Air Emissions

Air emission compliance is a very complex and time consuming process. Emissions from sources have to be collected and reported on in several ways based on federal and local requirements such as Title V, NESHAP, and SARA 313. Now with Greenhouse Gas tracking coming to the forefront with expected new legislation forcing companies to manage their complete carbon footprint, you need reliable systems that can handle the complexities of air emissions tracking to know the details, save time and cut costs.

Data from each emissions source has to be collected and validated. You typically use a multitude of complex spreadsheets that reference each other and roll up into one big master spreadsheet, and you hope the “spreadsheet guru” is available when you need them. Sound familiar?

Numerous calculations can be performed at a single source based on particular permit requirements; 24-hr averages, 30-day averages, 12-month rolling averages. In addition, the results of these calculations then have to be compared to the action limits to ensure there are no exceedances. Exceedances must be reported. Reporting periods are dreaded because it takes so much time—weeks-- to create complicated reports, such as an Emission Inventory report. And because of your current ways of collecting and calculating data, it may be weeks or even months before you realize you have had an exceedance which can result in fines.

What you need is centralized collection of the data from all of the different sources across your company. Once the data is in the system, calculations are conducted automatically and compared against action limits. Imagine receiving immediate notification, such as an e-mail to let you know that you have had an exceedance or are nearing a limit. Reports for submission to regulatory agencies would be as simple as selecting the appropriate sources , parameters and clicking a button. What takes you weeks could take you minutes. Think of all of the other things you could accomplish with all of the extra time.

The risk of violations would decrease leading to decreased cost. You would be able to view emissions over a period of time visually. You could see resulting emissions vs. hours of production which would help you optimize production output. Imagine telling the plant manager with confidence that production could be increased without a threat of violating a permit. And next time your permit comes up for renewal, use your historical data to negotiate better permit requirements.