Advantages
What's Your
Carbon Footprint?
Climate change research is best served not just by precise and field-deployable instruments, but also by environmentally friendly monitoring systems that have a small carbon footprint and low cost-of-ownership.
Power supplied from conventional sources to LI-COR's greenhouse gas analyzer systems results in the production of as few as 107 kg (GHG-1, 20 W nominally) or 187 kg (GHG-2, 35 W nominally) of CO2 per year. By contrast, instruments that use Wavelength-Scanned Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (WS-CRDS) and Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (ICOS) require about 600 W of power and result in over 3200 kg of CO2 emissions per year during continuous monitoring in eddy covariance flux applications. This corresponds with energy costs of $19-$34 per year for LI-COR systems and $574 or more per year for competing systems, based on average electricity costs per kWh in the U.S.
LI-COR's GHG analyzer systems are designed to operate at ambient outdoor temperatures with power from a basic solar/battery system, while providing robust data sets with minimal user intervention. They provide the lowest power costs and smallest carbon footprint of all 3-gas systems available.
| LI-COR GHG1 System | LI-COR GHG2 System | WS-CRDS Instruments | ICOS Instruments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | ≈ 20 W | ≈ 35 W | ≈ 600W | ≈ 600W |
| Carbon Footprint | ≈ 107 kg/year | ≈ 187 kg/year | ≈ 3200 kg/year | ≈ 3200 kg/year |
| Power Costs | $19/year | $34/year | $574/year | $574/year |