Landfill Gas Destruction and Beneficial Use Projects, Version 2.0

Introduction

This document outlines the Guardian policy created I accordance to the ACR Landfill Gas Methodology v2.0, titled “Methodology for the Quantification, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions and Removals from Landfill Gas Destruction and Beneficial Use Projects.” Developed by the American Carbon Registry (ACR), this methodology offers a comprehensive framework for quantifying emissions reductions through the destruction or utilization of landfill gas (LFG). By converting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into energy or other beneficial uses, this methodology provides a robust pathway for generating high-quality carbon offset credits.

Need and Use

This methodology supports project developers aiming to reduce methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills by capturing and converting LFG. It establishes clear protocols for baseline emissions, additionality, monitoring, and verification, ensuring accurate accounting and credit generation. It also provides flexibility for the inclusion of innovative technologies, such as automated gas collection systems, to enhance collection efficiency.

The framework enables projects to:

a. Quantify methane destruction and beneficial uses.

b. Generate credible and tradable carbon offset credits.

c. Encourage environmentally sustainable and economically viable landfill management practices.

U.S. Landfills and Methane Collection Benefits

Landfills in the United States are a significant source of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 28 to 36 times greater than carbon dioxide over 100 years. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the country. Capturing and utilizing landfill gas (LFG), which consists primarily of methane and carbon dioxide, offers substantial environmental and economic benefits. Methane collection systems reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve local air quality, and mitigate odor issues. Additionally, captured methane can be converted into renewable energy or processed for injection into natural gas pipelines, providing a sustainable energy source while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. These practices not only contribute to climate change mitigation but also support a circular economy by turning waste into valuable resources.

Monitoring and Quantification Approach

Key components of the monitoring and quantification process include:

LFG Collection and Destruction: Continuous monitoring of gas flow and methane content using calibrated devices.
Baseline Emissions: Determined using modeled or measured methane generation and collection efficiency data.
Emission Reductions: Quantified by subtracting project emissions (e.g., from fossil fuel combustion or electricity use) from baseline emissions.
Leakage: Leakage emissions are deemed negligible under this methodology.

The methodology provides default factors and customizable parameters, ensuring flexibility while maintaining data accuracy and transparency.

Project Eligibility and Additionality

Eligible projects under this methodology include:

Destruction of LFG using open or enclosed flares.
Conversion of LFG to energy in turbines, boilers, or engines.
Injection of processed LFG into natural gas pipelines.
Use of automated gas collection systems to enhance collection efficiency.

Additionality must be demonstrated using one of the following approaches:

A performance-based standard combined with a regulatory surplus test.
ACR’s three-prong additionality test, addressing regulatory surplus, common practice, and financial barriers.

Demo Video

Youtube

Policy Workflow

Policy Import

This policy is published to Hedera network and can either be imported via Github (.policy file) or IPSF timestamp.

Available Roles

1. Project Proponent

The Project Proponent is responsible for the overall management and execution of the project. Key responsibilities include:

Submitting project submission reports and documentation to the Standard Registry and assigning Verifiers.
Ensuring compliance with relevant methodologies and standards.
Coordinating with stakeholders to facilitate project activities and reporting.

2. Verifier(s)

Verifiers are independent entities tasked with assessing the accuracy and validity of the project’s emissions reductions claims. Their key responsibilities include:

Conducting thorough reviews of project documentation and emissions data.
Performing on-site inspections and audits as necessary.
Providing verification reports to the Project Proponent and Standard Registry.
Ensuring adherence to the agreed-upon methodologies and standards.

3. Standard Registry

The Standard Registry serves as the authoritative body for maintaining project records. Responsibilities include:

Managing the registration and tracking of approved projects.
Overseeing compliance with established protocols and procedures.

Important Schemas

Project Proponent: The Project Proponent is the individual or organization responsible for initiating and managing the emission reduction project. Their profile includes company information, such as legal name, registration details, and project-specific contacts, as well as personal information of key personnel involved in the project.

Verifier: The Verifier is an independent third-party entity tasked with assessing the emission reduction project’s claims. Their form collects detailed information about the verifying organization, including its credentials, contact details, and the qualifications of the personnel conducting the verification.

Project Listing Form: The Project Listing Form is a formal document that Project Proponents complete to outline the details of their emission reduction project. It typically includes project objectives, baseline emissions, methodologies to be used, and information on stakeholder consultations, serving as a foundational tool for project approval and registration.

Project Plan: The Project Plan schema outlines the foundational details of a project, including its scope, objectives, implementation strategy, and monitoring framework. It serves as a comprehensive blueprint for the quantification, monitoring, and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. Key components include:

Project location and boundary.
Description of technology and methodology used.
Baseline emissions determination.
Data monitoring, collection, and reporting procedures.

Project Specific Conflict of Interest: The Conflict of Interest (COI) Form schema ensures transparency and impartiality in the project validation and verification processes. It captures declarations from relevant stakeholders, particularly validators and verifiers, to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest. Key fields include:

Declaration of relationships with the project developer or related entities.
Financial or professional interests in the project’s outcomes.
Past involvement in the project’s development or consultation.

Validation Report: The Project Validation Report provides a comprehensive assessment of the emission reduction project after a validation process. It details the findings of the verifier, including compliance with methodologies, the accuracy of reported emission reductions, and any identified discrepancies or recommendations for improvement.

