Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential Research Articles

A concept to maximise energy self-sufficiency of the housing stock in central Europe based on renewable resources and efficiency improvement

In this article, an innovative method for designing energy-self-sufficient housing communities is presented, emphasising proactive user participation. The overall concept for achieving such communities is first described, and then the current research is presented – focusing on the electricity generation and storage within the community. Three key degrees of freedom are exploited: buildings with very low and coordinated energy demand; strong residents participation; a large share of local energy generation with its storage in the houses. The starting point is to maximise the energy efficiency of individual buildings. As the buildings in the analysed community were built according to the obtained optimisation results and are inhabited by users, the authors assessed the actual energy consumption in relation to the design value in Design Builder software. The detected discrepancy was only 3.8%. That modelling accuracy allows further steps to achieve a fully energy-self-sufficient community. This is illustrated using a real example of a 40-building nZEB community in Poland, independent of the energy supply from the grid. The presented approach demonstrates a Smart City solution for a community of single-family houses with confirmed very low final energy demand and potential Greenhouse Gas reduction of up to 96%.

Regional CO2 accounting and market layout of incinerator fly ash management in China

The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from solid waste incinerator fly ash (IFA) management attracts growing interests since China's zero-waste plan and carbon peak/neutral goals. Herein, provincial GHG emissions from four demonstrated IFA reutilization technologies in China were estimated after analyzing IFA spatial-temporal distribution. Results indicate that technologies transition (landfilling-to-reutilization) could reduce GHG except for glassy slag production. IFA to cement option could potentially realize negative GHG emissions. Spatial GHG variation drivers in IFA management were recognized as provincial-different IFA composition and power emission factors. IFA management options were recommended provincially after weighting local development goals related to GHG reduction and economic benefits. Baseline scenario analysis shows that China's IFA industry would reach carbon peak in 2025 (5.02 Mt). 2030's GHG reduction potential (6.12 Mt) is equivalent to that of absorbed CO2 by 340 million trees annually. Overall, this research could contribute to illustrating future market layout complying with carbon peaking.

Greenhouse gas reduction potential by household waste prevention

Greenhouse gas reduction potential by household waste prevention

High nitrous oxide (N2O) greenhouse gas reduction potential of Pseudomonas sp. YR02 under aerobic condition

Aerobic environments exist widely in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and are unfavorable for greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) reduction. Here, a novel strain Pseudomonas sp. YR02, which can perform N2O reduction under aerobic conditions, was isolated. The successful amplification of four denitrifying genes proved its complete denitrifying ability. The inorganic nitrogen (IN) removal efficiencies (NRE) were >98.0% and intracellular nitrogen and gaseous nitrogen account for 52.6–58.4% and 41.6–47.4% of input nitrogen, respectively. The priority of IN utilization was TAN > NO3–-N > NO2–-N. The optimal conditions for IN and N2O removal were consistent, except for the C/N ratio, which is 15 and 5 for IN and N2O removal, respectively. The biokinetic constants analysis indicated strain YR02 had high potential to treat high ammonia and dissolved N2O wastewater. Strain YR02 bioaugmentation mitigated 98.7% of N2O emission and improved 32% NRE in WWTP, proving its application potential for N2O mitigation.

Exploring Rotational Grazing and Crossbreeding as Options for Beef Production to Reduce GHG Emissions and Feed-Food Competition through Farm-Level Bio-Economic Modeling.

In the context of a growing population, beef production is expected to reduce its consumption of human-edible food and its contribution to global warming. We hypothesize that implementing the innovations of fast rotational grazing and redesigning existing production systems using crossbreeding and sexing may reduce these impacts. In this research, the bio-economic model FarmDyn is used to assess the impact of such innovations on farm profit, workload, global warming potential, and feed-food competition. The innovations are tested in a Belgian system composed of a Belgian Blue breeder and a fattener farm, another system where calves raised in a French suckler cow farm are fattened in a farm in Italy, and third, a German dairy farm that fattens its male calves. The practice of fast rotational grazing with a herd of dairy-to-beef crossbred males is found to have the best potential for greenhouse gas reduction and a reduction of the use of human-edible food when by-products are available. Crossbreeding with early-maturing beef breeds shows a suitable potential to produce grass-based beef with little feed-food competition if the stocking rate considers the grassland yield potential. The results motivate field trials in order to validate the findings.

