HomeMy WebLinkAboutGHG Inventory, Baseline Inventory
Community
Greenhouse Gas
Inventory
April 2021
Revised April 30, 2021
Prepared by:
Table of Contents
Section 01 Introduction
Section 02 Findings In Brief
Section 03 Community Comparison
Section 04 GHG Emissions Forecast
Appendix 1 GHG Inventory Calculation Summary
Spreadsheets
Appendix 2 GHG Forecast Assumptions
Cover photo by edkohler via Flickr
Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1-1
Photo: Delius98 via Flickr
Background
The City of Edina is developing its first Climate Action Plan for
the community. The plan will help those who live and work in
Edina imagine and achieve a future where the earth and all who
live on it thrive.
The City’s current goals for the project are to reduce citywide
greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2025, and 80% by 2050, and
to establish actions to enhance community resilience and adap-
tation to climate change.
This Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory is a founda-
tional document to support the Climate Action Planning process
by reviewing the City’s energy consumption and GHG emissions
trends since 2013.
Without data, you’re just another person
with an opinion.
W. Edwards Deming, Engineer, Professor, and
Management Consultant
Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1-2
Introduction
The Value of Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventories
The goal of the City of Edina community wide and municipal opera-
tions inventory is to estimate the GHG emissions associated with the
activities of the people who live, work, learn, travel, visit, and recreate
within the City’s geographical boundaries during three study years,
2013, 2016 and 2019. These inventories must be transparent and able
to be replicated, updated, and compared with future assessments for
Edina and assessments for peer cities.
Measuring the energy aspects of human activities and the associated
GHG emissions offers a unique way to compare the effectiveness of
various energy and sustainability best management practices. Green-
house gas emissions and energy1 serve as common denominators for
the comparison of kilowatts of electricity, natural gas therms, tons of
coal, and gallons of liquid fuels consumed; as well as vehicle miles trav-
eled, tons of waste processed, and gallons of potable water distribut-
ed.
Every community prepares annual operating and capital improvement
budgets. These assessments can be thought of as an assessment of the
environmental budget for municipal operations. Recording these per-
formance metrics is essential to promoting efficiency and sustainable
change.
1 Energy is expressed as kBtu (a thousand British thermal units) or MMBtu (a million Btus).
1-3 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Introduction
The Carbon Cycle and the Role of Greenhouse Gases
The Carbon Cycle is exchanged among the oceans, atmosphere, and
ecosystem. This cycle has been a closed, balanced system for hun-
dreds of thousands of years. This cycle is present in the atmosphere
primarily as carbon dioxide and methane. These two primary green-
house gases uniquely allow light to pass while capturing infrared ener-
gy. This “Greenhouse Effect” directly impacts Earth’s atmospheric en-
ergy and temperatures – without the historic levels of greenhouse gas-
es present in the atmosphere, the average surface temperature of the
Earth would be 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Graphic Representations
Greenhouse Gas Inventories quantify gas emissions in terms of weight
- typically Metric Tons. It is important to understand that these refer-
ences refer to gaseous pollution emissions which enter and occupy
Earth’s atmosphere. To help facilitate an increased awareness of the
order of magnitude our collective GHG emissions represent, some of
the emissions data reported in this report are also graphically repre-
sented in terms of volume of atmosphere. These volumes illustrate
the amount of atmospheric space the referenced greenhouse gas
emissions will occupy where they will remain, actively impacting our
climate for as long as 200 years.
1-4 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Introduction
Greenhouse Gas Impact on Our Climate
Our atmosphere is made up of both Non-Greenhouse and Greenhouse
Gases gasses.
Non-Greenhouse Gases do not react to visible light, nor infrared light.
That means both sunlight and infrared energy pass through them un-
affected, allowing Earth’s heat energy to radiate into space.
Greenhouse Gases also do not react to visible light, however, they DO
react to infrared energy, trapping Earth’s heat energy and reflecting it
back, warming the Earth.
Sunlight
Earth’s Infrared Energy
When sunlight strikes the Earth, it warms the surface and becomes
heat energy – or infrared energy. This infrared energy then radiates
back towards space.
