Contribution project

Heating or steam boiler systems in North Rhine-Westphalia

Germany, North Rhine Westfalia

ClimatePartner ID: 1007

Project details

Energy efficiencyGet to know the project

Operators of heating or steam boiler systems in North Rhine-Westphalia can participate under certain conditions in the Joint Implementation (JI) model project JIM.NRW by investing in the installation of energy-efficient or renewable boilers and selling the CO₂ emissions saved as verified emission reductions or emission reduction units (ERUs) via the North Rhine-Westphalia Energy Agency. The aim of the model project is to cover the investment costs incurred through the sale of ERUs instead of state subsidies. Bundling the measures simplifies the administrative effort and reduces transaction costs, thus making participation in emissions trading also possible for organisations such as kindergartens and schools.

As an official JI project under the Kyoto Protocol, it is ensured that the emission reductions taking place cannot be used simultaneously to achieve Germany's national emission reduction targets and at the same time to generate additional ERUs. The danger of double counting is thus excluded.

0 t CO₂Estimated annual emissions reductions

Project Standard

The project contributes to the the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

How does promoting energy efficiency contribute to climate action?

Examples of participating institutions in this project are:

- School Centre South in Neuss: Replacement of heating system with wood pellet system (annual saving of 300 t CO₂ emissions)

- Day care centre in Hoerstgen, Kamp-Lintfort: Replacement of coal-fired boiler system with biomass heating system (annual saving of 80 t CO₂)

- Horticulture company Schräder, Münster: Replacement of oil-fired boiler with wood-chip boiler for vegetable cultivation in a greenhouse (annual saving of 630 t CO₂)

- Residentual quarter "Am Morgensteig", Essen: Installation of a new wood pellet system to supply heat to 205 flats in 41 houses (annual savings of 290 t CO₂).

The project aims to contribute to these United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Project facts

Type
Reduction

Climate projects generally fall into one of three groups: carbon reduction, carbon removal, or carbon avoidance. Carbon reduction projects reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by a specific activity (e.g., improved cookstoves). Carbon removal projects remove carbon from the atmosphere by sequestering it in carbon sinks (e.g., reforestation). Carbon avoidance projects avoid greenhouse gas emissions entering the atmosphere (e.g., protecting forests from deforestation with REDD+ projects).

Location
Germany, North Rhine Westfalia

Technology
Energy efficiency

Climate projects demonstrably reduce, remove, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. This is achieved with various technologies, ranging from nature-based solutions to social impact projects and renewable energies.

Registry ID
DE1000016

Most standards on the voluntary carbon market list their projects in public registries. The registries are used to store project data and track issuances and retirements of verified emission reductions. The registry ID can be used to identify projects in the standard registry.

Check out this project

Four criteria for projects to meet quality thresholds

01. AdditionalityA project must lead to lower carbon emissions than would have occured without the project. Additionality also means that a project relies on financing from the sale of emission reductions, as the project would otherwise not be feasible and the upfront investment would be too high for project developers.

02. Exclusion of double countingThe carbon reduction may only be counted once and may not be counted again elsewhere, so a Verified Emission Reduction is retired once it has been used. This process is recorded in official registries.

03. PermanenceThe criterion of permanence ensures that carbon reductions or removals are ongoing and do not occur just once. This guarantees a long-term benefit for the climate. The minimum duration of a project depends on the underlying project technology.

04. Audit by independent third-partiesClimate projects must be audited regularly by independent auditors such as TÜV Nord. These auditors verify that the project is in compliance with the relevant standards. They also determine the volume of carbon emissions that have actually been avoided or removed.

The life cycle of a climate project

A climate project has a set life cycle consisting of various phases, from the feasibility assessment to the retirement of Verified Emission Reductions (VERs).

Project planning phase

The project developer reviews the general feasibility of the project, the project design, and the financing. Then, the Project Design Document (PDD) is prepared, which contains all the basic information about the project, such as the objective, location, timeline, and duration.

Validation

In this phase, independent auditors examine the PDD and the information it contains. This phase often also involves field visits with on-side interviews and analyses. Auditors are accredited, impartial assessors who have to be approved by the relevant standard as a validation and verification body (VVB). TÜV Nord/Süd, S&A Carbon LLC., and SCS Global Services are examples of VVBs."

Registration

Once validated, the project can be registered with a standard such as the Verified Carbon Standard or the Gold Standard. All high-quality climate projects are based on international standards. They provide the framework for project design, construction, carbon accounting, and monitoring. Recognised standards make the climate project system and the projects themselves resilient, traceable, and credible.

Monitoring

After the climate project has been registered, the monitoring begins. Here, the project developers monitor and document the data of the project activities and progress. The duration of the monitoring phase varies from project to project: it can cover two years, but documentation over five or seven years is also possible.

Verification

At the end of each monitoring phase, a VVB checks and assesses whether the values and project activities stated in the monitoring report are correct. As with validation, visits to the project site are often part of the verification process.

Issuance of Verified Emission Reductions

Once verified, the emission reductions that were confirmed in the verification phase can be issued as VERs. The steps of monitoring, verification, and issuance of VERs are repeated regularly and are therefore considered as a cycle.

Retirement of Verified Emission Reductions

Once a VER has been used, it must be retired. This process is also reflected in the registry. If the financing of a climate project is done through ClimatePartner, the VERs are bundled in a system certified by TÜV Austria and then retired on a regular basis. This ensures that each VER can no longer be sold and is only used once, preventing double counting.

* The information on this page was last updated 15 April 2024.* For certified projects only: the project-related information on this page is based on the documents in the register.

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