Potential for Energy Efficiency Improvements to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Thailand’s Industrial Estates

This study aimed to evaluate the potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the implementation of energy-efficient measures that involve the replacement of existing machinery and equipment with high-efficiency alternatives. The study’s scope encompassed all industrial factories situated within the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand’s (IEAT) industrial estates. The study utilized data from the designated factory’s energy management report database, which included information regarding the machinery, equipment, and other relevant data pertinent to the research. The categorization of machinery and equipment systems could be done based on the type of energy consumed, which includes electricity and thermal energy. The potential for increasing energy efficiency could be evaluated for each of these energy systems. The study conducted an initial evaluation based on the available data from the designated factory database with regards to enhancing the efficiency of machinery and equipment. Subsequently, the scale-up concept was applied to evaluate the potential of energy efficiency enhancements for the entire industrial factory. The study findings revealed a total GHG reduction potential of 4.63 MtCO2e, with thermal energy measures accounting for 3.05 MtCO2e (65.83%) and electricity measures accounting for 1.58 MtCO2e (34.17%). Among the various measures, the implementation of insulating measures for thermal equipment in the furnace system showcased the most significant potential for GHG reduction, with a potential reduction of 2.26 MtCO2e, accounting for 48.73% of the total GHG reduction potential. Based on these findings, it can be inferred that a reduction of 1 MtCO2e in GHG emissions could potentially result in a corresponding reduction in energy costs amounting to approximately 8,449–8,889 million baht.

Biorefinery development for the conversion of softwood residues into sustainable aviation fuel: Implications from life cycle assessment and energetic-exergetic analyses

Biofuels present a strong potential to support the rapid decarbonization of the mobility sector and substitution for fossil fuels. In the aviation sector, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are currently produced from various feedstocks and conversion pathways to achieve sustainability targets. A new SAF production pathway has been recently developed, which is based on enzymatic hydrolysis of softwood residues (saw dust), fermentation of wood sugars into isobutene, and subsequent conversion to SAF isoparaffins by oligomerization and hydrogenation. This pathway is currently under consideration for inclusion as an additional annex to ASTM standard D7566.In this study, several biorefinery set-up scenarios including various process energy provisions and co products valorization were considered in order to assess the environmental impact of SAF production. First, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the conversion pathway. Second, the GHG reduction potential was evaluated according to the frameworks of EU RED 2018/2001/EC and CORSIA. Third, energetic and exergetic analyses were performed to evaluate the efficiency of the biorefinery. Inefficiencies of upstream processes, such as for electricity provision, were not considered.Depending on the plant layout, the GHG emissions vary between 18.7 and 56 gCO2eq/MJ. Thus, compared to the fossil reference, GHG emission reductions of up to 80.1% and 79% can be achieved for both frameworks, respectively. Plant set-up comparisons revealed that the highest reduction in GHG emissions can be achieved when using the by-product lignin for thermal energy provision and renewable energy sources (RES) to cover electricity demand.The energetic and exergetic efficiency analyses of SAF as a single product were 11.7%–14.9% and 11%–13.8%, respectively. A lignin-CHP plant set-up revealed the highest efficiencies and has the additional benefit of covering up to 82.3% of the total primary energy demand (PED) via RES. Taking all by-products into account, the energetic system efficiency ranged from 39.4% to 50.1% and the exergetic system efficiency from 40.4% to 56.9%, respectively. The highest efficiencies were achieved with the natural gas boiler set-up and electricity consumption from the public grid. The analysis revealed the importance of utilizing all biorefinery products (main and by-products) to increase the system efficiency of the biorefinery.

