Energy Tool User Guide

1About the tool

The Energy tool calculates CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O from fuel combustion and fuel systems using the methods of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines, Volume 2. It is built for teams preparing national, subnational, sectoral or facility-level inventories in any country. Data entry, the CRF Table 1 inventory and forward-looking mitigation scenarios all run in one workspace.

• Gases: CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O, reported by gas (Gg) and as CO₂-equivalent with the selected GWP set.
• Method tier: Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 can be chosen per module and per year.
• Biomass CO₂ and international bunker fuels are reported as memo items and kept out of the national total.

2Quick start

These steps take you through your first calculation. Each is explained in its own section.

1. 1

   Complete the inventory profile

   On the start sheet, enter the reporting entity, the inventory boundary and the country. The country sets the defaults on the other sheets.

2. 2

   Add an analysis year

   One year, or several for a time series and year-on-year comparison.

3. 3

   Select and confirm a GWP set

   AR4, AR5 or AR6. The choice applies to every module.

4. 4

   Open a module and pick a tier

   Open the module from the left-hand menu and choose Tier 1, 2 or 3 from the cards above the worksheet.

5. 5

   Enter activity data

   Fuel, unit and quantity. Results update instantly in the panel on the right.

6. 6

   Add to inventory

   The Add to Inventory button in the bottom bar books the result to the selected year.

7. 7

   Review and export

   Check CRF Table 1 in Results, then download it as PDF or Excel.

3Start sheet and core settings

Start-sheet settings apply to every module. The three-step strip at the top (inventory profile, analysis year, GWP version) shows which are complete.

4Key concepts and units

Activity entered as mass or volume is converted to energy (TJ) with the net calorific value (NCV) before an emission factor is applied. CO₂ also uses an oxidation fraction, since not all carbon may burn.

The unit list adapts to the fuel. TJ, GJ and ktoe are always offered; tonnes and Gg for fuels with a mass NCV; litres for liquids with a known density; Sm³ for gases with a volumetric NCV.

5Stationary combustion (1A1–1A4)

Covers fuel burned in fixed installations such as boilers, furnaces, turbines, engines and heaters. The fuel registry holds 58 fuels: 13 solid, 21 liquid, 9 gaseous and 15 biomass. Each row is booked to a sub-sector and a CRF detail row (Annex A).

Biomass fuels: Wood / Wood Waste, Charcoal, Sulphite Lyes (Black Liquor), Bagasse, Animal Waste (Dry Weight), Other Primary Solid Biomass, Biogas, Landfill Gas, Sludge Gas, Biogasoline, Biodiesel, Other Liquid Biofuels, Municipal Solid Waste (biogenic), Industrial Waste, Waste Oils. Their CO₂ goes to the memo item; CH₄ and N₂O count toward the total.

6Mobile combustion (1A3)

Transport emissions are calculated on five tabs. On each, you pick fuel and technology; inputs are normalised to TJ. CRF detail rows are in Annex B.

Road Tier 2 covers 12 vehicle technologies: Gasoline — uncontrolled; Gasoline — oxidation catalyst; Gasoline — 3-way catalyst (low km, vintage 1995+); Gasoline — 3-way catalyst (high km); Diesel — uncontrolled; Diesel — moderate control; Diesel — advanced (Euro 4+); LPG — uncontrolled; LPG — 3-way catalyst; Natural Gas (CNG/LNG); Ethanol — trucks (US); Ethanol — cars (Brazil).

7Fugitive emissions (1B)

Covers gases released unintentionally during the production, processing, transport and distribution of fuels. The guideline selector at the top of the sheet (2006 / 2019 Refinement) sets the default factors in this module.

8Carbon capture and storage (1C)

Accounts for CO₂ lost during transport, injection and storage of captured CO₂ (2006 IPCC Guidelines Vol. 2 Ch. 5).

9Reference approach

Produces a top-down CO₂ estimate from national primary fuel supply and checks the sectoral approach (1A) independently. IPCC treats this comparison as a mandatory quality-assurance step.

10Results and CRF Table 1

Everything added to the inventory comes together in Results in the CRF Table 1 structure: subtotals for 1A fuel combustion, 1B fugitive emissions and 1C CO₂ transport and storage, plus the energy-sector total.

11Scenario modelling

The Scenario module projects forward from the energy results in your inventory. Inventory data loads automatically; a scenario cannot be built on an empty inventory.

• BAU scenario: built from a growth rate or a year-by-year activity projection.
• Mitigation scenario: linked to a BAU scenario, it shows the deviation at milestone years from measures chosen among 31 energy mitigation options (Annex C).
• Years between milestones are filled with the method you choose: linear, exponential, S-curve, polynomial, step or custom.
• Outputs: scenario comparison table and pathway charts (Excel and PNG).

12Saving, importing and exporting

During a trial or without a licence you can calculate, save and preview the report as a watermarked PDF. Excel, image and unwatermarked PDF outputs need a paid licence. Work files and blank import templates are always available.

13Worked examples

Example 1 — Office campus, natural gas, Tier 1. A campus burns 1,000,000 Sm³ of natural gas a year. Sub-sector 1A4a Commercial, fuel natural gas, unit Sm³, IPCC default factors.

Example 2 — Manufacturing site, residual fuel oil, Tier 1. A plant burns 500 tonnes of residual fuel oil a year. Sub-sector 1A2 Manufacturing, IPCC default factors.

14Verification and quality control

15Troubleshooting

16Glossary

17References

• IPCC (2006). 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 2: Energy.
• IPCC (2019). 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines, Volume 2: Energy, Chapter 4.
• IPCC AR4 WG1 Table 2.14, AR5 WG1 Table 8.7, AR6 WG1 Table 7.SM.7 — GWP100 values.
• UNFCCC. Common Reporting Format, Table 1 (Energy).

Revision history