EAD Group at the TerraTec in Leipzig

Scientists from

theEAD Group

, led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Lässig, are representing the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences at TerraTec in Leipzig and presenting solutions support municipalities and counties in preparing greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, developing potential future scenarios, and deriving concrete measures for reducing emissions, as well as in the preliminary steps of efficient data collection.

A central element of this is an accounting methodology for measuring GHG emissions in various sectors such as energy, transportation, industry, agriculture, and waste management. The inventory process also takes into account statistical data from various sources and can thus be flexibly adapted to the needs of the respective municipality, city, or county.

The methodology was developed—with a focus on scientific accuracy and the need for practical applicability given the available data—primarily by Markus Will of the

faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

, who also works as a research assistant at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. He has long been engaged in issues related to the environmental and sustainability assessment of organizations, technologies, and products. His academic interest focuses on methodological questions regarding the life cycle assessment of products and on the scientifically sound preparation of greenhouse gas inventories at the municipal level.

As Prof. Lässig from the

Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

explains, current life-cycle assessment data for a given study area—such as a municipality—are compared with trends over the past few years as well as the baseline data from 1990 and interpreted accordingly.

In addition, various future scenarios for municipalities and counties can be developed and refined during scenario workshops. Such scenarios are quantified using metrics regarding the trend in emission levels and expected annual costs, making them comparable and ensuring the most reliable possible planning of climate protection measures and their implementation with predictable outcomes.

Prior to implementing the solutions described, it is possible to support data collection within the study area through monitoring solutions as well as systematic energy and resource management in municipal buildings. Continuous monitoring of resource consumption is an important first step toward understanding current consumption patterns and identifying opportunities for emissions reduction. Automated analysis components can evaluate relevant information, identify problems such as consumption peaks, recognize trends, and then visualize them.