Sustainability & Risk / Green Building / Carbon Footprint - Background Data

Add Global Warming Potential

Global Warming Potential (GWP) is the ability of one unit of a greenhouse gas to trap heat in the atmosphere as compared to one unit of carbon dioxide over a given time period. Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much a given mass of greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming. The GWP is a way to compare emissions from different gases.

The global warming potential is used to compute carbon dioxide equivalents for a gas. For example, the weight of methane (the gas being measured) would be multiplied by methane's global warming potential (which is 21) to calculate methane's carbon equivalency.

Carbon dioxide has a GWP of '1', since it is the reference gas to which other gases are compared. For this reason, it is not necessary to enter a GWP for carbon dioxide.

Using the Global Potential Warming task, you enter GWP values by gas (methane or nitrous oxide), or by refrigerant. You obtain these values from the protocol you are using, The application uses this information when calculating emissions from refrigeration and air-conditioning units. Also, Archibus calculates total emissions for a source by calculating carbon dioxide equivalents for methane and nitrous oxide. These carbon dioxide equivalents use the global warming potential data you enter for methane and nitrous oxide.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides the generally accepted values for GWP.

To add Global Warming Potential Information:

  1. Select Carbon Footprint - Background Data / Global Warming Potential.

    The Define Global Warming Potential Factor Versions and Data form appears.

  2. To add GWP protocol version information:
    1. Click Add New > GWP Factor Version.
    1. Enter the following information:

      Version: Enter the name to identify the protocol version.

      Version Description:  Enter a description for the protocol, such as the table number the data is found in, or the year the data is for.

    2. Click Save.
  3. To enter GWP data:
    1. Click Add New > GWP Data.
    2. Enter the following information:

      Gas/Refrigerant Type: Select whether you are adding GWP data for a gas or for a refrigerant.

      Gas/Refrigerant Name: Enter the name of the gas or refrigerant. You can mouse over the field to click the Show Values button to select from the existing gas/refrigerant names. If this name is not unique for the factor version, you will need to edit it. You can also enter a name manually into the form. See Selecting predefined data for the primary keys for new records.

      Global Warming Potential: Enter the global warming potential of this refrigerant or gas as compared to carbon dioxide. For example, if a gas has a GWP of 21.0, it contributes to global warming 21 times more than an equal amount of carbon dioxide.

    3. Click Save