Method for carbon emission calculation and system thereof

Abstract

A method and system for calculating carbon emissions are provided. A method for calculating carbon emissions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include the steps of receiving information regarding a company's total expenditure costs from a user terminal; calculating the company's detailed expenditure costs by item using the company's total expenditure costs and the ratio of detailed expenditure costs by item in a segmentation table; calculating the company's carbon emissions by item using the calculated detailed expenditure costs by item and the emission factors by item in the segmentation table; and calculating the company's total carbon emissions by summing the calculated carbon emissions by item. In this case, the segmentation table includes the ratio of detailed expenditure costs and the emission factors for each expenditure item, wherein the ratio of detailed expenditure costs and the emission factors may be data individually designated for each industry group. According to this method, errors in the carbon emissions calculation method can be minimized.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and system for calculating carbon emissions, and more specifically, to a method for calculating carbon emissions with consideration for user convenience and a system for performing the method. Background Technology

[0002] If a carbon emissions disclosure obligation is imposed, companies must disclose the carbon emissions generated during the course of their business activities.

[0003] However, the process of individual companies collecting, calculating, and verifying data related to carbon emissions is a difficult and cumbersome task, and it is nearly impossible for non-experts without knowledge of carbon emissions to make a final public disclosure of carbon emissions.

[0004] However, the scope of mandatory carbon emission disclosure is expanding. Recently, the international community's expectations regarding corporate carbon emission information disclosure have been extending from Scope 1 to Scopes 2 and 3. The terms Scope 1, 2, and 3 were first used in the 2001 Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and currently, these three scopes are used as the standard for greenhouse gas reporting. While reporting Scope 3 emissions is not yet mandatory, discussions regarding its phased mandatory implementation are ongoing.

[0005] Scope 1 refers to direct emissions generated from emission sources directly owned and controlled by the operator; Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions generated during the production process of electricity and heat (hot water, steam, cooling, etc.) purchased and used by the operator; and Scope 3 refers to indirect emissions other than Scope 2 generated in the upstream and downstream sectors of the value chain outside the business site. While calculating carbon emissions corresponding to Scopes 1 and 2 is difficult, calculating carbon emissions corresponding to Scope 3 is even more challenging.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need to provide an automated carbon emission calculation method that can minimize errors occurring in carbon emission measurement and reduce the difficulty of carbon emission measurement. Prior art literature

[0007] Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2518281 (Registered on March 31, 2023) The problem to be solved

[0008] The technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a carbon emission calculation method and a system for performing the method, which can minimize errors related to carbon emission calculation and reduce the difficulty of inputting information for carbon emission calculation.

[0009] The technical problem to be solved through several other embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a carbon emission calculation method and a system for performing the method, which support carbon emission calculation in a reasonable manner for both scopes where relatively detailed information input is possible and scopes where it is not, by calculating carbon emissions in different ways depending on the target scope of carbon emissions.

[0010] Another technical problem to be solved through some other embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a method for utilizing calculated carbon emissions and a system for carrying out the method.

[0011] The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0012] A carbon emission calculation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for solving the aforementioned technical problem may include the steps of: receiving information regarding the total expenditure of a company from a user terminal; calculating the detailed expenditure cost of the company by item using the total expenditure cost of the company and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item in a segmentation table; calculating the carbon emission of the company by item using the calculated detailed expenditure cost by item and the emission coefficient by item in the segmentation table; and calculating the total carbon emission of the company by summing the calculated carbon emissions by item. In this case, the segmentation table may include the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission coefficient for each expenditure item, and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission coefficient may be data individually designated for each industry group.

[0013] In some embodiments, each expenditure item of the segmentation table may include detailed category items of the industry.

[0014] In some embodiments, each expenditure item is classified according to the upstream category of Scope3 carbon emissions, and the upstream category of Scope3 carbon emissions may include raw materials, services, transportation and storage, facilities, and business trips.

[0015] In some embodiments, the detailed expenditure cost ratios by item of the segmentation table may be determined based on the industry to which the company belongs.

[0016] In some embodiments, the item-specific emission factors of the segmentation table may be determined based on the industry to which the company belongs.

[0017] In some embodiments, the step of calculating the itemized detailed expenditure cost of the company may include receiving an input signal of the itemized detailed expenditure cost ratio from the company and a similar company included in the industry to which the company belongs; updating the itemized detailed expenditure cost ratio of the segmentation table when the frequency of the input signal is determined to be greater than or equal to a first threshold; and calculating the itemized detailed expenditure cost of the company using the updated itemized detailed expenditure cost ratio and the total expenditure cost.

[0018] A carbon emission calculation method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure for solving the aforementioned technical problem may include the steps of receiving information on the expenditure costs of an enterprise by item from a user terminal, calculating the energy usage of the enterprise by item using the expenditure costs by item, and calculating the carbon emissions of the enterprise by item using the energy usage of the enterprise by item.

[0019] In some embodiments, the company's itemized expenditure costs may include expenditure costs for Scope1 carbon emissions and Scope2 carbon emissions, respectively.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method may include the steps of verifying the itemized expenditure of the company using the company’s ERP data, the company’s accounting disclosure data, and the company’s tax data; generating standard data by cluster of standard companies belonging to the industry to which the company belongs and similar industries, characterized by the company’s personnel size, office size, industry type, and capital size; and further verifying the itemized expenditure of the company using the generated standard data by cluster.

