The Project Protocol presents two procedures for estimating baseline emissions associated with a project activity’s primary effect: the project-specific and performance standard procedures. This blog provides brief guidance on when one procedure may be preferable to the other.
Requirements
For each primary effect associated with a project activity the project developer shall select and justify the choice of baseline procedure used to estimate baseline emissions.
Guidance
I. Selecting and Justifying a Baseline Procedure
1.Performance Standard Procedure: When is it preferred?
- Multiple Similar Projects:
- Scenario: If you have many similar projects happening in the same area.
- Why: Making a general performance standard (a set level of performance) could be cheaper and easier than analyzing each project individually. Once a standard is set for one project, it can be applied to others if they are similar.
- Scenario: If you have many similar projects happening in the same area.
- Difficult to Get Data:
- Scenario: When it’s hard to get reliable information about different ways of doing the project.
- Why: Performance standard only needs data about how much greenhouse gas is emitted. It doesn’t need detailed info on problems or benefits. If getting information about the alternatives is tough, using a performance standard might be better.
- Scenario: When it’s hard to get reliable information about different ways of doing the project.
- Confidentiality Issues:
- Scenario: When there are concerns about keeping project data private.
- Why: The project-specific procedure requires sharing details about problems and benefits. If that includes confidential information, developers might prefer the performance standard. But sometimes, even getting enough data for a standard can be tricky because of confidentiality.
- Scenario: When there are concerns about keeping project data private.
2. Project-Specific Procedure: When is it preferred?
- Limited Baseline Options or Hard-to-Get Emission Data:
- Scenario: When there aren’t many choices for the baseline (the starting point for measuring emissions), or getting emission data is tough.
- Why: The performance standard needs precise data for each facility or site. If the data is too small or hard to get, making a good standard might be tricky. In such cases, the project-specific approach, which looks at the technology or practice instead of individual sites, might be more suitable.
- Scenario: When there aren’t many choices for the baseline (the starting point for measuring emissions), or getting emission data is tough.
II. USING A COMBINATION OF BASELINE PROCEDURES
Combining Baseline Procedures:
- Scenario: In some situations, it might make sense to use both the project-specific and performance standard procedures together when estimating baseline emissions.
- Why: Imagine you’re trying to figure out the starting point for measuring emissions in a project. Normally, you could use the project-specific approach (looking at specific technologies or practices) or the performance standard approach (setting a general rule for performance). But sometimes, neither method alone perfectly fits the situation.
How it Works:
- Project-Specific Approach:
- This method involves looking at the specific technologies, practices, or delivery systems associated with the project.
- It’s like analyzing the details of how things are done and what technologies are in use.
- This method involves looking at the specific technologies, practices, or delivery systems associated with the project.
- Performance Standard Approach:
- This method sets a standard level of performance or emissions that should be met.
- It’s like having a general rule that can be applied to similar projects.
- This method sets a standard level of performance or emissions that should be met.
Combining Them:
- You can use the performance standard approach to describe one of the alternatives in the project-specific procedure.
- For example, if one alternative is continuing the current way of doing things, you might use the performance standard to define the expected level of emissions in that case.
When is it Useful:
- It’s helpful when the baseline scenario (the starting point) is a mix of different technologies, practices, or delivery systems.
- For instance, if your project involves electricity generation that uses a mix of different technologies, combining the procedures can provide a more accurate estimate of the baseline emissions.
Important Note: If you decide to use a combination of baseline procedures, you need to go through both methods completely. It’s not about picking and choosing parts from each method; it’s about using the strengths of both to get a more accurate overall picture.
