Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP)

City of Ashland – Greenhouse Gas Inventory (2011 – 2015) 33 were assigned the average Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) energy generation GHG intensity. NWPP emissions factors are provided by the EPA eGRID data tables. All utility GHG emissions presented in this report are represented in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e). The GHG calculations use the global warming potentials (GWP) as defined in the International Panel on Climate Change’s 5th Assessment Report (IPCC AR5). There are inherent problems with TCR’s Electric Power Sector Protocol accounting methodology when it’s applied to publically-owned utilities in our region because of the scale of BPA power generation and the way in which BPA power is preferentially distributed to publically-owned utilities. This inventory for Ashland mostly represents an inventory of BPA power. Therefore it is not recommended that Ashland continue to conduct this inventory in the future. It is clear from this accounting that Ashland’s owned and contracted-electricity supply resources are low-carbon. The results of this inventory for Ashland’s Electric Utility will not change significantly over time, and will always be correlated with BPA’s electricity generation resource mix. The TCR protocol focuses on emissions from generation of electricity supply, which is appropriate for many electric utilities around the country and around the globe as they move towards renewable electricity generation and away from fossil fuels. Focusing on supply is not as appropriate or useful for small, publically owned utilities served by BPA. For these utilities, it could be argued that the focus should be on energy efficiency and conservation, and cost effective, local renewable generation. In other words - efforts to reduce peak and overall demand by Ashland for grid generated electricity. By reducing demand for grid power, low-carbon BPA electricity can be redirected back to the regional grid to reduce the need for generation from fossil fuels; thereby lowering emissions from the regional electricity grid. It is anticipated that in the future, Oregon’s Clean Power Plan will provide additional guidance on how to best account for climate impacts and help define the most effective means of mitigation for specific communities. Inventory Boundaries The boundary of the Utility Inventory is defined by a) sources of power generation owned by Ashland’s Municipal Electric Utility and b) the electricity, from any source, distributed, transmitted and delivered by the Utility. Together these sources are comprised of electricity generated and delivered by the Utility’s hydro plant and community solar installation and BPA electricity delivered to Utility customers. The Utility also distributes electricity directly to some Pacific Power customers under an agreement with Pacific Power and emissions associated with these deliveries are within this inventory’s boundaries. Data Collection Good Company worked with Adam Hanks, Project Manager for the City of Ashland to collect the data required to calculate emissions. Primary data collection for the FY2011-2015