[0021] In some embodiments, the step of verifying the itemized expenditure of the company may include the step of transmitting a message to the user's terminal indicating that the itemized expenditure received from the user terminal is an error when the itemized expenditure calculated from the company's ERP data, the company's accounting disclosure data, or the company's tax data is different from the itemized expenditure of the company received from the user terminal.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method may include a step of calculating the item-specific energy usage using the item-specific expenditure cost reflecting the result of performing the verification step and the result of performing the additional verification step.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method may include the step of comparing the item-specific expenditure cost of the company with the item-specific expenditure cost of the standard company using the cluster-specific standard data, and the step of transmitting information regarding excess carbon emissions to the company when the item-specific expenditure cost of the company exceeds the item-specific expenditure cost of the standard company.

[0024] A carbon emission calculation method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure for solving the technical problem described above comprises the steps of receiving information regarding the total expenditure cost of a company from a user terminal, calculating the detailed expenditure cost of the company by item using the total expenditure cost of the company and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item in a segmentation table, calculating the carbon emission of the company by item using the calculated detailed expenditure cost by item and the emission coefficient by item in the segmentation table, and calculating the total carbon emission of the company by summing the calculated carbon emission of the company by item, wherein the segmentation table includes the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission coefficient for each expenditure item, and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission coefficient are data individually designated for each industry group; and a first carbon emission calculation method comprising the steps of receiving the expenditure cost of the company by item from a user terminal, calculating the energy usage of the company by item using the expenditure cost by item, and calculating the carbon emission of the company by item using the energy usage by item, wherein the first carbon emission calculation method and the second carbon emission calculation method may be different.

[0025] A carbon emission calculation system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure for solving the aforementioned technical problem comprises one or more processors and a memory for storing instructions. The one or more processors may include, by executing the stored instructions, an operation of receiving information regarding the total expenditure of a company from a user terminal; an operation of calculating the detailed expenditure cost of the company by item using the total expenditure cost of the company and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item in a segmentation table; an operation of calculating the carbon emission of the company by item using the calculated detailed expenditure cost by item and the emission factor by item in the segmentation table; and an operation of calculating the total carbon emission of the company by summing the calculated carbon emission of the company by item. In this case, the segmentation table includes the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission factor for each expenditure item, wherein the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission factor may be data individually designated for each industry group.

[0026] A carbon emission calculation system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure for solving the aforementioned technical problem comprises one or more processors and a memory for storing instructions, wherein the one or more processors may include, by executing the stored instructions, an operation of receiving an itemized expenditure cost of a company from a user terminal, an operation of calculating an itemized energy usage of the company using the itemized expenditure cost, and an operation of calculating an itemized carbon emission of the company using the itemized energy usage. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0027] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a system that provides a carbon emission calculation service centered on a service server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a flowchart for calculating a company's total carbon emissions. Figure 3 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the carbon emission calculation process for Scope1 and Scope2. Figure 4 is an example diagram illustrating the process of verifying expenditure costs by item. Figure 5 is an example diagram showing standard data by cluster for verifying carbon emissions. Figure 6 is an example diagram showing the UI for the carbon emission auxiliary data item displayed on the screen of a user terminal. Figure 7 is an example of a UI provided by a user terminal to a user when the user selects a carbon emission auxiliary data item with reference to Figure 6. Figure 8 is an example diagram showing that when a user selects an answer to a query with reference to Figure 7, the user terminal provides the user with a UI for the cost per item. Figure 9 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the Scope3 carbon emission calculation process. Figure 10 is an example of the major categories of the subdivision table. Figure 11 is an example of a sub-classification of a subdivision table. Figure 12 is an example of the detailed expenditure cost ratio of the segmentation table. Figure 13 is an example of the emission factors of the segmentation table. FIG. 14 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of an image recognition system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0028] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the attached drawings. However, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments but can be implemented in various different forms. The following embodiments are provided merely to complete the technical concept of the present invention and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0029] In describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related known configurations or functions are omitted if it is determined that such descriptions may obscure the essence of the invention. Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the following embodiments (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in a meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains, but this may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technology, etc. The terms used in this disclosure are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0031] In the following embodiments, singular expressions include plural concepts unless the context clearly specifies them as singular. Additionally, plural expressions include singular concepts unless the context clearly specifies them as plural.

[0032] In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. used in the following embodiments are used merely to distinguish one component from another, and the essence, order, or sequence of the said component is not limited by such terms.

[0033] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a system that provides a carbon emission calculation service centered on a service server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the configuration of a system providing a carbon emission calculation service may include a service server (10), an external server (11), and a user terminal (12). The service server (10), which is a core server performing carbon emission calculation, may receive information for carbon emission calculation from the external server (11) and the user terminal (12).

[0036] Specifically, the service server (10) receives information about expenditure costs from the user terminal (12) and can calculate carbon emissions using the information about expenditure costs. At this time, carbon emissions can be calculated by converting carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, perfluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, and other greenhouse gases into a single unit (CO2 eq) based on the degree to which they affect global warming.

