University City Greenhouse Gas Report

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Kilowatt Hour (kWh) - The electrical energy unit of measure equal to one thousand watts of power supplied to, or taken from, an electric circuit steadily for one hour. Methane (CH) - A GHG, consisting of a single carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms, 4 possessing a GWP of 21, and produced through the anaerobic decomposition of waste in landfills, animal digestion, decomposition of animal waste, production and distribution of natural gas and petroleum, coal production, and incomplete fossil fuel combustion. Metric Ton (tonne) - A common international measurement for the quantity of GHG emissions, equivalent to 1,000 kg and approximately 2,205 lbs. This unit is also referred to as a tonne or metric tonne. MMBtu - BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. MMBtu represents one million BTU. These units are used to describe the heat value or energy content of a fuel. More specifically, a BTU is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of liquid water by one degree Fahrenheit at a constant pressure of one atmosphere. Mobile Combustion - Emissions from the combustion of fuels in transportation sources (e.g. cars, trucks, buses, trains, airplanes, and marine vessels) and emissions from non-road equipment cannot move under its own power but that is transported from site to site (e.g., an emergency generator) is a stationary, not a mobile, combustion source. Natural Gas - A naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons (e.g. methane) produced in geological formations beneath the earth’s surface that maintains a gaseous state at standard atmospheric temperature and pressure under ordinary conditions. Nitrous Oxide (NO) - A GHG, consisting of two nitrogen atoms and a single oxygen atom, 2 possessing a GWP of 310, and typically generated as a result of soil cultivation practices, particularly the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning. Operational Boundaries - The boundaries that determine the direct and indirect emissions associated with operations within the entity’s organizational boundaries. Process Emissions - Emissions from physical or chemical processing rather than from fuel combustion. Examples include emissions from manufacturing cement, aluminum, adipic acid, ammonia, etc. Scope - Defines the operational boundaries in relation to indirect and direct GHG emissions. Stationary Combustion - Emissions from the combustion of fuels to produce electricity, steam, heat, or power using equipment (boilers, furnaces, etc.) in a fixed location. 2010-2011 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, City of University City, MO 40