Quality Control and Quality Assurance in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the Establishment of the National

Inventory System

02-03 September 2004, EEA, Copenhagen

Sarah Baggott (National Environmental Technology Centre - netcen -

Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3ED, UK)

Overview of presentation

Summary of QA/QC plan in the UK QC in the UK inventory QA activities Quality Manual Verification of the inventory Quality Management System Resources National Inventory System

QA/QC programme and plan (i)

Netcen is responsible for coordinating QA/QC activities

Current system complies with the Tier 1 procedures outlined in the Good Practice Guidance (IPCC, 2000)

Activities carried out each year as the inventory is compiled include:- Documentation- Database entry- Checking- Recalculation- Uncertainties- Archiving

Future: Compliance with Tier 2 procedures

QA/QC programme and plan (ii)

-log, number all incoming data

-check data against previous years

-use colour coding in spreadsheets

-Full referencing

-check units, time series consistency

-second person check

-document on QA/QC page

-methodology-online manual

-Time series consistency

-sector/pollutant expert check

-Global check

-Explain large changes

-Database fuel totals-vs-National statistics

-Database-read only

-mass balance checks

-check database CRF output

-CRF totals

-check for large changes from previous year

-check tables and numbers

-Second person check

-database files

-spreadsheet files

-source data

-manuals

-report

Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug

Data collection

Spreadsheet Development D

ata

base

en

try

CR

F t

ab

les National Inventory

Report Preparation

Archiving

Ongoing/year-round activities

-Peer reviews

-review of emission factors

Quality Control (i)

IPCC define quality control as

- a system of routine technical activities to measure and control the quality of the inventory as it is being developed

Quality Control (ii)

Core elements of Quality Control:

Referencing What data is used Where does it come from

Documentation How is data used What assumptions are used

Checking Are the results robust/Defendable Identify errors

What is used?

How is it used?

Are we Sure?

Quality Control (iii)

Documentation Contacts Database On-line manual of methodologies National Inventory Report

Core Database and spreadsheets Interlinked Single repository (UNFCCC & UNECE)

Checking/Review Procedures Mass balance checks within the spreadsheets Fuel entries in the database against DUKES totals Year to year, sector by sector - need to explain any

changes

Quality Control (iv)

Recalculation Revisions to methodologies mean emissions for all previous years

re-calculated Uncertainties

Assessment made following IPCC ‘good practice’ guidelines (Tier 1/2)

Archiving After each reporting cycle, all database files, spreadsheets,

electronic documents ‘frozen’ and archived Lektreiver holds most paper records and has associated database

Computer records For key databases, 60 minute rolling backup

QA/QC of data suppliers- Requesting details of procedures from data suppliers- 1-1 meetings with major data providers

Referencing & Documentation

Data Request:(referenced)

Data Source:

Contacts DB:Who, What, When

Raw Data:From, What, When Emission Factors:

(referenced)

Activity Stats.:(referenced)

Emission:EF reference

Activity Reference

Documentation(referenced)

Reports(referenced)

Checking

Data Request: Raw Data:

Compilation: Dissemination:

Data checked on receipt

Checking before use

CoverageUnitsSourcesMass balance checks

Annual Compilation Checks

Pre-Delivery Checks

MethodologyConsistency vs Last yearConsistency between UNECE/UNFCCCExternal data sourcesEnergy BalanceActivity data consistency

Sector aggregationInclusions/ExclusionsReporting formatsConsistency between UNECE/UNFCCC

Emissions

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance (QA) activities- include a planned system of review procedures conducted by personnel not directly involved in the inventory compilation/development

Independent Review- Peer review- In-depth review

Selection of ‘special’ QA activities 2002-2004

Verification of the halocarbon inventory Met. Office

Review of halocarbon estimates AEAT

Peer Review of fuel combustion sources of CO2 Tim Simmons

Review of landfill CH4 emissions Nottingham University

In Depth Review (IDR) of 3NC UNFCCC

ISO 9002 2000 audit by Lloyds

Quality Manual

On-line manual

Contains instructions on all aspects of compiling the inventory

QA/QC section explaining what checks need to be carried out and when

Verification

Verification of emissions is carried out by the UK Met. Office High frequency observations of the Kyoto gases are carried out

at Mace Head (Ireland) Lagrangian dispersion model (NAME) used to estimate emissions

Table shows verification of the UK emissions inventory estimates 2000-2002 (3 year average) in Gg yr-1

Gas NAME GHGI

CH4 2500 2200

N2O 110 137

HFC-134a 1.38 2.93

HFC-152a 0.07 0.17

Quality Management System (i)

Inventory has been subject to ISO 9000 since 1994 (it is now subject to BS EN ISO 9001:2000)-emphasis placed on authorisation of personnel to work on inventories, document control, data tracking, spreadsheet checking and project management

Audited by Lloyds and the AEAT internal QA auditors

Also subject to an internal QMS designed specifically for the Inventory

Quality Management System (ii)

Integration of QMS into Inventory preparation:

1. Spreadsheet Checks

2. Database checks

3. CRF checks

4. National Inventory Report checks

Resources needed for QA/QC and QMS

People- Expertise (sector and pollutant) in order to conduct checks- Appropriate expertise for reviews

Time- Spreadsheets and database population take longer- To meet strict deadlines, large team needed for busy periods

UNFCCC15 April

EU MONITORING MECHANISM

15th January & 31 March

Inventory Compilation &

QA/QC

Data GatheringChecking

InterpretationCalculation

DEFRAS

tatis

tical

Dat

aset

s

(AEA Technology:- netcen)

Energy & Fuel Statistics

(DTI)

Pollution Inventory(Environment

Agency)

Transport Statistics(DfT)

Emission Factors(IPCC Guidelines)

UnOffical Datasets:

Industry & NGO’s(UKPIA, UKOOA

Other Trade Associations,

Individual Companies)

Emission FactorsGuidebooks &

Literature

Official Datasets:

Unofficial Datasets:

LLUCF inventory(CEH/FC/DEFRA)

Agricultural Inventory(IGER/DEFRA)

Other Inventory Development(Contracts/DEFRA)

MO

U*

Dev

elop

men

t (20

05/6

)M

OU

* D

evel

opm

ent (

2004

/5)

UK

Em

ission Inventory Database

Def

ra C

ontr

acts

CRF

NIR

Key

Controlled Data Flow

Data Quality Agreements

Data Sources:

Xxx...

DEFRA’s Zone of Authority

AEA Technology Zone of Authority

UK National Inventory System (DEFRA)

* MOU = Memorandum of Understanding

National Inventory System (ii)

Degree of formalisation, legal character (MOU’s):

- Establishment of a formal agreement between Defra and data providers, defining and allocating specific responsibilities and requirements. (e.g.Choice of methods, activity data, emission factors, QA/QC)

Sector Existing arrangements Legal requirements?

Energy and fuel statistics Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES)

Formal agreement with DTI on format and timing of data required

Transport statistics Transport statistics of GB Agreement with DfT on vehicle fleet data

Industrial processes EA Pollution Inventory, industrial sectors

Formal agreement with EA, agreements with industrial sectors

Fugitive emissions SCOPEC Inventory Formal agreement with UKOOA

LUCF National inventory of woodland and trees, land use change stats

Formal agreement with Forestry Commission and ODPM

Agriculture and Waste Agriculture in the UK, June census,Waste Management Strategy

Internal Defra procedures and formal agreement with EA

Acknowledgements

GHGI – funded by Defra and Devolved Administrations

Jim Penman – Defra Project Officer John Watterson – GHGI Project Manager