Carbon Management Requires Energy Management (ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry 2021)

Ambitious zero carbon, zero net carbon, and scientifically-based carbon targets are being taken up by manufacturers around the world and coupled with reporting requirements from groups including U.S. EPA, World Resources Institute, and CDP. Targets and reporting requirements are often pushed down to manufacturing facilities by corporate management. To meet climate change goals manufacturers have to weigh many factors, which is made all the more difficult by the challenge of economically measuring carbon output. Decisions manufactures face include: What new technologies are needed? What systems should be focused on? Should renewable energy credits be procured? Should carbon-free energy source contracts be negotiated? Can targets be met without capital outlays, and what should dictate priorities? Directly from the combustion of fossil fuels and indirectly from the consumption of grid electricity, CO2 is by volume the dominant greenhouse gas emitted by the manufacturing sector; carbon management thus requires energy management. A continual improvement framework for managing energy integrated into the daily business practices of manufacturing facilities will enable the development of flexible, customized roadmaps to meet carbon objectives and report results consistent with requirements, all while keeping focus on core business operations. This presentation explores how the ISO 50001 energy management framework can be adapted to manage carbon, including assessing and making use of energy efficiency, new technologies, renewable energy, demand response, time of use, and other strategies.