[0037] Additionally, carbon emissions according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may mean carbon emissions for each of Scope1, Scope2, and Scope3, and may also mean total carbon emissions of Scope1, Scope2, and Scope3 combined.

[0038] Below, prior to a detailed explanation of the carbon emission calculation process, I will provide a brief overview of Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3. Scope 1 may refer to direct emissions generated during the product production stage, Scope 2 may refer to indirect emissions generated during the process of producing electricity and power used at the workplace, and Scope 3 may refer to external emissions generated throughout the entire value chain, including supplier, logistics, use, and disposal.

[0039] For example, Scope 1 may include carbon emissions from fuel combustion, livestock farming, etc., Scope 2 may include carbon emissions from electricity usage, heat usage, and water usage, and Scope 3 may include carbon emissions from outsourcing activities. As those skilled in the relevant technical field are likely already familiar with the concepts of Scope 1 to Scope 3, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the carbon emissions of Scope1 and Scope2 can be calculated from each expenditure item included in Scope1 and Scope2. This will be explained in detail below in FIGS. 3 to 8.

[0041] In addition, the carbon emissions of Scope 3 can be calculated using the detailed expenditure cost ratios and emission factors of the subdivision table. This will be explained in detail below in Figures 9 to 13.

[0042] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a service server (10) can receive enterprise expenditure information derived from enterprise resource planning (ERP) data, accounting disclosure data, and tax data of an enterprise stored in an external server (11).

[0043] In addition, the service server (10) may verify the consistency of the expenditure costs received from the user terminal by using the expenditure costs of the company received from the external server (11). This will be explained in detail below in FIG. 4.

[0044] Figure 2 is a flowchart for calculating a company's total carbon emissions.

[0045] In step S21, the service server can calculate the carbon emissions of Scope1 and Scope2. At this time, the method of calculating the carbon emissions of Scope1 and Scope2 respectively may be the same. However, the items required to calculate the carbon emissions of Scope1 and Scope2 respectively (e.g., Scope1: vehicle fuel costs, Scope2: electricity costs) may differ. The method of calculating the carbon emissions of Scope1 and Scope2 will be explained in detail in FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0046] At step S22, the service server can calculate the carbon emissions of Scope 3. The method by which the service server calculates the carbon emissions of Scope 3 may not be the same as the method by which the service server calculates the carbon emissions of Scope 1 and Scope 2. More specifically, the method of calculating the carbon emissions of Scope 3 may be more complex than the method of calculating the carbon emissions of Scope 1 and Scope 2 because it must take into account external emissions generated throughout the entire value chain.

[0047] Accordingly, according to the present disclosure, a segmentation table is introduced to facilitate the calculation of carbon emissions for Scope 3, and carbon emissions for Scope 3 can be calculated more easily by using the detailed expenditure cost ratios and emission factors within the segmentation table. A detailed explanation related to this will be provided in FIGS. 10 to 13.

[0048] Meanwhile, the order of steps S21 and S22 may be performed in parallel or in a fixed order. That is, unlike the flowchart of FIG. 2, after the carbon emissions of Scope3 are calculated according to step S22, the carbon emissions of Scope1 and Scope2 may be calculated according to step S21.

[0049] In step S23, the service server can sum the carbon emissions of Scope1, Scope2, and Scope3, and the sum of the carbon emissions of Scope1, Scope2, and Scope3 may mean the total carbon emissions.

[0050] Figure 3 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the carbon emission calculation process for Scope1 and Scope2.

[0051] In step S31, the service server may receive information regarding expenditure costs by item from the user terminal. Additionally, it may receive other information that can estimate expenditure costs by item.

[0052] For example, when calculating the carbon emissions of a vehicle, the service server may directly receive the vehicle's fuel costs from the user terminal, and may also receive input such as the mileage that can estimate the vehicle's fuel costs.

[0053] Next, in step S32, the service server can verify the itemized expenditure received from the user terminal. At this time, the verification method may include a method of verifying the expenditure received from the user terminal using the company's ERP data, corporate accounting disclosure data, and corporate tax data stored on an external server, and a method of verifying the expenditure received from the user terminal using standard data by cluster of companies belonging to similar industry groups characterized by the company's workforce size, office size, industry type, and capital size. The process of the service server verifying the itemized expenditure received from the user terminal will be explained in detail below with reference to Fig. 4.

[0054] In step S33, the service server can calculate the itemized energy usage using verified itemized expenditure costs. In this case, the itemized energy usage may refer to the usage of energy, fossil fuels, or other raw materials that directly cause carbon emissions.

[0055] For example, in the case of Scope 1, the amount of fossil fuel and raw material used per item can be calculated using the average fuel price and average chemical raw material price per period entered by the user.

[0056] In addition, for Scope 2, energy usage per item can be calculated using electricity bill information and heating bill information entered by the user.

[0057] Specifically, the energy consumption (J) for each item can be calculated by multiplying the expenditure cost (KW) for that item by the cost of energy consumption (J / KW). In the example above, the average fuel price by period, the average chemical raw material price by period, electricity rate information, and heating rate information may represent the cost associated with energy consumption. However, this is merely an example, and the cost associated with energy consumption may include all price information necessary to calculate energy consumption from expenditure costs. Furthermore, since the price information that constitutes the cost associated with energy consumption may fluctuate, periodic updates may be required.