Introduction
Methodology, Sources, and Terminology
This GHG inventory is assembled based on the Greenhouse Gas Proto-
col for businesses and communities established by GHG Protocol
(www.ghgprotocol.org/) and is consistent with the protocol estab-
lished by ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability. The terminology
used in this report is consistent with international Carbon Footprinting
protocols. Unless noted otherwise, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emis-
sions shown in this report are in metric tons of CO2e: Carbon Dioxide
Equivalent. CO2e is a standard for expressing the impact of all green-
house gas including those from other pollutants including methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gasses like Chlorofluorocar-
bons (CFC) in terms of the equivalent amount of CO2 that would have
the same impact.
GHG inventories, generally, arrive at an estimated emission in each
emissions sector by multiplying raw consumption data - total electrici-
ty consumed as an example - by an emissions factor which define the
greenhouse gasses emitted per unit of raw consumption. The chart to
the right illustrates the sources used for all raw consumption and emis-
sion factor data used in the GHG inventory calculations.
GHG Emission Sector Project Resource
Residential Energy Con-
sumption - Electricity
Data Source: Xcel Energy
Emissions Factors: Same as above
Residential Energy Con-
sumption - Natural Gas
Data Source: Centerpoint Energy
Emissions Factors: US EPA
Commercial/Institutional
Energy Consumption - Elec-
tricity
Data Source: Xcel Energy
Emissions Factors: Same as above
Commercial/Institutional
Energy Consumption -
Natural Gas
Data Source: Centerpoint Energy
Emissions Factors: US EPA
Transportation - On Road Data Source: State of Minnesota DOT
Emissions Factors: US EPA MOVES model
Waste - Solid Waste
Data Source: City of Edina, State of Minnesota
Emissions Factors: US EPA Warm Model, State of Min-
nesota Waste Characterization Study
Water and Wastewater
Data Source: City of Edina, Metropolitan Council
Emissions Factors: US Community Protocol population
based emissions models / Fuel Mix Disclosure Report /
US EPA eGRID
What is a Greenhouse Gas Inventory?
A community Greenhouse Gas
(GHG) Inventory follows a standard
protocol to quantify a city’s green-
house gas (GHG) emissions, includ-
ing CO2, CH4, N2O. GHG inventories
fluctuate year-to-year as we change
our energy consumption, get access
to better data, or gain new
knowledge about how GHGs impact
the atmosphere.
What Are GHG’s?
Greenhouse Gases (GHG) absorb
radiation and trap heat in the
Earth’s atmosphere. They are the
basis of the Greenhouse Effect. The
more GHGs there are, the more
heat that is trapped in our atmos-
phere, leading to Global Warming
and Climate Change. GHGs meas-
ured in this inventory include carbon
dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
Why Measure GHG?
As described by David Osborne and
Ted Gaebler “If you don’t measure
results, you can’t tell success from
failure. If you can’t see success, you
can’t reward it. If you can’t see fail-
ure, you can’t correct it.” GHG in-
ventories are useful. Planners need
them, elected officials want them,
and the future may see their devel-
opment as a basic requirement of
state and federal funding.
What is CO2e?
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a GHG
emitted naturally and from fossil
fuel combustion for energy and
heat. Global warming contributions
from other greenhouse gases are
referred to in terms of “carbon diox-
ide equivalent” or CO2e, which rep-
resents the amount of CO2 that
would have the same global warm-
ing potential as other GHGs. Com-
munity GHG inventories are tracked
in terms of metric tons of CO2e.
1-5 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
1-4 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Greenhouse Gas Sectors
Where do GHGs come from?
Energy
Emissions are produced
from the combustion of
natural gas, coal, and
other fossil fuels primari-
ly for heating, cooling,
and electricity genera-
tion.
Transportation
Emissions come from the
combustion of fossil fuels
for ground transportation
and air travel.
Solid Waste
Emissions in the inventory
estimate the decomposition
of biodegradable waste
(e.g., food and yard waste)
in the landfill.
Water + Wastewater
Emissions from energy uses
are calculated for the collec-
tion and treatment of
wastewater.
2-1 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
02 S e c t i o n
Findings in Brief
Click here to
return to TOC
Edina GHG Emissions Overview
Community wide total emissions for the City of Edina have
decreased slightly (1.5%) from 727,384 metric tons in 2013
to 716,715 metric tons in 2019.
