| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.41 |
| Liaison | Krista Bailey |
| Submission Date | Dec. 12, 2023 |
Pennsylvania State University
OP-1: Emissions Inventory and Disclosure
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 3.00 |
Shelley
McKeague Environmental Compliance Specialist Engineering Services |
Has the institution conducted a GHG emissions inventory within the previous three years that includes all Scope 1 and 2 emissions? :
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
Penn State utilizes a Excel-based calculation tool customized for Penn State's emissions profile and data availability. Emissions factors and calculation methodologies are based on the World Resources Institute (WRI) Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) GHG Reporting Program (GHGRP).The University is evaluating EnergyCAP's CarbonHUB platform.
Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:
A brief description of the GHG inventory verification process:
The original inventory calculation tool was developed by a graduate student as part of a thesis and was reviewed by multiple faculty members. The emissions factors and calculation methodologies are periodically reviewed and updated as needed.
Documentation to support the GHG inventory verification process:
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Stationary combustion | 116,036.71 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources (mobile combustion, process emissions, fugitive emissions) | 10,028.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 1 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year (market-based):
| Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Imported electricity | 65,191.11 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Total gross Scope 2 GHG emissions, performance year:
Gross GHG emissions from biogenic sources, performance year:
Does the GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from the following sources?:
| Yes or No | Weight in MTCO2e | |
| Business travel | Yes | 8,858 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | Yes | 27,974.83 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | No | --- |
| Capital goods | No | --- |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | Yes | 5,371.25 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | Yes | 1,350.27 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other sources | --- | --- |
Total Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year:
A brief description of how the institution accounted for its Scope 3 emissions:
Scope 3 emissions include PSU sponsored air travel, faculty, staff and student commuting, transmission loss for purchased electricity and solid waste disposal.
Business Travel - Penn State operates an internal rental car service. Business travel through this service is accounted for in Scope 1. Air Travel expenditures are tracked and converted to miles based on published average fair paid per mile and EPA HUB factors for short, medium and long haul flights.
Commuting - Penn State established an average daily commute based on a previous project using GIS to geocode and route parking permit address data to campus. This value is applied to new annual totals for parking permits. In addition, there is a local bus service (CATABUS). Penn State attributes a portion of the emissions from these routes to its inventory.
Energy - Transmission loss from purchased electricity is based the published eGRID loss factor.
Waste - Penn State operates its own wastewater facility. Emissions related to wastewater are included in Scope 1. Solid Waste emissions are accounted for in Scope 3 using the total waste to landfill reports in annual regulatory reports.
Has the institution completed an inventory within the previous three years to quantify its air pollutant emissions?:
Annual weight of emissions for::
| Weight of Emissions | |
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | 63.40 Tons |
| Sulfur oxides (SOx) | 0.73 Tons |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 38.17 Tons |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 7.47 Tons |
| Ozone (O3) | --- |
| Lead (Pb) | 0 Tons |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) | 0.64 Tons |
| Ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) | --- |
| Other standard categories of air emissions identified in permits and/or regulations | --- |
Do the air pollutant emissions figures provided include the following sources?:
| Yes or No | |
| Major stationary sources | Yes |
| Area sources | Yes |
| Mobile sources | No |
| Commuting | No |
| Off-site electricity production | No |
A brief description of the methodology(ies) the institution used to complete its air emissions inventory:
Penn State submits an Emissions Inventory Production Report annually to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). GHG Emissions from stationary sources are reported annually to the EPA under the GHG MRR.
Emissions are calculated based on parametric emissions monitoring, fuel use and emissions factors from stack test results or industry standard emissions factors.
Pollutant Emissions are from the Pennsylvania 2022 Air Information Management System (AIMS) Report
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity (location-based):
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy (location-based) :
Website URL where information about the institution’s emissions inventories is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Other Air Emissions include VOCs.
Data provided was reported to the Department of Environmental Protection in the 2022 AIMS (Air Information Management System) Report.
Other Air Emissions include VOCs.
Data provided was reported to the Department of Environmental Protection in the 2022 AIMS (Air Information Management System) Report.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.