[0058] Figure 4 is an example diagram illustrating the process of verifying expenditure costs by item.

[0059] After the service server receives itemized expenditure costs from the user terminal in step S31, the service server can verify whether the received itemized expenditure costs satisfy the consistency requirements in step S41. Specifically, the service server can verify whether the received itemized expenditure costs satisfy the consistency requirements by using corporate ERP data (41), corporate accounting disclosure data (42), and corporate tax data (43) stored on an external server.

[0060] Specifically, the service server can identify corporate expenditures through expenditure approvals stored in the ERP (Enterprise resource planning) system, and can also identify corporate expenditures through electronic disclosure systems (e.g., DART's Open API) and standard income statements. However, this is merely an example, and all data capable of identifying corporate expenditures may be stored on an external server, and the service server can identify corporate expenditures through the aforementioned stored data.

[0061] If the itemized expenditure costs calculated from ERP data, accounting disclosure data, or tax data differ from the itemized expenditure costs of the company entered from the user terminal, in step S42, the service server may send a message to the user terminal indicating that the itemized expenditure costs entered from the user terminal are an error.

[0062] In addition, if the itemized expenditure cost derived from ERP data, accounting disclosure data, or tax data is the same as the company's itemized expenditure cost entered from the user terminal, the service server can immediately calculate the itemized energy usage using the verified itemized expenditure cost.

[0063] In addition, if the itemized expenditure costs that the user wishes to input are already stored in ERP data, accounting disclosure data, or tax data, the service server may transmit information regarding the said itemized expenditure costs to the user terminal before receiving the itemized expenditure costs from the user terminal.

[0064] Next, a user terminal that has received information regarding itemized expenditure costs from a service server can provide the received information regarding itemized expenditure costs to the user. The user can substitute directly entering the itemized expenditure costs by selecting the information provided by the user terminal, without having to enter the itemized expenditure costs separately. This method can minimize errors in the user's input of itemized expenditure costs.

[0065] Figure 5 is an example diagram showing standard data by cluster for verifying carbon emissions.

[0066] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a service server can generate standard data (5000) for clusters of standard companies belonging to the industry to which the company belongs and similar industries, characterized by the company's personnel size, office size, industry type, and capital size, and can further verify the company's expenditure costs by item using the generated standard data for clusters. However, this is merely an example, and the variables that serve as the criteria for clustering may vary depending on Scope1 (500) and Scope2 (600).

[0067] First, in Scope 1 (500), clustering variables for calculating carbon emissions from fuel of a vehicle (mobile combustion, 510) may include the number of vehicles owned (511), the type of vehicle owned (e.g., gasoline, diesel, LPG, hybrid) (512), the distance traveled (513), the cost of fuel used (514), the location of the office (515), the total fuel used (516), and the mobile combustion emissions (517).

[0068] Additionally, clustering variables for calculating carbon emissions from fuel used in the device (stationary combustion, 520) may include the number of machine devices owned (521), the type of machine owned (e.g., gasoline, diesel, LPG, hybrid) (522), the fuel cost used (523), the total fuel used (524), and the stationary combustion emissions (525).

[0069] Additionally, clustering variables for calculating carbon emissions generated while producing process emission products (530), such as cement and quicklime, may include the type of process (e.g., ammonia, nitric acid, carbide) (531), total production volume per process (532), and process emission amount (533).

[0070] First, the clustering variables for calculating carbon emissions from electricity usage (540) in Scope2 (600) may include electricity usage (541), electricity usage patterns (e.g., hourly pattern, weekly pattern, monthly pattern, annual pattern) (542), renewable energy usage (543), contract type (e.g., industrial, commercial, high voltage, low voltage) (544), and electricity usage emissions (545).

[0071] Additionally, clustering variables for calculating carbon emissions from heat usage (550) may include heat usage (551), heat usage pattern (552), flow rate / heat quantity (553), usage type (e.g., city gas, district heating, individual heating, use of electric heating appliances) (554), and heat usage emissions (555).

[0072] However, this is merely one example, and it goes without saying that the variables serving as the criteria for clustering may vary depending on Scope1 and Scope2. Meanwhile, standard cluster data generated using differentiated variables can be utilized as follows.

[0073] First, the service server can verify the consistency of item-specific expenditure costs received from the user terminal using standard data per cluster. Additionally, the service server can compare the company's item-specific expenditure costs with those of a standard company using standard data per cluster, and if the company's item-specific expenditure costs exceed those of the standard company, it can transmit information regarding excessive carbon emissions to the said company.

[0074] In other words, according to the present disclosure, since the carbon emissions of a company received from a user terminal can be compared with those of a standard company, there is an effect of objectively diagnosing the carbon emission status of the company, and if the carbon emission status is excessive compared to that of a standard company, information regarding the excessive carbon emissions can be provided to the company, thereby enabling the reduction of the company's carbon emissions.

[0075] Figure 6 is an example diagram showing the UI for the carbon emission auxiliary data item displayed on the screen of a user terminal.

[0076] In this case, I will explain under the assumption that the carbon emission supplementary data item is related to the calculation of carbon emissions generated from automotive fuel.

