Siemens Financial Services has launched the cloud-based Decarbonization Business Optimizer to reduce the complexity of decarbonising buildings and financing needed for Net Zero.
The free digital modelling and optimisation tool leverages data from relevant governmental agencies including the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
“Companies, specifically those in the supply chain, are increasingly asked to report their carbon footprint to their customers – yet many do not know where to begin,” said Anthony Casciano, President and CEO of Siemens Financial Services.
“The DBO addresses these barriers by taking action and puts companies of all sizes, and at all stages, in a better position to create long-term value, accelerating participation in the transition to Net Zero emissions.”
The DBO generates cost effective decarbonisation scenarios for each facility using the address, facility size and type.
The estimated carbon footprint calculated for the facility, as well as the energy cost, is based on data relevant to its geographic location, enabling a more accurate estimate than using country-wide averages.
The tool also considers site-specific data such as the annual energy use or load profile, if available, to generate an even more accurate result.
“A lack of data sometimes can deter companies from initiating a sustainability strategy,” said Lee Evangelakos from American Industrial Partners (AIP).
“As an initial tester, we found that the DBO tool is a great way to get started in estimating facility footprints. The tool enables industrial businesses to think through the building blocks of their emissions profiles and how they could begin to take action towards decarbonisation.”
Users can choose a combination of generation and storage technologies that makes the most sense for their site such as solar panels, combined heat and power (CHP) and thermal energy storage.
Customised decarbonisation scenarios can also be generated based on a desire for specific technologies, resilience to grid outages, or a maximum budget, enabling data-driven decision making. The tool also provides a summary of estimated return on investment (ROI).
“Trusted data sets coupled with credible modelling and analysis tools are vital in the complex decision-making process to achieve a clean energy future,” said Roderick Jackson, Laboratory Program Manager for Building Technologies at NREL.
“NREL-developed tools are built to be leveraged in this way including ComStock™, REopt®, and our Annual Technology Baseline framework.”
The tool was developed in partnership with Siemens Technology, the company’s central R&D department, and is built on AWS, utilising server-less architecture to lower its workload carbon footprint by allowing the DBO to operate only when needed, rather than running constantly.
The tool also leverages public data made available through the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) to help estimate thermal properties of materials in buildings.