2013 By The Numbers 2019 By The Numbers 6 Year Trend Dashboard
GHG Emissions GHG Emissions GHG Emissions
727,384 716,715 -10,669 -1.47%
14.97 MT Per-Capita 13.56 MT Per-Capita -1.42 MT Per-Capita
14.92 MT / Job 16.91 MT / Job +1.99 MT / Job
0.1617 MT / $1,000 GDP 0.1364 MT / $1,000 GDP -0.03 MT / $1,000 GDP
Population Population Population
48,574 52,857 +4,283 +8.82%
GDP GDP GDP
$4,499,007,932 $5,253,794,747 +$754,786,815 +16.78%
$92,622 GDP Per-Capita $99,396 GDP Per-Capita +$6,775 GDP Per-Capita
Employment Employment Employment
48,747 42,386 -6,361 -13.05%
2-2 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
How Large Are Community wide GHG Emissions?
The community’s total emissions for 2019 are equal to 14.1 Billion cubic
feet of man-made greenhouse gas. This volume of atmosphere is equal to a
cube 2,400 feet on each face viewed here from over 2 1/2 miles away.
Think Economic Development is Tied
To Increased Emissions?
Think again! Between 2013 and 2019 the City
was able to decrease it’s GHG emissions by
1.5% while growing it’s economy by 16.8% (pro
rata share of County reporting).
Change in
Change in
Total
GHG Emissions
716,715
Metric Tons
2-3 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Since 2013, electricity con-
sumption has decreased
nearly 11% due largely to
reductions in commercial (-
17.9%) and industrial (-
11.1%) use. Emissions asso-
ciated with electricity, how-
ever, have fallen 26% due to
increased decarbonization of
the electricity provided to
Edina by Xcel Energy.
Unfortunately, natural gas
consumption and emissions
have increased 12.8%.
Since 2013, vehicle miles
traveled (VMT) increased by
13.4% per household—
almost twice the Statewide
increase. VMT per capita in
Edina is 102% of the State of
Minnesota per capita aver-
age.
Air transportation emissions
are not included in this in-
ventory.
Total solid waste handled
per household in Edina have
increased 26.3% since 2013.
Over the same period, total
emissions have increased
19.9%. Emissions increases
would have been much high-
er, however, increases in
recycling and organics collec-
tions have helped to de-
crease per-ton solid waste
emissions in the community.
Per-household wastewater
flows have decreased a little
over 1% since 2013, howev-
er, emissions associated with
wastewater treatment are
estimated to have increased
4.9% due to waste water
process energy consump-
tion. Water consumption
has decreased almost 19%
during the same time period.
Combined, this sector has
decreased emissions 1.8%.
Energy 56.1%
402,150 MT
Electricity 26.6%
Heating Fuel 29.5%
Change Since 2013:
2019 Edina Community Wide
GHG Emissions by Sector
Transportation 40.9%
46,859 MT
Ground 40.9%
Airport Not Included
Change Since 2013:
+12.8%
Ground Transportation:
+12.8% Change in GHG
+13.4% VMT Change Per Household
Solid Waste 1.7%
12,047 MT
Change Since 2013:
Water + Wastewater 0.5%
446 MT
Change Since 2013:
-9.7%
Residential:
-3.6% Change in GHG
+0.7% Electrical Consumption
-1.5% Per Household
+17.8% NG Consumption
+15.2% Per Household
Commercial:
-5.2% Change in GHG
-10.5% Electrical Consumption
+4.1% Per Job
+3.8% NG Consumption
+20.7% Per Job
Industrial:
-21.3% Change in GHG
+0.7% Electrical Consumption
-5.1% Per Job
+19.9%
Solid Waste:
+19.9% Change in GHG
+26.3% Solid Waste Handled
+23.5% Per Household
+14.0% Landfill Tons
+11.5% Per Household
+54.3% Recycled Tons
+50.9% Per Household
+216.4% Organics/Yard Waste
+209.4% Per Household
+1.8%
Wastewater:
+4.9% Change in GHG
-1.1% Wastewater Flows
-1.1% Gallons Per Household
Water
-14.8% Change in GHG
-18.9% Water Flows
-20.7% Gallons Per Household
-14.8% Process Electricity
2-4 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
2019 Edina Municipal Opera-
tions GHG Emissions by Sector
Buildings +
Streetlights 66.4%
7,837 MT
Electricity 43.1%
Heating Fuel 23.3%
Change Since 2013:
-11.3%
Buildings
-11.3% Change in GHG
-5.6% Electricity (kWh)
+19.9% Heating Fuel (BTU)
Municipal
Operations
11,809
Metric Tons Fleet 10.3%
1,214 MT
Change Since 2013:
-8.6%
Ground Transportation:
-8.62% Change in GHG
-7.1% Fuel Consumption
Solid Waste 1.4%
10 MT
Change Since 2013:
+172%
Solid Waste:
+187% Solid Waste Handled
+159% Landfill Tons
+251% Recycled Tons
+620% Organics/Yard Waste
-4.1%
Water + Wastewater:
-3.3% Change in GHG
-18.9% Water Flows
-4.2% Process Electricity
-4.4% Process Fuels
Water + Wastewater 22.2%
2,618 MT
Change Since 2013:
Since 2013, the City’s operations GHG emissions have decreased over 11% for Buildings and Street-
lights, 8.6% for Ground Transportation / fleets, and over 4% for Water and Wastewater. Estimated
emissions for the City’s solid waste, however, have increased 172% in the same timeframe.