[0077] First, in order to calculate the carbon emissions generated from the fuel of the vehicle, if the user knows the vehicle fuel consumption (51), the carbon emissions can be calculated using the vehicle fuel consumption (51) as follows.

[0078] At this time, the global warming factor of the mathematical formula described in this specification can integrate the amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, and perfluorocarbons calculated through the calorific value and emission factor into a single unit.

[0079]

[0080] In addition, if the user does not know the fuel consumption of the car but knows the average driving distance (52) of the car, the carbon emissions can be calculated as follows.

[0081]

[0082] Next, if the user knows the fuel cost (53) of the vehicle, the carbon emissions can be calculated as follows.

[0083]

[0084] Generally, considering that it is easier for a user to input the car fuel cost (53) than the car fuel consumption (51) and the average driving distance (52) of the car, the user's selection of the car fuel cost (53) can minimize errors in the calculation of carbon emissions.

[0085] Accordingly, the screen of the user terminal may display items for the average driving distance (52) and fuel cost (53) of the vehicle, as well as the vehicle fuel consumption (51), as auxiliary carbon emission data items in order to calculate carbon emissions generated from the vehicle fuel. In addition, the auxiliary data items are not limited to the above examples and may include anything that can be indirectly used in the calculation of carbon emissions.

[0086] Figure 7 is an example of a UI provided by a user terminal to a user when the user selects a carbon emission auxiliary data item with reference to Figure 6.

[0087] In the present disclosure, the first query (61) and the second query (63) may be questions regarding the carbon emission auxiliary data item selected by the user in FIG. 5. Specifically, the first query may be the number of gasoline vehicles, and the second query may be the number of LPG vehicles.

[0088] However, this is merely an example, and if there are additional requirements for the auxiliary data item selected by the user in calculating carbon emissions, it may be the first query or the second query.

[0089] In addition, if the first and second queries are insufficient as questions regarding the carbon emission auxiliary data items selected by the user, the user terminal may provide two or more queries to the user.

[0090] In the present disclosure, the first answer (62) is an answer to the first query, and the second answer (not shown) may be an answer to the second query. For example, the first answer (62) may be selected as one vehicle as an answer to the number of gasoline vehicles, which is the first query (61). In some cases, there may be multiple first answers (62) corresponding to the first query (61).

[0091] Figure 8 is an example diagram showing that when a user selects an answer to a query with reference to Figure 7, the user terminal provides the user with a UI for the cost per item.

[0092] For example, the user can input a total of 5,000,000 won as input to the UI (71) for the car fuel costs for one year.

[0093] Next, the service server can calculate the energy usage corresponding to the vehicle fuel cost of 5,000,000 won entered by the user in order to calculate carbon emissions from the vehicle fuel cost entered by the user.

[0094] Specifically, energy consumption can refer to the average fuel price and the average chemical raw material price over a period, and since the vehicle fuel cost (KW) is variable, the service server can calculate the energy consumption corresponding to the vehicle fuel cost of 5,000,000 won using the average fuel price (L / KW) over a period.

[0095] For example, assuming that the annual vehicle fuel cost is 5,000,000 (KW) and the average diesel price per period is 1,600 (KW / L), it can be seen that 3,125 (L) of diesel was used as energy consumption for one year. Furthermore, the service server can calculate the final carbon emissions using the 3,125 (L) of diesel consumption and carbon emission factors. As those working in the relevant technical field are likely already familiar with carbon emission factors, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[0096] The carbon emission calculation method described in FIGS. 3 to 7 can be used to calculate the carbon emissions of Scope 1 and Scope 2, respectively, and below, the carbon emission calculation method for Scope 3 will be explained.

[0097] Figure 9 is a detailed flowchart illustrating the Scope3 carbon emission calculation process.

[0098] In step S81, the service server may receive information regarding total expenditure costs from the user terminal. The carbon emission calculation method of Scope 3 differs from the carbon emission calculation methods of Scope 1 and Scope 2 in that it calculates carbon emissions using information regarding total expenditure costs. This is because, in calculating carbon emissions for Scope 3, it is difficult to know the expenditure costs for each item, as external emissions generated throughout the entire value chain must be taken into account.

[0099] In addition, for the calculation of Scope 3 carbon emissions, a segmentation table according to the present disclosure may be used, and the segmentation table may include detailed expenditure cost ratios and emission factors for each expenditure item. This will be explained in detail in FIGS. 9 to 11.

[0100] In step S82, the service server can calculate the detailed expenditure costs by item. Specifically, the service server can calculate the detailed expenditure costs by item using the total expenditure costs received from the user terminal in step S81 and the ratio of the detailed expenditure costs by item in the segmentation table. This will be explained in detail in FIG. 10.

[0101] In step S83, the service server can calculate carbon emissions by item. Specifically, the service server can calculate carbon emissions by item using the detailed expenditure costs by item calculated in step S82 and the emission factors by item in the breakdown table. This will be explained in detail in FIG. 11.

[0102] In step S84, the service server can calculate the total Scope3 carbon emissions. At this time, the total Scope3 carbon emissions may mean the sum of the itemized carbon emissions calculated in step S83.

[0103] In addition, the total of the carbon emissions of Scope3 calculated in step S84 and the carbon emissions of Scope1 and Scope2 mentioned above may represent the total carbon emissions of step S23 of FIG. 2.