Validation Opinion: The Validation Opinion schema documents the independent evaluation of a project’s design, ensuring it adheres to the applicable methodology, standards, and guidelines.

Monitoring Report: The Monitoring Report is a periodic document prepared by the Project Proponent that tracks the project’s performance and emission reductions over time. It includes data on actual emissions, project activities, and compliance with monitoring requirements, ensuring that stakeholders are informed about ongoing progress and results.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment: The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment schema provides a structured framework to evaluate the potential environmental and social implications of a project. It ensures that project activities are sustainable and do not cause undue harm to local ecosystems or communities. Key sections include:

Environmental Impacts: Assessment of potential effects on air quality, water resources, soil, biodiversity, and climate, with proposed mitigation measures for negative impacts.
Social Impacts: Evaluation of the project’s influence on local communities, including health, safety, livelihoods, cultural heritage, and public engagement.
Regulatory Compliance: Confirmation of adherence to local and international environmental and social regulations and standards.
Monitoring and Mitigation Plan: Detailed strategies to mitigate identified risks and monitor ongoing impacts throughout the project lifecycle.

Emission Reductions: The Emission Reductions schema captures all data necessary for calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in line with the outlined policy and methodology. It integrates seamlessly with the Guardian platform, where all calculations are automated based on the defined policy workflow. This schema ensures accuracy and transparency while minimizing manual effort. Key components include:

Baseline Emissions Data:
- Baseline emission factors.
- Activity data, such as energy usage, waste quantities, or fuel consumption.
- Assumptions and default values used in baseline scenarios.
Project Emissions Data:
- Monitoring inputs for project-related emissions, including energy use, fuel consumption, and electricity usage.
- Parameters like methane content, gas flow rates, and collection system efficiency.
- Calibration details for monitoring equipment.
Emission Reduction Calculations:
- Quantification details based on policy-defined equations.
- Automated integration with Guardian to process and validate all inputs (ensures that all inputs adhere to the specified data type requirements, such as numerical values, string values, enumerated values, and others).

Verification Report: The Verification Report is a formal document summarizing the verification of the emission reductions claimed by the Project Proponent. It outlines the verification process, findings, conclusions, and recommendations, providing stakeholders with confidence in the integrity and accuracy of the reported emission reductions.

Verification Opinion: The Verification Opinion schema provides a detailed account of the project’s performance during a specific reporting period. It assesses whether the claimed GHG emissions reductions or removals align with the project’s design and monitoring plan.

Token (Emission Reduction Ton)

Emission Reduction Ton (ERT), which represents a verified reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Step By Step

Import the policy using IPFS or Policy File. Once imported, you will be redirected to the policy configurator.

Set the policy to Dry Run or Publish it using the dropdown. Then select “Go” or “Register”.

Create a new user account and assign it to the Project Proponent. Ensure that the Project Proponent registration form is complete, then select ‘Submit’.

Log in to the administrator account to review and approve the Project Proponent registration form. The administrator will have access to the submitted registration forms for each user and can choose to approve or reject them.

The Project Proponent can click 'Create' to submit the Project Listing Form.

Create a new user account and assign it to the Verifier. Ensure that the Verifier registration form is complete, then select ‘Submit’.

Log in to the administrator account to review and approve the Verifier registration form. The administrator will have access to the submitted registration forms for each user and can choose to approve or reject them.

Navigate back to the Verifier account and submit a Project Specific Conflict of Interest (COI) form.

Log in to the Project Proponent account and assign the Project to the approved Verifier. Once assigned, submit a Project Plan and assign the Project Plan to the Verifier.

Log in as the Verifier to review the Project documents and the Project Plan. You will see no ‘Approve’ or ‘Reject’ buttons for the Project form as it is view only.

The Administrator will now be able to approve or reject the Project Plan.

The Verifier can now submit a Validation Report and the Validation Opinion. Make sure to assign the Project Proponent once each form is submitted.

Return to the Project Proponent’s account to review the Validation Report and Opinion before approving it for review from the Administrator.

Once the Validation Report and Opinion are approved by the Project Proponent, the Administrator will gain access to review and either approve or reject them.

The Project Proponent can now submit the Emission Reductions Form, Monitoring Report, and Environmental and Social Assessment. Ensure that a Verifier is assigned for the verification process.

Once submitted and assigned, the Verifier can review each document, provide a Verification Report and Opinion, and assign them to the Project Proponent as view-only documents.

The Project Proponent can view these documents; however, they will be sent to the Administrator for final approval.

The Administrator can review the Verification Report and approve or reject it.

The Administrator can review the Verification Opinion. The actions available for this document differ from the previous ones, as it is the document we will mint credits against. You’ll see three buttons: Mint, Close, and Reject. The Mint button allows you to select the Vintage for which you would like to mint credits. The Close button should be used once all applicable Vintages have been used for minting credits. The Reject button can be used if the Verification Opinion is not acceptable. Below, we will display an example to showcase what happens when we select ‘Mint’ and define a Vintage (e.g., 2021).

In the image displayed below, you can see that the VC (document) for the Verification Opinion shows how many Emission Reductions or Removals (ERRs) have been approved and verified for that specific vintage.

The VC file for the Verification Opinion in the Trust Chain will display the selected vintage and the number of credits associated with that vintage.

In this next example, we will mint again, but the Vintage will be 2022. You’ll be able to see a new Verifiable Presentation (VP) for this issuance and a new Trust Chain.