Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Stony Brook University maintains on an annual basis a comprehensive report on utility cost and consumption. Much of the data used in the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory was gathered from this source. We also relied on information provided by the staff at the cogeneration facility that services the university. Our Department of Transportation and Parking Operations provided us with the fuel information from the University fleet. 

Reporting Year	Scope 1 (MTCO2e)	Scope 2 (MTCO2e)	Total Emissions	% Reduction from Baseline
1990 (Baseline Year)	114,027	123,311	237,338	--
2010	148,254	23,501	171,755	28%
2012	148,526	19,409	167,935	29%
2014	160,695	17,220	177,915	25%
2015	151,404	17,393	168,797	29%
2016	152,078	17,494	169,573	29%
2017	153,846	14,089	167,935	29%
2018	159,579	14,585	174,164	27%
2019	149,742	18,103	167,845	29%
2020	129,309	11,528	140,884	41%
2021	129,080	21,678	150,846	36%
2022	132,168	19,129	151,297	36%

Changes to Operational Boundaries

As part of SBU's commitment to tracking GHG emissions from the past decade, a change was made to the university's baseline data. In addition to the completed inventories that cover 2014 up to the current year, SBU has changed its baseline year to 1990 in order to track progress towards state energy requirements. As a state entity, SBU is required to reduce GHG emissions  to meet EO22 goals.

The decision to use 1990 as SBU's baseline year will provide a clear picture of how effective university conservation measures have been on total university emissions. In order to remain consistent regarding future inventories, SBU will continue to include these boundaries in our emission reduction strategies.

Baseline Results

The total emissions found in the new baseline year of 1990 were 237,388 MTCO₂e. This figure was fairly equally distributed between Scope 1 and Scope 2, with 52% of emissions being indirect (Scope 2). The majority of these indirect emissions were from consuming purchased energy. Emissions sources from 1990 are displayed in Figure 1 below.

GHG Emissions 2010-2019

Starting in 2019, SBU has committed to preparing an annual GHG Emissions Inventory for the university using the SIMAP tool, created by The Sustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to completing the university’s 2019 report, SBU has also submitted emissions inventories for the past five years. These reports together with the existing inventories filed in 2010 and 2012 provide a clear look at the progress made in relation to the 1990 baseline.

With the completion of the 2019 inventory, SBU is reporting a 36.81% reduction in net emissions against the baseline year. These figures place SBU in good standing in their goal to accomplish a 40% reduction in net emissions by 2030, as per the New York State Energy Plan requirements. Net emission figures are represented below.

 

Scope 1

When comparing current day emissions to those from 1990, SBU has shown a slight increase of 16.53% in Scope 1 emissions. Much of this increase is the direct result of the 45 megawatt cogeneration facility operating on SBU campus since 1995. Since 2010, increased efficiency in the cogeneration plant has led to a 10.53% decrease in Scope 1 emissions at SBU. Net Scope 1 emissions are shown below.

 

Scope 2

The introduction of the cogeneration plant in 1995 also had a dramatic effect on the university’s Scope 2 emissions. As shown in figure 4 below, SBU’s Scope 2 emissions have decreased over 85% since 1990. Additionally, SBU has seen its Scope 2 emissions decrease over 27% since 2010, meaning the reduction perhaps goes deeper than just a change in source.