[0104] Figure 10 is an example of the major categories of the subdivision table.

[0105] First, the segmentation table may be a table in which a company's total expenditure is classified according to detailed expenditure items based on major and medium categories. In this case, the major category of the segmentation table may follow the upstream category of Scope 3 carbon emissions.

[0106] Specifically, the upstream categories of Scope 3 carbon emissions (90-a) may include Purchased Goods & Service (91-a), Capital Goods (92-a), Upstream Transportation & Distribution (93-a), Business Travel (94-a), Waste generated in operation (95-a), and Fuel and Energy related activities (96-a). As those working in the relevant technical field are likely already familiar with the concept of the upstream categories of Scope 3 carbon emissions, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[0107] Additionally, the major category (90-b) of the subdivision table may correspond to the upstream category (90-a) of Scope 3 carbon emissions. Specifically, Purchased Goods & Service (91-a) corresponds to raw materials (91-b) and services (92-b), Capital Goods (92-a) corresponds to facilities (93-b), Upstream Transportation & Distribution (93-a) corresponds to transportation and storage (94-b), Business Travel (94-a) corresponds to business trips (95-b), Waste generated in operation (95-a) corresponds to waste treatment (96-b), and Fuel and Energy related activities (96-a) corresponds to energy use (97-b). At this time, Upstream Transportation & Distribution (93-a), which is included in the upstream category (90-a) of Scope 3 carbon emissions, may correspond to logistics (not shown) of the major category (90-b) of the subdivision table.

[0108] Figure 11 is an example of a sub-classification of a subdivision table.

[0109] The sub-categories (100) of the sub-categories table may include each expenditure item that is the subject of calculation when calculating the detailed expenditure costs by item in step S82. At this time, the sub-categories (100) of the sub-categories table may include detailed category items of the industry, and the detailed category items of the industry may be classified according to the attributes of the industry. Therefore, items having similar attributes may be selected as the same detailed category items.

[0110] Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 11, each of the raw materials (91-b), services (92-b), facilities (93-b), transportation and storage (not shown), business trips (not shown), waste disposal (not shown), and energy use (not shown) included in the major category (90-b) of the subdivision table may include detailed category items of the industry.

[0111] For example, raw materials (91-b) may include raw materials A (101), raw materials B (102), and raw materials C (103), services (92-b) may include services A (104) and services B (105), and facilities (93-b) may include facilities A (106) and facilities B (107).

[0112] At this time, the properties of raw material A (101), raw material B (102), and raw material C (103) may differ. For example, raw material A (101) may be a raw material for metal and metal processed products, raw material B (102) may be a raw material for wood and paper products, and raw material C may be a raw material for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products and food and beverage products.

[0113] Additionally, A service (104) is an information and communication and broadcasting service, and B service (105) is a financial and insurance service, so the attributes of the two services may differ, and A facility (106) is a computer and communication equipment, and B facility (107) is a building and real estate, so the attributes of the two facilities may differ.

[0114] Of course, the detailed category items included in raw materials (91-b), services (92-b), and facilities (93-b) are not limited to these. Additionally, the attributes used as criteria for classifying detailed categories may be pre-set or may be extracted based on data such as domestic input-output tables.

[0115] Figure 12 is an example of the detailed expenditure cost ratio of the segmentation table.

[0116] The segmentation table may include detailed expenditure ratios for each expenditure item by industry, wherein the detailed expenditure ratio for the same expenditure item may vary depending on the type of industry to which the company belongs. In other words, the detailed expenditure ratio by item in the segmentation table can be determined based on the industry to which the company belongs.

[0117] Next, the service server can calculate the detailed expenditure costs for each item of the segmentation table using the ratio of the total expenditure costs of the company and the detailed expenditure costs of the segmentation table received from the user terminal in step S81.

[0118] For example, in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, the detailed expenditure cost ratio for metal and processed goods items (101-b) may be 0.49% (110), the detailed expenditure cost ratio for chemical and petroleum and coal products (102-b) may be 22.88% (112), and the detailed expenditure cost ratio for non-metallic mineral products (103-b) may be 0.09% (114).

[0119] Additionally, in mining, the detailed expenditure ratio for metals and metal products (101-b) can be 5.36% (111), the detailed expenditure ratio for chemical and petroleum and coal products (102-b) can be 7.26% (113), the detailed expenditure ratio for non-metallic mineral products (103-b) can be 16.18% (115), and the detailed expenditure ratio for electrical equipment (111-b) can be 2.39% (116).

[0120] If it is assumed that the total expenditure of the company received from the user terminal in step S81 is 100 million won and the industry to which the company belongs is agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, the detailed expenditure costs by item can be calculated as follows. The detailed expenditure cost of the metal and metal processed products item (101-b) can be calculated as 490,000 won, which is the product of the total expenditure received from the user terminal and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost of the metal and metal processed products item (110). In addition, through the same process, the detailed expenditure cost of the chemical, petroleum, and coal products item can be calculated as 22.88 million won, and the detailed expenditure cost of the non-metallic mineral products item can be calculated as 90,000 won.

[0121] However, in the example above, the ratio of detailed expenditure costs for each expenditure item by industry in the segmentation table is not fixed and may vary. In that case, the detailed expenditure costs for each expenditure item by industry will differ.

