Renewable Energy Technologies Flashcards

A solar developer claims their project achieves carbon neutrality through on-site generation. A CAP auditor should note that this claim ignores which critical factor?

Answer: Embodied carbon from panel manufacturing and infrastructure

Carbon neutrality claims must account for embodied emissions from manufacturing, transportation, and construction, which represent the majority of a solar project's lifecycle footprint.

Under the EPA's eGRID system, what does an emissions rate expressed as 'lb CO₂e/MWh' represent for a specific grid subregion?

Answer: The average emission intensity of all generation in that subregion

eGRID subregion emission rates represent the average emission intensity across all generation sources (both fossil and renewable) within that electrical grid area.

Which metric is most appropriate for comparing the carbon efficiency of different renewable energy technologies during the pre-operational phase?

Answer: Greenhouse gas intensity per kWh (lifecycle)

Lifecycle GHG intensity (gCO₂e/kWh) normalizes emissions across the full project life and installed capacity, enabling valid comparisons between technologies during planning.

Floating solar PV systems (floatovoltaics) offer a specific environmental co-benefit that is relevant to carbon accounting. What is it?

Answer: Reduced water evaporation from reservoirs can offset some lifecycle emissions

Floatovoltaics significantly reduce water evaporation from reservoirs, which can be quantified as an environmental benefit in comprehensive project sustainability assessments.

A carbon auditor reviewing a wind farm's Scope 3 Category 11 emissions would examine which data source?

Answer: End-user electricity consumption patterns downstream

Scope 3 Category 11 covers use-of-sold-products emissions; for a wind farm operator selling electricity, this means downstream consumption of that electricity by end users.

What is the primary purpose of a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) in the context of US carbon and renewable energy accounting?

Answer: To provide tradeable proof that one MWh of renewable electricity was generated

RECs are tradeable certificates representing the environmental attributes of one MWh of renewable generation, enabling market-based Scope 2 accounting separate from physical electricity flows.

Which international standard provides the framework for quantifying and reporting the carbon footprint of renewable energy products on a lifecycle basis?

Answer: ISO 14040/14044 (LCA)

ISO 14040 and 14044 define the methodology for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which is the standard framework for quantifying environmental impacts including GHG emissions across a product's full lifecycle.