Combining industrial ecology tools to assess potential greenhouse gas reductions of a circular economy: Method development and application to Switzerland

AbstractIndustrial ecology (IE) methodologies, such as input/output or material flow analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA), are often used for the environmental evaluation of circular economy strategies. Up to now, an approach that utilizes these methods in a systematic, integrated framework for a holistic assessment of a geographic region's sustainable circular economy potential has been lacking. The approach developed in this study (IE4CE approach) combines IE methodologies to determine the environmental impact mitigation potential of circular economy strategies for a defined geographic region. The approach foresees five steps. First, input/output analysis helps identify sectors with high environmental impacts. Second, a refined analysis is conducted using material flow and LCA. In step 3, circular strategies are used for scenario design and evaluated in step 4. In step 5, the assessment results are compiled and compared across sectors. The approach was applied to a case study of Switzerland, analyzing 8 sectors and more than 30 scenarios in depth. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) from waste incineration, biogas and cement production, food waste prevention in households, hospitality and production, and the increased recycling of plastics had the highest mitigation potential. Most of the scenarios do not influence each other. One exception is the CCS scenarios: waste avoidance scenarios decrease the reduction potential of CCS. A combination of scenarios from different sectors, including their impact on the CCS scenario potential, led to an environmental impact mitigation potential of 11.9 Mt CO2‐eq for 2050, which equals 14% of Switzerland's current consumption‐based impacts.

Estimation of biogas production potential and greenhouse gas emissions reduction for sustainable energy management using intelligent computing technique

This paper presents estimation of Biogas Production Potential and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction for sustainable energy management using intelligent computing technique. Slaughterhouse wastes present a promising opportunity to partially reduce reliance on fossil-based energy. Biogas technology is regarded as one of the methods used in Ghana and can be used to combat climate change, while meeting demand for energy in the country. The objective of the research seeks to theoretically estimate biogas production potential from livestock and slaughterhouse wastes in Ghana, in order for policymakers to consider biogas technology as a potential source of renewable energy to meet the country's energy demand, while contributing to the SDG goals. This study obtained livestock population data from the Ministry of Food & Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries & Livestock from 2010 to 2020, and estimated the livestock waste production from slaughterhouses, biogas generation capacity, electricity production potential, greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential and biofertilizer generation capacity of Ghana in the fiscal year 2020. The findings indicated that, in the year 2020, slaughterhouses in Ghana generated 4.205 × 1010 kg of waste which can be used to produce 6.792 × 109 m3 of biogas, electricity generation rate of 7.110 × 109 kwh/year which represents about 43.01% of the total electricity consumed in the country that year. Also, the amount of GHG (CO2) emissions by using methane from the AD is 3.631 × 109 kgCO2. The avoided GHG emissions estimated is 1.075 × 1010 kg and biofertilizer of 4.514 × 108 kg can be produced.

Greenhouse gas emissions mitigation potential from renewable energy development in Thailand’s industrial estates

This research assesses the potential of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the use of rooftop solar energy in factories located in Thai industrial estates. Most of the industrial plants located in industrial estate areas have large size with high production and energy intensive. The scope of the study covered all industrial factories located in the industrial estates of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT). Renewable energy only considers solar rooftop installations, assessing on two levels based on the accuracy and source of the data, i.e. level 1, moderate data resolution and accuracy from database and online data of the IEAT and official website of the industrial estates, and level 2, high data resolution and accuracy from GIS data management program called QGIS program. Assessment according to level 1 is based on the proportional factor of the roof area of the potential community area. Assessment according to level 2 is based on the roof area data of general industrial and free zone obtained by using the QGIS survey through aerial imagery. The results showed that the calculation of the amount of GHG reduction potential based on the level 1 assessment, there is a potential roof area for installing solar rooftops of 12.05 million square meters, representing total installed capacity of 1,421.05 MW, equivalent to 0.95 MtCO 2e of GHG reduction potential annually. As for the GHG reduction potential from level 2 assessment from all aerial photographs, the study found that the potential roof area for installing solar rooftops is 6.55 million square meters, representing a total installed capacity of 773.02 MW, equivalent to 0.52 MtCO 2e of GHG reduction potential. The potential assessed above representing an estimated energy cost of 8,919-8,975 million baht for 1 MtCO 2e reduction of GHG emissions.

