Table of Contents
Optimizer
The new Optimizer feature is designed as an interactive playground to simulate the impact of Constellation’s Sustainability Solutions on your carbon footprint.
Getting Started
Before utilizing the Optimizer, be sure to upload your carbon emitting assets to the Assets page.
- Login to the Constellation Navigator Carbon Accounting
- Navigate to the Assets tab on the left-hand tool bar
- Upload your facilities, vehicles and waste assets utilizing the asset upload templates
- Ensure the full previous year’s assets data has been uploaded to simulate a full-year’s carbon impact
Solutions Tab
On the Solutions tab, the waterfall graphic will dynamically display the impact of Constellation’s Sustainability Solutions such as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), Emission-Free Energy Certificates (EFECs), Constellation’s Offsite Renewables Product (CORe), Efficiencies, and Behind the Meter Solar (BTM Solar) on your prior year’s emissions. Use the solution sliders to identify which of the proposed solutions are more suitable for your carbon emissions reduction plan.
To begin utilizing the Solutions feature of the Optimizer, follow the below steps.
Step 1. Navigate to the Targets and Strategies tab on the left-hand tool bar.
Step 2. Select Optimizer under the sub-menu for Targets and Strategies.
Step 3. Select the Solutions tab on the Optimizer page.
Step 4. Hover over each solution to view a detailed description of the solution and its impact on your overall emissions.
Step 5. Click on the solution’s hyperlink to learn more about the solution.
Step 6. Once familiar with the solutions, adjust each solution’s slider to simulate applying the solution to your previous year’s annual energy usage.
Step 7. On the Optimizer page’s header, you will see the total reduction percentage (emissions) and the new estimated total emissions value, dynamically calculated based on your solutions distributions.
Solutions Summary
The Constellation Sustainability Solutions are designed to improve Scope 1 and/or Scope 2 emissions.
Increase the Efficiency to benefit from total reduction for both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Energy efficiency upgrades can help reduce energy consumption, increase onsite resiliency, modernize infrastructure and optimize operations and maintenance.
Utilize the below solutions to simulate the impact on your overall Scope 2 emissions.
RECs - Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) represent the environmental benefits of one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated by a renewable power plant and are retired on behalf of your environmental commitment. RECs can be purchased as a block or as a percentage of your electricity supply.
EFECs - Emission-Free Energy Certificates (EFECs) represent the emission-free attributes of generating sources that do not emit greenhouse gases, such as solar, wind, nuclear and hydropower.
CORe - Constellation’s Offsite Renewables (CORe) product suite connects you to the economic and sustainability benefits of large-scale, offsite renewable energy projects. By combining location-specific renewable energy purchases and renewable energy certificates (RECs) with a physical load-following energy supply contract, you have the flexibility to size, select, and buy renewable energy from utility-scale projects, similar to how you purchase standard electric supply today.
BTM Solar - Behind the Meter Solar (BTM Solar) is an on-site solar system that can help you manage your electric bill, limit energy price volatility, and increase energy reliability, as well as potentially participate in associated sustainability benefits and carbon offsets.
Energy Mix Tab
Simulate the emissions impact of consuming electricity generated from lower emitting fuel sources. Increase the renewable and carbon free electrification fuel sources such as solar, wind, nuclear or hydro to see the impact on your overall emissions.
To begin utilizing the Energy Mix feature of the Optimizer, follow the below steps.
Step 1. Navigate to the Targets and Strategies tab on the left-hand tool bar.
Step 2. Select Optimizer under the sub-menu for Targets and Strategies.
Step 3. Select the Energy Mix tab on the Optimizer page.
Step 4. On the right-hand side of the screen, review the Energy Mix Distribution of fuel sources that were utilized to generate electricity consumed by your facilities, based on your facilities' grid regions.
- Hovering over each energy mix type, you can view the corresponding emissions factor. The higher the factor, the more emissions the fuel source creates when used to generate electricity
- The Current value is the distribution value for the prior year’s distribution percentage for each corresponding fuel type. The New value represents the simulated value which can be changed by typing in a new value or utilizing the energy slider. To utilize the energy sliders, select the blue down arrow next to each energy type
Step 5. Simulate a change in utilizing electricity generated from cleaner sources, such as Solar, Wind, Nuclear or Hydro to see the impact on your emissions.
Step 6. Utilize the Lock function to keep the percentages of energy sources from changing when you want to adjust values for other energy types.
Step 7. Dynamically visualize, on an intuitive graph, the change in overall emissions as the distribution of renewable energy sources change.
The Energy Mix Optimizer’s algorithm is designed to help you create cleaner scenarios by decreasing energy consumption from higher emission factor energy sources first when lower emission factor energy sources' distribution percentages are increased.
Save Scenarios
Save the most suitable scenarios to later reference for carbon roadmap planning and business decisions. The set of Constellation's Sustainability Solutions selected, and the mix of energy sources are saved together in a scenario.
To save a scenario, follow the below steps.
Step 1. Select the Save Scenario drop down button; there will be two options:
- Save as a new scenario
- Update current scenario
Step 2. If saved as a new scenario, add a name to the scenario and context notes for later review.
Step 3. Click Save.
Step 4. Once a scenario is saved, the scenario will appear below in the saved scenarios pane at the bottom of the screen. The table will be refreshed to display the data saved in the scenario.
Step 5. Re-visit or adjust a scenario, click on the saved scenario in the saved scenarios pane and the scenario will populate on the screen.
Step 6. Saved scenarios are specific to every user. Only the user has the ability to view or delete scenarios that are created by that user.
Step 7. To delete a scenario, click the trash can icon next to the scenario that you’d like to delete. Once deleted, the scenario will no longer be available in the saved scenarios pane and is not recoverable.
Step 8. If the underlying assets' data has been modified after the scenario has been saved, a warning will appear highlighting the previous and new underlying data. As a user, you will have two options:
- Update the scenario with the new underlying data. Solutions and Energy mix percentages will not change; however, the updated underlying data may change the emissions values.
- Leave the scenario as-is, which will not update the underlying data or change the emissions values. However, as a user, you will no longer have the ability to adjust the scenario within the Optimizer.