As illustrated in the diagram to the left, the total Municipal Operations emissions account for ap-
proximately 1.6% of Community Wide emissions for 2019.
Community Wide
Emissions
Municipal
Operations
Emissions
3-1 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
03 S e c t i o n
Community
Comparison
Click here to
return to TOC
Community Comparison
The results of community GHG inventories vary somewhat due to the information collected and
variations in inventory methodology. Consequently, a direct community-to-community compari-
son should not be viewed as a comprehensive comparison of Greenhouse Gas emission efficien-
cies. We believe, however, that as an emerging practice, municipalities should look towards build-
ing and sharing data in order to develop a stronger understanding of where each municipality can
advance efficiencies and meet Greenhouse Gas reduction goals. In support of this goal, comparing
total community emissions between communities can only be effectively done by adjusting for
differences in overall community population. To make this adjustment, community GHG emissions
are regularly compared based on a per-capita basis.
Understanding Edina’s Per-Capita Community Wide Emissions
As outlined in Section 2, the City of Edina’s 2019 community wide emissions totaled 716,715 met-
ric tons, for a per capita average of 13.6 metric tons (MT). Of course, this number represents only
an average. The actual emissions each individual resident may be responsible for generating can
vary significantly based on a range of personal choices in energy and resource consumption and
waste.
How Large Are Community Wide Per-Capita GHG Emissions?
The City of Edina’s community wide emissions per-capita for 2019 are equal to 267,177 cubic
feet of man-made greenhouse gas. This volume of atmosphere is equal to a cube 6’ feet on each
face.
3-2 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Community Comparison
4-1 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
04 S e c t i o n
GHG Emissions
Forecast
Click here to
return to TOC
GHG Emissions Forecast
Why Create a GHG Emission Forecast?
Increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and consequently, atmospheric
concentrations, will have many effects on our global, regional, and
local climate conditions. Future changes are expected to include a
warmer atmosphere, a warmer and more acidic ocean, more power-
ful storms, broader swings in weather variability, and changes in pre-
cipitation patterns. The extent of future climate change depends our
on-going GHG emissions. The more we emit, the broader our future
climate changes will be. Put another way, the extent of climate
change we experience in the future depends on the policies our com-
munities put into place and the actions we as individuals take to re-
duce greenhouse gas emissions.
A GHG emission forecast supports GHG reduction planning efforts by
anticipating what emissions may be like if actions are not taken. The
potential future trends illustrated in the forecast supports planners in
identifying emission sectors which may benefit from prioritization or
which may harbor the greatest potential benefits for reduction strat-
egies. Finally, the completed GHG emission forecast, combined with
the underlying assumptions used to create the forecast model, can
be used as a GHG reduction projection tool during future climate ac-
tion planning efforts.
4-2 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
GHG Emissions Forecast
Business-As-Usual Forecast
Emissions are typically forecast under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenar-
io. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines a
“business-as-usual” baseline case as the level of emissions that would
result if future development trends follow those of the past and no
changes in policies take place. A BAU forecast assumes that no emission
-reduction actions will be undertaken beyond those already in place, or
committed to, in the base year. The BAU forecast bases future projec-
tions on anticipated demographic changes, such as population changes
and projected jobs within a community.
This approach allows for analysis of a community’s full emissions growth
potential before identifying emissions reduction strategies. As noted
above, BAU emission forecasts are critical in providing insight into the
scale of reductions necessary to achieve an emissions target before con-
sidering reductions likely to result from federal and statewide actions
(e.g., vehicle efficiency standards), inherent technological advance-
ments (e.g., energy-efficient appliances, lighting technology), or new
local voluntary or mandatory conservation efforts (e.g., green building
requirements).
