Carbon emissions tracking?

Question

How important is it for energy companies to have carbon emissions tracking systems in place? Where are some examples of this?

Answer 1

It may become very important with the next US administration. No matter who gets elected, it's a pretty sure bet that some sort of carbon cap and trade system will be put in place. Large utilities will most likely be required to both measure their carbon emissions and pay a tax based on how much they produce above a certain allowance as set by law.

Or course, my guess is there will be an adjustment time of several years put in place so that the coal industry has time to modify their facilities if they so desire.

My recommendation is to look at some of the bipartisan energy legislation currently working its way through congress - both democrats and republicans have sponsored some version of this kind of bill. Here's a good analysis of one:

http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA570.htm...  

Answer 2

Carbon emissions tracking:

http://www.enernoc.com/et.html

Answer 3

Sounds like a big fat waste of time and money for the company.  

Answer 4

Unless you are general motors or standard oil why would you bother. The paperwork costs alone would be 10 times any possible benefit. I have been investigating the ISO 14001 environmental program and so far it requires way less than our company is already doing and would require the spending of thousands of dollars a year just to produce documents for auditor review at the cost of several thousand a year.

Big fat waste of good money.