I have some questions regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for LEED V4 and V4.1 certification. When considering the source conversion factor site and GHG Emission factors, is there any specific parameter recommended for Brazil or other developing countries? In the EnergyStar Portfolio Manager, it is mentioned that for locations outside the USA, US values can be used, but what would be the most appropriate parameter to use, considering the diversity of US states?
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Tyler Thumma
7GroupLEEDuser Expert
62 thumbs up
May 7, 2024 - 9:29 am
The v4.1 Reference Guide recommends Climate Transparency (https://www.climate-transparency.org/) and Enerdata (https://www.enerdata.net/) as sources for emissions factors. For example, the 2022 Climate Transparency report for Brazil lists an electricity emissions factor of 129.5 gCO2/kWh.
For references above that report only electricity emissions factors, use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) direct GHG emissions per fuel source published in the Energy Star Portfolio Manager Technical Reference: Greenhouse Gas Emissions for all non-electric fuel sources.
Victor Catrib
Mr.CTE - Centro de Tecnologia de edificações
May 7, 2024 - 11:26 am
For recent LEED O+M v4.1 projects in Brazil, we have used the MCTI greenhouse gas emissions factor spreadsheet, available at https://www.gov.br/mcti/pt-br/acompanhe-o-mcti/sirene/dados-e-ferramenta.... We included a narrative describing the emissions calculation methodology, however there was some questioning in the initial review of these projects.
A formal request was recommended for projects using different emissions factor other than EPA, as stated in the reference guide.