Please see the appendix for a review of all assumptions which have
guided this BAU emission forecast for the City of Edina.
Uncertainty
GHG emissions forecasts are not predictions of what will happen, but
rather modeled projections of what may happen given certain assump-
tions and methodologies. GHG forecasts in this report should be inter-
preted with a clear understanding of the assumptions that inform them
and the limitations inherent in any modeling effort, as articulated in the
forecast assumptions provided. The results of the forecast should be
understood to contain uncertainty. Changes in industry structure over
time, the particular impacts of policies, changing weather and economic
conditions all add variability to how future emissions will develop.
4-3 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Goal for limiting warming to 2°
Current City of Edina GHG reduction goal
Goal for limiting warming to 1.5°
GHG Emissions Forecast
Business-As-Usual Forecast
4-4 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
GHG Emissions Forecast
Business-As-Usual Forecast Summary
Change from 2010 Change from 2010 Change from 2010
2030 GHG Emissions -13.6% 2040 GHG Emissions -20.1% 2050 GHG Emissions -22.8%
Total Annual GHG 628,297 Total Annual GHG 581,204 Total Annual GHG 561,744
Goal Annual GHG 503,267 Goal Annual GHG 330,269 Goal Annual GHG 157,271
Difference 125,030 Difference 250,935 Difference 404,473
Electricity Use Emissions: -60.1% Electricity Use Emissions: -76.6% Electricity Use Emissions: -100.0%
Residential 37,976 Residential 23,655 Residential 0
Commercial 25,052 Commercial 16,423 Commercial 0
Industrial 39,422 Industrial 18,401 Industrial 0
Natural Gas Emissions: 45.9% Natural Gas Emissions: 54.1% Natural Gas Emissions: 76.1%
Residential 140,085 Residential 149,555 Residential 177,632
Commercial/Indust. 133,707 Commercial/Indust, 139,641 Commercial/Indust. 152,821
Transportation Emissions: -13.5% Transportation Emissions: -22.0% Transportation Emissions: -25.6%
VMT (Thousands) 649,228 VMT (Thousands) 717,775 VMT (Thousands) 778,801
Solid Waste Emissions: 46.4% Solid Waste Emissions: 59.0% Solid Waste Emissions: 71.4%
LFG Emissions 14,716 LFG Emissions 15,979 LFG Emissions 17,224
Wastewater+Water : 24.3% Wastewater+Water : 35.0% Wastewater+Water : 43.7%
Wastewater GHG 10,037 Wastewater GHG 10,899 Wastewater GHG 11,748
Water GHG 1,556 Water GHG 1,690 Water GHG 1,822
GHG Emissions Forecast
Understanding Impacts of BAU Forecast
Understanding what the BAU forecast means for Edina may be best
achieved by placing emissions forecasts within a global perspective of
climate change impacts. Global impacts can be viewed through under-
standing difference between 1.5˚ C, 2˚ C, and 4.6˚ C degree global warm-
ing.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nation
Environment Porgramme (UNEP) body for assessing the science relat-
ed to climate change and providing support in climate action policy
making. The scientific consensus of the international IPCC working
groups is to reduce global GHG emissions as needed in order to limit
global warming to 1.5°C. In addition, the Paris Agreement aims to
limit global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels,
considered to be the threshold for dangerous climate change.
The UNEP Emissions Gap Report published in November 2019 calcu-
lates that by 2030, global emissions will need to be 25% lower than
2018, and then reaching 80% reductions by 2050 to put the world on
the least-cost pathway to limiting global warming to below 2°C. To
limit global warming to 1.5°C, the same report finds emissions would
need to be 55% lower than in 2018 and then achieving 90% or greater
reductions by 2050.
The infographic to the left, created by the World Resources Institute
summarizes some of the global climate change impact differences be-
tween reducing global emissions to cap global warming at 1.5°C vs
capping global warming to 2°C. We’ve added an illustration of the
impacts related to a 3.8°C warming - which is where current Edina
Business-as-Usual projections point.
