• Specialty

  Air Quality
  

• SECTOR

  Commercial
  

• TYPE

  Permitting / Compliance
  

• CLIENTELE

  Quasi-Public/Institutions
  

• TIMESPAN

  2009

• LOCATION

  Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College GHG Reporting

SERVICE:

GHG Reporting to MassDEP and EPA

DESCRIPTION:

Wellesley College operates four boilers and five cogeneration engines as part of their Central Heating Plant and has many smaller emission sources such as boilers, emergency diesel generators, and vehicles that also generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The College needed assistance in keeping track of the new regulations regarding emissions tracking and reporting for GHG emissions, particularly since they are subject to both the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) GHG reporting programs, each of which has different requirements. Tech worked closely with the College to ensure that the first online reporting of GHG emissions to MassDEP were submitted accurately and on time in June 2010, covering GHG emissions from 2009.

Tech gathered data and calculated emissions for the initial GHG report for calendar year 2009 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which included emissions from all fuel-utilizing stationary combustion sources and all on-road motor vehicles that are owned or leased by the College. Tech compiled fuel usage data for all stationary sources at the College as well as information on mobile sources such as vehicle miles/gallons. Tech used this data to calculate GHG emissions and enter usage data into the electronic GHG emissions reporting program.

Tech is working closely with the College in determining how best to collect data and tackle the GHG emissions reporting and data collection in the future. Our work is helping to keep track of the different GHG reporting requirements in the MassDEP and EPA reporting programs. In the future, Wellesley College will be required to also track (and ultimately, to report at the end of the calendar year) emissions of five other GHGs: methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

 

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Key Points

• Wellesley College needed assistance in tracking and reporting GHG emissions to MassDEP and EPA, each of which has different requirements for its reporting program.
• Tech gathered data, calculated emissions, and assisted Wellesley with successfully reporting GHG emissions to regulators.