Keywords
software assistant, emission trading, environmental informatics, it-system for the environment
Start Date
1-7-2010 12:00 AM
Abstract
The European Emission Trading System (ETS) has been elaborated as a marketbased instrument for controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Selected sectors have to bring in Emission Allowances (EUA) for every emitted ton of CO2. A large part of EUAs is freely allocated to plant operators, but high emitters have to settle their lack of EUAs by buying EUAs from those with a surplus of allowances. Operators have to fulfil several tasks in time: Creating monitoring concepts, collecting initial data, participating in the allocation process, emission reporting, trading of EUAs, and refunding of used EUAs to national authorities. In this paper, we present the increments of our project “Emission Trade Assistant”, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. We present our draft of an assistant software built from distinct software components and sum up our experiences in modelling workflows of plant operators based on Windows Workflow Foundation and .NET 4.0. Our approach is promising to ease the duties of the facility operators, but it also raises high demands on an easy-to-use and highly dynamic workflow modelling framework. We summarize our discussions with operators, national authorities and accredited experts, before we provide requirements for this modelling framework. We will demonstrate that workflow-based assistants are highly suitable to support operators with certain tasks, to mediate between operators and various obligatory IT systems, and to take operators by the hand and guide them step-by-step through the ETS.
A Workflow-based Compliance Assistant for Facilities in EU Emission Trading System
The European Emission Trading System (ETS) has been elaborated as a marketbased instrument for controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Selected sectors have to bring in Emission Allowances (EUA) for every emitted ton of CO2. A large part of EUAs is freely allocated to plant operators, but high emitters have to settle their lack of EUAs by buying EUAs from those with a surplus of allowances. Operators have to fulfil several tasks in time: Creating monitoring concepts, collecting initial data, participating in the allocation process, emission reporting, trading of EUAs, and refunding of used EUAs to national authorities. In this paper, we present the increments of our project “Emission Trade Assistant”, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. We present our draft of an assistant software built from distinct software components and sum up our experiences in modelling workflows of plant operators based on Windows Workflow Foundation and .NET 4.0. Our approach is promising to ease the duties of the facility operators, but it also raises high demands on an easy-to-use and highly dynamic workflow modelling framework. We summarize our discussions with operators, national authorities and accredited experts, before we provide requirements for this modelling framework. We will demonstrate that workflow-based assistants are highly suitable to support operators with certain tasks, to mediate between operators and various obligatory IT systems, and to take operators by the hand and guide them step-by-step through the ETS.
