the research consultancy for energy technologies

Carbon Intensity

  • Refrigerants: leading chemicals for the rise of heat pumps?

    Refrigerants: leading chemicals for the rise of heat pumps?

    This data-file is a breakdown of c1MTpa of refrigerants used in the recent past for cooling, across refrigerators, air conditioners, in vehicles, industrial chillers, and increasingly, heat pumps. The market is shifting rapidly towards lower-carbon products, including HFOs, propane, iso-butane and even CO2 itself. We still see fluorinated chemicals markets tightening.

    Read more

  • Solar: energy payback and embedded energy?

    Solar: energy payback and embedded energy?

    What is the energy payback and embedded energy of solar? We have aggregated the consumption of 10 different materials (in kg/kW) and around 10 other energy-consuming line-items (in kWh/kW). Our base case estimate is 2.5 MWH/kWe of solar and an energy payback of 1.5-years. Numbers and sensitivities can be stress-tested in the data-file.

    Read more

  • Crop production: how much does nitrogen fertilizer increase yields?

    Crop production: how much does nitrogen fertilizer increase yields?

    How much does fertilizer increase crop yields? Aggregating all of the global data, a good rule of thumb is that up to 200kg of nitrogen can be applied per acre, increasing corn crop yields from 60 bushels per acre (with no fertilizer) to 160 bushels per acre (at 200 kg/acre). But the relationship is logarithmic,…

    Read more

  • Coal grades: what CO2 intensity?

    Coal grades: what CO2 intensity?

    The CO2 intensity of coal is estimated at 0.37kg/kWh of thermal energy, at a typical coal grade comprising 63% carbon and 6,250 kWh/ton of energy content. This is the average across 25 samples in our data-file, while moisture, ash and sulphur are also appraised. Coal is 2x more CO2 intensive than natural gas.

    Read more

  • Crop production: what CO2 intensity?

    Crop production: what CO2 intensity?

    The CO2 intensity of producing corn averages 0.23 tons/ton, or 75kg/boe. 50% is from N2O emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas, from the breakdown of nitrogen fertilizer. Producing 1 kWh of food energy requires 9 kWh of fossil energy.

    Read more

  • CO2 intensity: Scope 1, 2 & 3 and Scope 4 emissions?

    CO2 intensity: Scope 1, 2 & 3 and Scope 4 emissions?

    Scope 4 CO2 emissions capture the CO2 that is avoided by use of a product. Many energy investments with positive Scope 1-3 emissions have deeply negative Scope 1-4 emissions. Numbers are quantified and may offer a more constructive approach to decarbonization investments.

    Read more

  • Palm oil: what CO2 intensity?

    Palm oil: what CO2 intensity?

    Global palm oil production runs at 80MTpa, for food, HPC and bio-fuels. Carbon intensity is 1.2 tons CO2e per ton of crude palm oil, excluding land use impacts, and 8.0 tons/ton on a global basis including land use impacts. This means once a bio-fuel has more than c35% palm oil in its feedstock, it is…

    Read more

  • CO2 intensity of wood: context by context?

    CO2 intensity of wood: context by context?

    This data-file calculates the CO2 intensity of wood in the energy transition. Context matters, and can sway the net climate impacts from -2 tons of emissions reductions per ton of wood through to +2 tons of incremental emissions per ton of wood. Calculations can be stress-tested in the data-file.

    Read more

  • Methane emissions from pneumatic devices: by operator, by basin?

    Methane emissions from pneumatic devices: by operator, by basin?

    Methane leaks from 1M pneumatic devices across the US onshore oil and gas industry comprise 50% of all US upstream methane leaks and 20% of upstream CO2. This file aggregates the data. Rankings reveal operators with a pressing priority to replace >100,000 medium and high bleed devices, and other best-in-class companies.

    Read more

  • Decarbonization targets: what do the data tell us?

    Decarbonization targets: what do the data tell us?

    630 companies have now pledged to reach some variant of net zero by early-2022. The average year for this ambition is 2044. Although it varies by sector. 50% of companies are including some Scope 3 emissions in their definitions. This data-file presents our conclusions by sector.

    Read more

Content by Category