[0122] Additionally, the company received from the user terminal in step S81 and similar companies included in the industry to which the company belongs may directly input the detailed expenditure ratio by item. If the detailed expenditure ratio for a specific item directly received from the company is entered as a value exceeding the first threshold, the detailed expenditure ratio for the specific item in the segmentation table may be updated to the detailed expenditure ratio received from the company. Then, the service server may calculate the detailed expenditure cost by item using the updated detailed expenditure ratio.

[0123] In addition, the detailed expenditure ratio by item in the segmentation table can be refined based on the total expenditure and detailed expenditure by item entered by the company. At this time, the process of refining the company's detailed expenditure ratio by item can utilize the standard data by cluster used in the verification of carbon emissions for Scope1 and Scope2 mentioned above, with the same mechanism applied to the verification of the detailed expenditure ratio in the segmentation table.

[0124] Figure 13 is an example of the emission factors of the segmentation table.

[0125] The segmentation table may include emission factors for each expenditure item by industry, and in this case, the emission factor for the same expenditure item may vary depending on the type of industry to which the company belongs. In other words, the item-specific emission factors in the segmentation table can be determined based on the industry to which the company belongs.

[0126] Next, the service server can calculate the carbon emissions by item in the segmentation table using the detailed expenditure costs by item calculated in step S82 and the emission factors by item in the segmentation table.

[0127] For example, in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, the emission factor for metal and processed products (101-b) may be 0.000145 (120), the emission factor for chemical and petroleum and coal products (102-b) may be 0.000484 (122), and the emission factor for non-metallic mineral products (103-b) may be 0.000486 (124).

[0128] Additionally, in mining, the emission factor for metals and metal products (101-b) may be 0.000145 (121), the emission factor for chemical and petroleum and coal products (102-b) may be 0.000484 (123), the emission factor for non-metallic mineral products (103-b) may be 0.000486 (125), and the emission factor for electrical equipment (111-b) may be 0.000621 (126).

[0129] As described above, if the detailed expenditure cost for the metal and metal processed product item is 490,000 won, the carbon emission for the metal and metal processed product (101-b) item can be calculated as 71.05 (tC), which is the product of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission factor of 0.000145 for the metal and metal processed product (101-b).

[0130] However, in the example above, the emission factors for each industry expenditure item in the segmentation table are not fixed and may vary. In that case, the carbon emissions for each industry expenditure item will differ.

[0131] In addition, the item-specific emission factors in the segmentation table can be refined based on the total expenditure, item-specific detailed expenditure, and item-specific detailed expenditure ratio entered by the company. At this time, the standard data by cluster used in the verification of carbon emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2 mentioned above can be utilized in the same mechanism for the verification of the item-specific emission factors in the segmentation table during the process of refining the company's item-specific emission factors.

[0132] Finally, the sum of carbon emissions for each expenditure item can represent the carbon emissions of Scope 3.

[0133] The carbon emission calculation method of Scope3 described above may differ from the carbon emission calculation methods of Scope1 and Scope2. In other words, the carbon emission calculation method of Scope1 and Scope2 in FIG. 3 is different from the carbon emission calculation method of Scope3 in FIG. 9. The reasons for this are summarized as follows.

[0134] The carbon emission calculation method of Scope3 has a mechanism in which the service server receives the total expenditure amount from the user terminal, calculates the carbon emission amount for each item from the total expenditure amount, and calculates the final carbon emission amount as the sum of the carbon emissions for each item.

[0135] On the other hand, the carbon emission calculation method of Scope1 and Scope2 has a mechanism in which the service server receives the expenditure amount for each item from the user terminal and calculates the carbon emission amount for each item from the expenditure amount for each item.

[0136] In other words, for Scope 3, since external emissions generated at every stage of the value chain must be considered, it is necessary to calculate the total carbon emissions for each stage within the value chain. Therefore, the total carbon emissions for each stage within the value chain can be calculated using the total expenditure received from the user terminal and the detailed cost ratios for each item within the segmentation table.

[0137] In contrast, Scope1 and Scope2 differ from Scope3 in that they calculate carbon emissions for a single item and receive only the expenditure cost for that item from the user terminal.

[0138] Up to now, a method for calculating carbon emissions according to several embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. Hereinafter, the hardware configuration of a carbon emissions calculation system will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0139] FIG. 14 is an exemplary hardware configuration diagram of a computing system (1000) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The computing system (1000) corresponds to the image discrimination system (10) described above.

[0140] As illustrated in FIG. 14, a computing system (1000) may include one or more processors (1100), a bus (1600), a communication interface (1200), a memory (1400) for loading a computer program executed by the processor (1100), and a storage (1300) for storing a computer program (1500). However, FIG. 14 illustrates only the components related to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs will understand that other general-purpose components may be included in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 14. That is, the computing system (1000) may include various additional components in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 14. Furthermore, depending on the case, the computing system (1000) may be configured in a form in which some of the components illustrated in FIG. 14 are omitted. Each component of the computing system (1000) will be described below.