Greenhouse gas reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of economy-wide hydrogen-natural gas blending for energy end uses

North American and European jurisdictions are considering repurposing natural gas infrastructure to deliver a lower carbon blend of natural gas and hydrogen; this paper evaluates the greenhouse gas reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of the repurposing. The analysis uses a bottom-up economy-wide energy-systems model of an emission-intensive jurisdiction, Alberta, Canada, to evaluate 576 long-term scenarios from 2026 to 2050. Many scenarios were included to give the analysis broad international applicability and differ by sector, hydrogen blending intensity, carbon policy, and hydrogen infrastructure development. Twelve hydrogen production technologies are compared in a long-term greenhouse gas and cost analysis, including advanced technologies. Autothermal reforming with carbon capture provides both lower-carbon and lower-cost hydrogen compared to most other technologies in most futures, even with high fugitive natural gas production emissions. Using hydrogen-natural gas blends for end-use energy applications eliminates 1–2% of economy-wide GHG emissions and marginal GHG abatement costs become negative at carbon prices over $300/tonne. The findings are useful for stakeholders expanding the international low-carbon hydrogen economy and governments engaged in formulating decarbonization policies and are considering hydrogen as an option.

Performance and emissions of a high-speed marine dual-fuel engine operating with methanol-water blends as a fuel

Dual-fuel (DF) operation with methanol-diesel allows to reduce CO2 emissions, increase efficiency and decrease NOx and soot. This paper describes the experimental results with methanol-water (MeOH-W) blends as a fuel, and has three objectives: (1) whether water acts as a knock suppressant, enabling higher diesel substitution ratios, (2) if water can be a measure to control engine-out NOx emissions given its cooling effect, and (3) to test the effect on brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of a blend of 90% methanol and 10% water by weight, which is interesting from a methanol fuel production cost perspective. Experiments were conducted on a dual-fuel marine Volvo Penta engine with methanol/water weight by weight shares of 50%/50% (MeOH-50), 64%/36% (MeOH-64), 90%/10% (MeOH-90) and 100%/0% (pure methanol, MeOH-100). A maximal increase in BTE of 3.3% and 4.9% were observed when going from respectively MeOH-100 and diesel-only operation to MeOH-50. The maximum methanol energy fraction (MEF) was obtained with pure methanol, equal to 76%, and decreased with increasing water content. NOx emissions decreased with pure methanol compared to diesel-only operation, and further decreased with increasing water content. It is concluded that MeOH-90 does not harm the BTE of the tested dual-fuel engine; and that MeOH-50 and MeOH-64 were able to reach IMO Tier III NOx legislation, but at the same time score worse for greenhouse gas reduction potential as less diesel can be substituted by methanol with these blends.

Renewable fuel options for aviation – A System-Wide comparison of Drop-In and non Drop-In fuel options

The air transport sector’s contribution to anthropogenic climate forcing is estimated at around 4 %. In this respect, alternative fuels are considered as a key measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the air transport system and thus to reduce the contribution of commercial aviation to anthropogenic climate change. Nevertheless, so far the usage-shares of alternative fuels are below 1 %. Thus, the goal of this paper is to analyse a broad selection of aviation fuel options for their greenhouse gas reduction potential based on a set of nine assessment criteria. The fuel options studied are blended synthetic kerosene and neat synthetic kerosene fuels, three alcohols (methanol, ethanol and butanol) and three gases (methane, ammonia and hydrogen). For these fuels a multi-criteria assessment based on a five-step ordinal scale is performed. The assessment results show that the availability of some biogenic feedstock is not sufficient to replace the present overall energy demand of aviation; while the availability of non-biogenic fuels might increase in the near- to mid-term. In general, alternative kerosene-like fuel options are mainly constrained by lacking production capacities, while alcohols and gases considered are constrained by aircraft modifications or development of new aircraft types. All discussed fuel options have the potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions of commercial aviation substantially also from a life cycle perspective. Within the next decade, especially alternative kerosene-like options with (intermediate) products experiencing demand from other sectors, such as FT-SPK or AtJ-SPK, show a high development potential. The same holds for hydrogen provided that a hydrogen fueled aircraft will be brought successfully to the market.

Mitigating life cycle GHG emissions of roads to be built through 2030: Case study of a Chinese province.

