Requirements and guidelines according to the GHG Protocol
Category 1.3 of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol covers fugitive emissions resulting from the unintentional release of greenhouse gases (GHG) from industrial processes or infrastructure. These include, among others:
Leakage from refrigeration and air conditioning systems,
Leaking emissions from gas transport and storage facilities,
Diffuse emissions from industrial production processes,
Methane release from mines or landfills,
Emissions from the operation of high-voltage switchgear (SF6).
The GHG Protocol requires companies to systematically record and document all direct fugitive emissions. These emissions fall under Scope 1 (direct emissions) and must be calculated on the basis of measurements, estimates or standardized emission factors.
Important requirements
Source identification: Companies should systematically identify all potential sources of fugitive emissions.
Measurement methods: If direct measurements are not available, standardized estimation methods or emission factors should be used.
Preventive maintenance: Regular maintenance and leak testing can help to reduce emissions.
Data validation: The collected data should be regularly checked for plausibility.
Reporting period: All data should be documented consistently and within a clearly defined reporting period.
Units: Emissions should be documented in standardized units such as kilograms or tons of CO2e.
Recording in NetCero
Follow these steps to record fugitive emissions in NetCero:
Create activity: record emission sources (e.g. leaks from refrigerant systems or methane losses) as separate activities in the system.
Assign responsibility: Designate a responsible person to oversee data collection.
Assign recording object: Assign each activity to the correct business unit to ensure clear allocation of Emissions.
Select emission factors: Users standardized emission factors from the NetCero database.
Define your own emission factors: If more accurate company-specific factors are available, these can be added manually.
Document emissions: Record emission values directly in the table within the activity - based on measurements, estimates or standardized calculations.
Automatic Emission Calculation: NetCero calculates the emissions per activity and integrates them into the overall balance.
Examples of fugitive emissions
Example 1: Refrigerant losses in office buildings
A company operates several air conditioning systems with synthetic refrigerants. Over the course of a year, 20 kg of the refrigerant R-410A are released due to leaks. If the emission factor for R-410A is 2,088 kg CO2e/kg, the emissions are:
20 kg x 2,088 kgCO2e/kg = 41,760 kgCO2e (41.76 tCO2e)
Example 2: Methane losses in a natural gas production plant
A company operates a natural gas processing plant from which 500 m3 of methane escapes unintentionally every year. If the emission factor for methane is 25 kg CO2e/m3 , the emissions are
500 m3 x 25 kgCO2e/m3 = 12,500 kgCO2e (12.5 tCO2e)
Example 3: SF6 emissions from high-voltage systems
An energy supplier uses switchgear with sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Due to leakages, 5 kg of SF6 are released annually. If the emission factor for SF6 is 23,500 kg CO2e/kg, the emissions are:
5 kg x 23,500 kgCO2e/kg = 117,500 kgCO2e (117.5 tCO2e)
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