Linc Energy Blog

In “What are carbon credits?” I explained how carbon credits (CERs) are awarded to those parties which reduce their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) below a specified quota. Those tradable credits earned can be sold to companies, countries or organizations that cannot reduce their own emissions, thus making a new income source for landfill and livestock operations. In this post I discuss agricultural and landfill methane emission offsets.

In North America, the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) offers creative mechanisms to promote the reduction of Greenhouse Gases which are linked to global warming. The group offers an emission registry, reduction and trading system and has been trading GHG allowances since 2003 which is before the Kyoto Protocol was empowered. The company was acquired by IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) in 2010 and offers a number of protocols encouraging the reduction of Greenhouse Gas including Agricultural & Landfill Methane Collection and Combustion protocols.

Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas which is emitted naturally through decaying material, such as manure and other landfill waste. According to the EPA methane is “over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO2).” For this reason collecting methane and igniting it has become an acceptable and desirable method to reduce emissions. Agricultural and Landfill methane offsets are offered to landfills and livestock operations which include approved gas collection, control systems and comply with monitoring requirements, where thermal mass flow meters are found to provide the precision needed as outlined in the CCX Offset Protocols:

Sage Prime Industrial & Environmental Thermal Mass Flow Meter

• Agricultural Methane Collection and Combustion
• Landfill Methane Collection and Combustion

Landfill Gas (LFG)

Alternatively, according to the EPA there are 400 projects in the United States where landfill gas (LFG) which has a high concentration of methane is captured. These projects destroy the methane and generate renewable energy, which can either be used to energize the site or sell to a local electric grid. As the collection and combustion programs, strict monitoring and measurement is required and thermal mass flow meters meet and exceed the requirements set by the EPA.

More information can be found on Landfill Methane Outreach Program.

Both the CCX Agricultural & Landfill Methane Collection and Combustion Protocols and the Landfill Gas to Energy projects offer an opportunity to agricultural and livestock operations to reduce greenhouse gas, create renewable energy and earn tradable methane emission offsets through agencies like the CCX in North America.

More information can be found on http://www.chicagoclimatex.com/index.jsf.

 

Tags: landfill methane, agricultural methane, methane emission offsets, thermal mass flow meter, natural gas measurement, carbon credits, CERs, greehouse gas

What are carbon credits? Recently a customer inquired about purchasing a thermal mass flow meter. When I asked him what his application was, he said he needed to measure his CERs or carbon credits. It was then I decided carbon credits or CERs would make a good blog topic.

In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto Japan as protocols to the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). This treaty is aimed at fighting global warming. While it was adopted in 1997 it wasn’t empowered until 2005 and as of May 2011, 194 parties have signed the treaty. When ratifying this agreement, UNFCC members agree to cap emissions according to the Kyoto Protocol, however the treaty is legally non-binding.

As part of the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries have made the commitment to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG), specifically carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and sulfur hexafluoride) as well as the gases produced by them.

This treaty employs creative mechanisms which encourages the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, a factor in global warming. One of the flexible mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It is this protocol which allows industrialized countries to invest in emission reductions where it is least expensive globally. It also provides the means to sell or trade the CERs (Certified Emission Reductions).

When ratifying the Kyoto Protocol a demand for CERs is produced. CERs are also more commonly known as carbon credits. A carbon credit is essentially a license for the holder of a credit to produce one ton of carbon dioxide. Credits are only awarded to those parties or organizations that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) below a specific quota. Those parties which lower emissions can sell their credits to gas emission emitters which could be countries, large commercial entities or power generators.

An appealing opportunity for businesses (like my customer) is to convert their landfill gas or livestock waste to an alternative energy. By doing so, they’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions and if measured correctly, they could receive tradable greenhouse emission credits. The key of course is to measure it correctly which is why my customer, a manure manufacturer was inquiring about our thermal mass meters which measure and monitor greenhouse reduction projects to verify tradable credits. 
 

Malene Thyssen, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Malene

 

Tags: greehouse gas, CERs, carbon credits, biomass, renewable energy, alternative energy, natural gas measurement, thermal mass flow meter