Tomas Salas | MEL Candidate | Dec 16, 2022
Mentor: Abhik Bera, Schneider Electric
Abstract
Aligned to the UBC Climate Action Plan 2030 to achieve Net Zero Operational Emissions in buildings, this project analyzes the techno–economic feasibility of implementing Distributed Energy Resources (DER) to reduce GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity (Scope 2). The alternatives studied are Photovoltaic generation on–site and battery energy storage systems, and it concludes with the presentation of the value stream and recommendations.
During the analysis, a concern arose. BC electric grid’s carbon intensity is low because it is highly dependent on renewable generation, primarily hydro. However, the grid is interconnected to the US and Alberta, where electricity generation depends more on fossil fuels, making their grids have higher carbon intensity. This report also presents an alternative study of reductions in GHG emissions by considering the imported energy, leaving the question of whether a different carbon allocation or way to evaluate projects may help to further reduce emissions.