Power). The SEAP Guidebook (en, de, fr, it & es) provides more information on this option. Notice that the SEAP guidebook is prepared for mitigation only but can be used as an up-to-date guidance for developing a Baseline Emission Inventory for the SECAPs as well.
What approach may be chosen when establishing the Baseline Emission Inventory?
Written by Raphael ChateletTwo different approaches may be chosen when establishing the Baseline Emission Inventory at local level, namely:
The territorial or IPCC approach, covering all the CO2 emissions occurring due to final energy consumption in the territory of the local authority.
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, considering the overall life cycle of the fuels/electricity. This includes all emissions of the energy chain that also take place outside the territory (such as transport losses, refinery emissions or energy conversion losses).
Which sectors should be considered in the Baseline Emission Inventory?
Written by Raphael ChateletThe Covenant of Mayors commitments concern the entire geographical area of the local authority. Hence, the Baseline Emission Inventory should take into consideration the energy consumed in all sectors of activity.
The Covenant key sectors are the following:
- Municipal buildings, equipment/facilities.
- Tertiary (non-municipal) buildings, equipment/facilities.
- Residential buildings.
- Transport.
When to carry out a Monitoring Emission Inventory (MEI)?
Written by Raphael ChateletIn order to monitor the energy consumption and CO2 emissions data effectively and adapt the Action Plan accordingly if necessary, Covenant signatories are encouraged to compile Monitoring Emission Inventories on a regular basis. Our recommendation is to do this on a yearly basis, and the minimal requirement in the context of the Covenant of Mayors is to do it at least every 4 years. In this way, subsequent inventories may be compared with the Baseline Emission Inventory, and progress with energy savings, renewable energy production and CO2 emission reduction measures adopted can be monitored.