The expansion of road networks in emerging economies such as China causes significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This development is conflicting with China's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality. Thus, there is a need to better understand life cycle emissions of road infrastructure and opportunities to mitigate these emissions. Existing impact studies of roads in developing countries do not address recycled materials, improved pavement maintenance, or pavement-vehicle interaction and electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Combining firsthand information from Chinese road construction engineers with publicly available data, this paper estimates a comprehensive account of GHG emissions of the road pavement network to be constructed in the next ten years in the Shandong province in Northern China. Further, we estimate the potential of GHG emission reductions achievable under three scenario sets: maintenance optimization, alternative pavement material replacement, and EV adoption. Results show that the life cycle GHG emissions of highways and Class 1-4 roads to be constructed in the next 10 years amount to 147Mt CO2-eq. Considering the use phase in our model reveals that it is the dominant stage in terms of emissions, largely due to pavement-vehicle interaction. Vehicle electrification can only moderately mitigate these emissions. Other stages, such as materials production and road maintenance and rehabilitation, contribute substantially to GHG emissions as well, highlighting the importance of optimizing the management of these stages. Surprisingly, longer, not shorter maintenance intervals, yield significant emission reductions. Another counter-intuitive finding is that thicker and more material-intensive pavement surfaces cause lower emissions overall. Taken together, optimal maintenance and rehabilitation schedules, alternative material use, and vehicle electrification provide GHG reduction potentials of 11%, 4%-16% and 2%-6%, respectively.

Comparative LCA study of wood and mineral non-residential buildings in Germany and related substitution potential

The construction sector is a central source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing environmental impacts along the life cycle of buildings is therefore an important target. Given recent innovations in low-energy buildings and energy supply systems with low climate impacts, additional reduction potential can mainly be found in mitigating GHG emissions in other life cycle stages. The focus of mitigation has thus shifted to emissions related to material input, and comparative life cycle analyses of buildings constructed with different material types are becoming increasingly relevant in guiding regulations to achieve emission reduction targets. This paper performs comparative life cycle assessments for 48 non-residential buildings, comparing GHG emissions according to the current European standardised calculation methods. A substitution potential is introduced to evaluate the advantage of using timber as a building material. Furthermore, a comparative method is presented for assessing the substitution potential on the building level. The results show that the substitution potential for the construction of the studied buildings ranges from 5 to 48%. Specific substitution potentials are differentiated between four subcategories of non-residential buildings. The lowest substitution potential was identified for agricultural buildings and the highest for office and administration buildings. Moreover, the current research shows that the specific materials, construction, the geometry and design all affect the substitution potential of a building. On the basis of these values, it is possible to make projections regarding GHG reduction potential in the construction sector on a national scale.

Co-effect assessment on regional air quality: A perspective of policies and measures with greenhouse gas reduction potential

Clean air policies have achieved remarkable air quality improvement in China for the last decade. However, as more importance was attached to climate issues and further improvement of air quality, policies with greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential were supposed to play a significant role. Here, we designed a conventional legislation pathway scenario (CLP) and an enhanced greenhouse gas reduction scenario (EGR), to estimate the co-effects of policies effective in GHG reduction on air pollutant control and air quality improvement in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region from 2014 to 2020, adopting a measure-specific evaluation method and an integrated WRF-CAMx model simulation. Results showed that: 1) With the implementation of enhanced measures with GHG reduction potential, emissions of SO2, NOx, PM2.5, PM10, VOCs and NH3 decreased by 16.4 %, 21.6 %, 18.6 %, 16.5 %, 23.9 % and 15.4 % in EGR scenario respectively, compared with CLP scenario. And the annual mean simulated concentrations of PM2.5, SO2 and NO2 of the YRD decreased by 11.2 %, 15.4 % and 20.6 %, respectively. 2) The average 8-h maxima (MDA8) concentration of O3 presented a slightly increasing trend under the impacts of measures with GHG reduction potential, which might be on account of the unbalanced control of NOx and VOCs, the two major precursors of O3. 3) Based on the source apportionment analysis, major partition of total ozone in the four receptors in YRD was from regional transportation, rather than local formation. And the major sectors contributing to ozone were industry and transportation sector. This study quantitatively assessed the co-benefits of GHG-control-effective policies and specific measures on air quality improvement, which would help to provide implications for future policy-making to achieve air pollution and climate change co-control.

Dairy Manure Co-composting with Wood Biochar Plays a Critical Role in Meeting Global Methane Goals.