3.8˚C / (6.84°F)
46%+
Annually
1m+
16%
33%
28%
28%+
Unknown
10%+
Source and Graphic: World Resources Institute
4-5 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A1-1 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A1 S e c t i o n
GHG Inventory
Calculation
Summary Sheets
Click here to
return to TOC
Photo: Delius98 via Flickr
A2-1 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
A2 S e c t i o n
GHG Forecast
Assumptions
Click here to
return to TOC
GHG Emissions Forecast
City of Edina GHG Forecast Assumptions:
Demographics:
Population: Total Population projections through 2050 are projected based on
City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Households: Total household counts through 2050 are projected based on
City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Jobs: Total commercial and industrial jobs through 2050 are projected based
on City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Climate Data
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): Projected climate changes for the region will in-
clude increased summer temperatures. The increase in temperatures will
result in an increase, or variability, in air conditioning demand. The fore-
cast calculates annual changes in air conditioning demand based on projec-
tions provided by the “Climate Explorer” tool developed by US NOAA in
support of the National Climate Assessment work. https://crt-climate-
explorer.nemac.org/
Heating Degree Days (HDD): Projected climate changes for the region will in-
clude increased winter temperatures. The increase in temperatures will
result in a decrease, or variability, in building heating demand. The fore-
cast calculates annual changes in heating demand based on projections
provided by the “Climate Explorer” tool developed by US NOAA in support
of the National Climate Assessment work. https://crt-climate-
explorer.nemac.org/
Electricity:
Residential: Demand is based on a per household basis and modified based on
the projected Cooling Degree Days for each year, assuming 15% of electric-
ity is used for cooling (RCP 8.5 model). 50% of projected increased electri-
cal vehicle usage is attributed to residential EV charging.
Commercial and Industrial: Demand is based on a per job basis and modified
based on projected cooling degree days for each year, assuming that 15%
of commercial and 7.5% of industrial electricity is used for cooling. (RCP 8.5
model). 50% of projected increased electrical vehicle usage is attributed to
commercial EV charging.
A2-2 Edina Greenhouse Gas Inventory
GHG Emissions Forecast
All electricity emission factors are calculated using estimated emissions factors
for 2030, 2040, and 2050 based on current, known, supplier commitments.
For electrical suppliers with unknown or unestablished emission commit-
ments, and for electricity purchased from the SERC grid, electricity emission
factors are calculated based on EPA forecasts (https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/
R45453.pdf). Estimated emissions factors are reduced 5% by 2030, 10% by
2040, and 15% by 2050.
Natural Gas:
Residential: Demand is based on a per household basis and modified based on
the projected Heating Degree Days for each year, assuming 75% of natural
gas is used for heating (RCP 8.5 model).
Commercial and Industrial: Demand is based on a per job basis and modified
based on projected heating degree days for each year, assuming that 40% of
commercial and 20% of industrial natural gas is used for heating (RCP 8.5
model).
Natural Gas emissions factors are projected to be unchanged.
Transportation:
Vehicle Miles Traveled is based on US Department of Transportation VMT per
capita projections through 2050 (1.1% annual growth rate through 2037 and
0.8% annual growth rate from 2038 through 2050.
https://www.ffwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/tables/vmt/
vmt_forecast_sum.cfm
Vehicle fuel use is calculated based on US Energy Information Agency projected
rolling stock average fuel efficiency projections, modified to 85% projected
MPG to account for heavy duty vehicle MPG share (based on US Department
of Transportation data on current light duty to average all vehicle MPG rati-
os)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=31332
Total vehicle stock is based on per household projections maintaining existing
average number of vehicles per household.
GHG Emissions Forecast
Electric Vehicle Adoption: National projections expect an increased uptake of
electric vehicles in coming years. The Edison Electric Institute has estimated
that electric vehicle will be 7% of all vehicles on the road in the country by
2030. (http://www.ehcar.net/library/rapport/rapport233.pdf, https://
berla.co/average-us-vehicle-lifespan/).
Solid Waste:
Total Solid Waste handled is based on total number of households and
maintaining existing volume per household and emissions factors per
ton handled.
Wastewater:
Total Wastewater handled is based on total number of households and
maintaining existing volume per household and emissions factors per
household.
Note:
GHG emissions forecasts are not predictions of what will happen, but rather
modeled projections of what may happen given certain assumptions and meth-
odologies. GHG forecasts in this report should be interpreted with a clear under-
standing of the assumptions that inform them and the limitations inherent in any
modeling efhort
Prepared by:
2515 White Bear Ave, A8
Suite 177
Maplewood, MN 55109
Contact:
Ted Redmond
tredmond@paleBLUEdot.llc