Carbon Emissions from Cities (Carbocount-CITY)

Challenge Platform: Greenhouse Gas Monitoring

Project Start Date: 09/2012

Lead partner: CEA, France

Project type: Innovation – Develops and brings to market climate- relevant knowledge, services and products

Project lead: Frédéric Baron, CEA

Partners

This project involves 5 partners in 1 European country:

Concept

Current data on urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is neither detailed nor accurate enough. This means that the sources producing the most GHG emissions cannot be pinpointed, and so little can be done to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions in these areas. Carbocount-CITY’s objective is to improve the way in which emissions data is recorded, by providing more detailed information on the sources of GHG emissions and offering structured feedback on where improvements in efficiency can be made to reduce emissions.

The climate change issue

A huge percentage of the world’s CO2 emissions can be attributed to large cities. Currently, cities producing particularly large quantities of GHGs are able to remain somewhat unaccountable for this due to a lack of accurate data on the overall quantities of annual CO2 emissions, and their exact source. Current data systems in place on greenhouse emissions are not detailed or precise enough, and rarely are they based on observational evidence. Because of this, it is difficult to identify the areas where energy efficiency can be improved, and so to effectively reduce emissions, more clarity of information is absolutely necessary.

The Project Solution

Carbocount-CITY aims to provide this clarity by developing an improved and cost-effective emissions measurement system with the potential to be replicated in all megacities across Europe. The system uses the successful aspects of the existing infrastructure (for instance using current monitoring stations to house new sensor tools), but improves on it with atmospheric measurement to create a system which provides sufficient accurate data on the nature and the specific sources of emissions. The system is being trialled in two European cities, using new sensors and processes to take and report accurate measurements. The data provided by these tools will be used to assess how to improve overall energy efficiency and eventually create a marketable and replicable model for reducing greenhouse emissions in multiple cities.

The role of Climate-KIC

Climate-KIC has provided Carbocount-CITY with the funds needed to increase the scope and overall effectiveness of the project. They have also provided the project with an invaluable network of private partners and research laboratories with shared objectives, allowing better efficiency and a more holistic knowledge of the sector.