Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development
This domain tests how energy decisions affect environmental performance and long-term viability. Expect greenhouse-gas accounting, scopes, carbon intensity, renewable energy, lifecycle carbon, and net-zero hierarchy.
Core rules
- GHG Protocol scopes: Scope 1 direct fuel combustion; Scope 2 purchased electricity/steam; Scope 3 value-chain emissions.
- Scope 2 can be reported location-based (grid average) or market-based (contracts/RECs), but the two must not be mixed.
- Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) converts gases by global warming potential.
- Reduce before replacing: efficiency and demand reduction usually lower cost and carbon before adding renewables.
- Lifecycle thinking separates operational carbon from embodied carbon in materials and construction.
- Renewable claims depend on ownership, contract instruments, and additionality rules.
Worked example
A site uses 1,200,000 kWh/year. The grid factor is 0.40 kg CO2e/kWh, so location-based Scope 2 = 1,200,000 × 0.40 = 480,000 kg = 480 tCO2e. On-site solar supplies 300,000 kWh and is consumed on site, cutting purchased electricity to 900,000 kWh; emissions become 360 tCO2e, a 120 t reduction. If the site instead buys RECs, report the market-based result separately and do not subtract the same RECs again.
Traps
Do not double count renewable attributes. Do not compare a location-based baseline with a market-based report without saying so. Do not ignore embodied carbon or Scope 3 when the boundary includes them. Match the boundary to the claim.