Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the monitoring of carbon emissions and, more particularly, to a system and method for calculating real-time carbon emissions at a distribution substation level and at an individual device level.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Americans emit over seven billion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. Most of the electricity Americans currently receive is sourced from power plants that use fossil fuels to generate electricity.
Consumers of energy, whether individuals, corporations, or other entities, have become increasingly concerned with energy consumption in its conventional form. This is manifested in the global energy crisis, the effect fossil fuels are having on the environment, and other social concerns. Increasingly, the world community is seeking alternatives to reduce the impact of fossil fuels which include coal, oil, or natural gas. These alternatives include reducing overall consumption, increasing energy efficiency, and exploiting natural and renewable resources.
It is the burning of fossil fuels that is largely responsible for greenhouse gas emissions which have now been linked to climate change. Climate change includes human activities that alter the atmospheric conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, wind, etc.) or affect the land surface of the earth (e.g., deforestation, reforestation, urbanization, desertification, etc.). Climate change caused by excessive fossil fuel use has also been associated with an increase in severe weather events, including higher temperatures, melting icecaps, flooding and drought.
Climate change and environmental protection awareness have created a need for both a reduction in energy consumption and carbon emission calculation tools for tracking the carbon footprint of people and industries, with norms and efficiency targets being devised by governments and environmental protection agencies to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints.
One mechanism to address the desire to reduce energy consumption is the implementation of demand response (“DR”) systems—which is a technology-enabled economic rationing system for electric power supply. In DR systems, voluntary rationing is accomplished by price incentives—offering lower net unit pricing in exchange for reduced power consumption in peak periods. DR systems and their programs are thus designed to decrease electricity consumption or shift it from on-peak to off-peak periods depending on consumers' preferences and lifestyles—thereby attempting to reduce the amount of power that needs to be generated by a power generation plant during peak periods and thereby reduce the accompanying burning of fossil fuels.
In calculating carbon emission for tracking the carbon footprint of people and industries, existing carbon emission calculators are deployed only at a power generation plant level. However, the useage of such carbon emission calculators at the power generation plant level provides only a rough estimate of carbon emissions, with it being recognized that there is no mechanism to calculate the exact carbon footprint at the distribution level or at the electrical device level (i.e., for each electrical device connected to the utility). As one example, there is no existing way to accurately estimate carbon reduction emissions resulting from generation of solar power at the load/distribution side. As another example, there is no existing way (except for estimation methods presently in use) of determining the reduction of carbon emissions associated with DR events, as the utility/generation facility is not aware of the true responsiveness of the loads associated with the DR control.
The inability of the utility to determine the reduction of carbon emissions in real time and, in particular, with the DR events prevents the utility from being able to gauge exactly which geographical areas are employing/implementing “green” technologies or factors, or to-say “green savvy” areas, and which geographical areas are not. Accordingly, there is no way to identify the potential areas within a utility coverage region that are emitting a maximum level of carbon gasses and recommending solutions to reduce such emissions.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method capable of automatically determining the carbon emissions at each of a device and substation level. It would further be desirable to allow for the calculated values to be aggregated at the utility level to geographically visualize the high-emission areas and green geographical areas. With solar power data at distribution level also being considered, an accurate manner of assessing carbon emissions in a particular industry or locality can be provided.