| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.63 |
| Liaison | Sam Lubow |
| Submission Date | July 30, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Stanford University
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.15 / 10.00 |
Moira
Hafer Sustainability Specialist Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Business travel | Yes |
| Commuting | Yes |
| Purchased goods and services | No |
| Capital goods | No |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | No |
| Waste generated in operations | No |
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
In 2001, the State of California created the nonprofit California Climate Action Registry (CCAR) to facilitate the voluntary accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions within the state. CCAR stopped collecting emissions inventories in 2010 and transitioned its membership to the Climate Registry (TCR), a nonprofit emissions registry for North America.
The CCAR General Reporting Protocol required filing of Scope I & II emissions with independent third party verification, and encouraged participants to file inventories of Scope III emissions as well. Stanford joined the CCAR in 2006 and used this protocol to prepare and file its GHG emission inventories through 2009. In 2010, Stanford transitioned to TCR protocol for its third-party verified emissions inventory, and it has used the TCR in each subsequent year to date.
Scope III emissions at this time (business air travel and driving commuters) are compiled internally by Stanford's Parking & Transportation Services and are not formally verified.
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 internal and/or external verification process:
Per the GHG inventory protocols that Stanford follows, independent third party verification of Scope I and II emissions is required.
Please see the following website for more details on the required verification protocol: http://www.theclimateregistry.org/resources/verification/general-verification-protocol/
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 14,293.22 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 10,713 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 5,288.99 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 5,231 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 81,510.72 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 74,394 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 86,386.74 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 92,554 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
N/A
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
N/A
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
N/A
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
N/A
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 11,147 | 10,305 |
| Number of residential employees | 0 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 15,606 | 13,282 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 12,297 | 11,027 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2012 | Dec. 31, 2012 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2007 | Dec. 31, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
Although Stanford University first reported its GHG emissions in 2006, the 2007 results provide a more accurate baseline for the university. Reporting in 2006 included a number of non-typical operations, including major maintenance operations at the Central Energy Facility. Therefore, 2006 results are not considered representative of the campus emissions.
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 3,739,860 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 74,705 Square feet |
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 26,588 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 24,901 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories (please specify below) | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
N/A
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
The $480 million Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) program is designed to meet the university’s energy demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. SESI represents a significant transformation of the university from 100% fossil-fuel-based cogeneration to a more efficient electric heat recovery system and will result in immense benefits for Stanford University in the years to come.
The program converted Stanford’s heating supply from steam to hot water, requiring the installation of over twenty miles of hot water piping and changes to the mechanical rooms of 155 buildings. The project also included construction of a new Central Energy Facility (CEF), which came online in April 2015. The CEF includes heat recovery chillers, three large water tanks for thermal energy storage, and a high-voltage substation that receives electricity from the grid. Do to the heat-recovery chillers, the new CEF is 70% more efficient than the old cogeneration plant.
By the end of 2016, Stanford will procure 65% of its electricity from renewable sources, 78.5 MW of which will be owned by Stanford. This transition to renewable sources, along with the efficiencies gained from the new CEF and the conversion from steam to hot water, will reduce Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions by 68%.
Date Revised: Dec. 2, 2015
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) project came online in April 2015 and will reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 68% by the end of 2016 through utilization of electric heat recovery technology at Stanford’s new Central Energy Facility combined with an agreement to build 78.5 MW of solar PV, 5.5 MW of which will be installed on campus. Details in the descriptive fields of this credit capture improvements that have been made as a result of SESI, but the data used in this credit represent performance years from before SESI came online and thus the scoring of this credit does not capture the benefits that have and will continue to come from this new energy system.
Please note that the GSF reported for the GHG inventory varies from the campus GSF reported for all other credits. The boundary of the GHG inventory is slightly different from the overall STARS boundary, and the GSF for the GHG inventory boundary is used for this credit. The difference primarily derives from the inclusion of off-campus leased spaces in the GHG inventory boundary. Additionally, Stanford has conducted an inventory of the GHG emissions associated with Purchasing, but the results were not included in Stanford's official GHG Inventory submitted through the Climate Registry.
The Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) project came online in April 2015 and will reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 68% by the end of 2016 through utilization of electric heat recovery technology at Stanford’s new Central Energy Facility combined with an agreement to build 78.5 MW of solar PV, 5.5 MW of which will be installed on campus. Details in the descriptive fields of this credit capture improvements that have been made as a result of SESI, but the data used in this credit represent performance years from before SESI came online and thus the scoring of this credit does not capture the benefits that have and will continue to come from this new energy system.
Please note that the GSF reported for the GHG inventory varies from the campus GSF reported for all other credits. The boundary of the GHG inventory is slightly different from the overall STARS boundary, and the GSF for the GHG inventory boundary is used for this credit. The difference primarily derives from the inclusion of off-campus leased spaces in the GHG inventory boundary. Additionally, Stanford has conducted an inventory of the GHG emissions associated with Purchasing, but the results were not included in Stanford's official GHG Inventory submitted through the Climate Registry.
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.