Livestock are the largest source of anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions, and in intensive dairy systems, manure management can contribute half of livestock CH4. Recent policies such as California’s short-lived climate pollutant reduction law (SB 1383) and the Global Methane Pledge call for cuts to livestock CH4 by 2030. However, investments in CH4 reduction strategies are primarily aimed at liquid dairy manure, whereas stockpiled solids remain a large source of CH4. Here, we measure the CH4 and net greenhouse gas reduction potential of dairy manure biochar-composting, a novel manure management strategy, through a composting experiment and life-cycle analysis. We found that biochar-composting reduces CH4 by 79%, compared to composting without biochar. In addition to reducing CH4 during composting, we show that the added climate benefit from biochar production and application contributes to a substantially reduced life-cycle global warming potential for biochar-composting: −535 kg CO2e Mg–1 manure compared to −194 kg CO2e Mg–1 for composting and 102 kg CO2e Mg–1 for stockpiling. If biochar-composting replaces manure stockpiling and complements anaerobic digestion, California could meet SB 1383 with 132 less digesters. When scaled up globally, biochar-composting could mitigate 1.59 Tg CH4 yr–1 while doubling the climate change mitigation potential from dairy manure management.

한국형 그린뉴딜의 온실가스 감축 잠재량 평가: 신재생에너지 보급지원 사업을 중심으로

This study evaluates the greenhouse gas reduction potential of the Korean Green New Deal, focusing on the support programs of new and renewable energy deployment. For this purpose, the study reviews the Korean government

Evaluation of feasibility analyses for different hub heights of a wind turbine

In this study, techno-economic and environmental feasibility analyses of a wind turbine for different hub connection heights were investigated using RETScreen Expert energy analysis program. Çerkezköy district of Tekirdağ province was chosen as the region in which the wind turbines will be constructed. According to the analysis of hourly wind speed data recorded by a meteorology station established in Çerkezköy, it can be easily said that the annual average wind speed for 10 m altitude is 5.305 m/s and the directions of the prevailing winds are between NE (45o) and ENE (67.5o). The model of the wind turbine chosen in the present study is the Sinovel 1500/77, and techno-economic and environmental evaluations were made for the hub connection heights of 65, 80 and 100 m. In accordance with the study results, when the payback period is evaluated in terms of energy production cost and greenhouse gas reduction potential, the wind turbine with 100 m hub connection height exhibits better results than others with 65 and 80 m. It is thought that this study will guide selecting a suitable hub height for wind power plants and wind turbines that are planned to be established in Çerkezköy, one of the largest industrial regions of Turkey to obtain cost-effective and environment-friendly conditions.

Action plan for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the hospital-based health care of the Hellenic Army.

Climate change is a growing threat for human health and well-being, one that will seriously impact and potentially disrupt all economic sectors and supply chains, such as trade, tourism, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The environmental impact of the delivery of medical and hospital care, which generates its own greenhouse gas emissions, needs to be examined and analyzed in detail in order to design and implement effective mitigation actions and measures. Hospital internal energy use processes include the energy consumed for hospital operation, such as lighting, heating, cooking, waste treatment, and other functions associated with the logistical and operational support of hospitals. The present research work, which follows the assessment undertaken in a previous study of the transport activities of the 401 Military General Hospital of Athens (401 MGHA), focuses on the carbon footprint of the stationary emission sources of the 401 MGHA; it serves as a second step in the development of an action plan for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the hospital-based health care of the Hellenic (Greek) Army. A portfolio of energy saving and emission reduction actions is proposed and mapped according to their abatement cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential. The highest decrease of GHG emissions is expected to be materialized by the decarbonization of the Greek power sector due to the lignite phase-out and increased share of low carbon fuels and renewable energy sources. Significant emission reduction potential could also be achieved by the replacement of face-to-face hospital visits by telemedicine, primarily by reducing transport-associated emissions. Furthermore, a number of key performance indicators (KPI) are proposed as simple and easily monitored metrics of the hospital's performance towards its sustainable low carbon objectives. Specific KPIs per mitigation action are presented, as well as a general KPI that covers all mitigation actions and sources of emissions in the form of "tCO2eq per patient" or "tCO2eq per hospitalization day."