[0141] The processor (1100) can control the overall operation of each component of the computing system (1000). The processor (1100) may be configured to include at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processor Unit), MCU (Micro Controller Unit), GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), NPU (Neural Processing Unit), or any form of processor well known in the art of the present disclosure. Additionally, the processor (1100) may perform operations for at least one application or program for executing operations / methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The computing system (1000) may have one or more processors.

[0142] Next, the memory (1400) may store various data, commands and / or information. The memory (1400) may load a computer program (1500) from the storage (1300) to execute an operation / method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. The memory (1400) may be implemented as a volatile memory such as RAM, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0143] Next, the bus (1600) can provide communication functions between components of the computing system (1000). The bus (1600) can be implemented as various types of buses, such as an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus.

[0144] Next, the communication interface (1200) can support wired and wireless internet communication of the computing system (1000). Additionally, the communication interface (1200) may support various communication methods other than internet communication. To this end, the communication interface (1200) may be configured to include a communication module well known in the art of the present disclosure.

[0145] Next, the storage (1300) may non-temporarily store one or more computing systems (1000). The storage (1300) may be configured to include non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, or any form of computer-readable recording medium well known in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0146] Next, the computer program (1500) may include one or more instructions that cause the processor (1100) to perform an operation / method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure when loaded into memory (1400). That is, the processor (1100) may perform an operation / method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure by executing the one or more instructions.

[0147] For example, the computer program (1500) may include one or more instructions to perform the following operations: receiving information about the total expenditure of a company from a user terminal; calculating the detailed expenditure of a company by item using the total expenditure of the company and the ratio of detailed expenditure costs by item in a segmentation table; calculating the carbon emissions of a company by item using the calculated detailed expenditure costs by item and the emission factors by item in the segmentation table; and summing the calculated carbon emissions by item to calculate the total carbon emissions of the company, wherein the segmentation table includes the ratio of detailed expenditure costs and the emission factors for each expenditure item, and the ratio of detailed expenditure costs and the emission factors are data individually designated for each industry group.

[0148] Up to now, with reference to FIG. 14, the hardware configuration of a computing system (1000) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described.

[0149] Various embodiments of the present disclosure and effects according to those embodiments have been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. The effects according to the technical concept of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below.

[0150] Furthermore, just because the above embodiments describe a plurality of components being combined into one or operating in combination, the technical concept of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the technical concept of the present disclosure, all such components may be selectively combined into one or more combinations to operate.

[0151] The technical concept of the present disclosure described above may be implemented as computer-readable code on a computer-readable medium. A computer program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium may be transmitted to another computing device via a network such as the Internet and installed on said other computing device, thereby being used on said other computing device.

Claims

Claim 1 A method for calculating carbon emissions, comprising: receiving information related to the total expenditure of an enterprise from a user terminal, wherein the method is performed by a computing system; calculating the detailed expenditure cost of an enterprise by item using the total expenditure cost of the enterprise and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item in a segmentation table; calculating the carbon emissions of an enterprise by item using the calculated detailed expenditure cost by item and the emission factor by item in the segmentation table; and summing the calculated carbon emissions by item to calculate the total carbon emissions of the enterprise, wherein the segmentation table includes the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission factor for each expenditure item, and wherein the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission factor are data individually designated for each industry group. Claim 2 A carbon emission calculation method according to claim 1, wherein each expenditure item of the above-detailed table includes detailed category items of the industry. Claim 3 A carbon emission calculation method according to paragraph 2, wherein each of the above expenditure items is classified according to the upstream category of Scope 3 carbon emissions, and the upstream category of Scope 3 carbon emissions includes raw materials, services, transportation and storage, facilities and business trips. Claim 4 A carbon emission calculation method according to claim 1, wherein the detailed expenditure cost ratio for each item of the above-detailed table is determined based on the industry to which the company belongs. Claim 5 A carbon emission calculation method according to claim 1, wherein the emission coefficient for each item of the above-described subdivision table is determined based on the industry to which the company belongs. Claim 6 A method for calculating carbon emissions, comprising: receiving information related to the total expenditure of a company from a user terminal, wherein the method is performed by a computing system; calculating the detailed expenditure cost of the company by item using the total expenditure cost of the company and the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item in a segmentation table; calculating the carbon emissions of the company by item using the calculated detailed expenditure cost by item and the emission factor by item in the segmentation table; and summing the calculated carbon emissions by item to calculate the total carbon emissions of the company, wherein the segmentation table includes the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item and the emission factor by each expenditure item, and wherein the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost and the emission factor are data individually designated for each industry group, and the step of calculating the detailed expenditure cost by item of the company includes: receiving an input signal of the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item from the company and a similar company included in the industry to which the company belongs; updating the ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item in the segmentation table when the frequency of the input signal is determined to be greater than or equal to a first threshold; and calculating the detailed expenditure cost by item of the company using the updated ratio of the detailed expenditure cost by item and the total expenditure cost. Claim 7 A method for calculating carbon emissions, comprising: receiving itemized expenditure costs of a company from a user terminal in a method performed by a computing system; calculating itemized energy usage of the company using itemized expenditure costs; and calculating itemized carbon emissions of the company using itemized energy usage. Claim 8 A carbon emission calculation method according to claim 7, wherein the itemized expenditure costs of the above-mentioned company include expenditure costs for Scope 1 carbon emissions and Scope 2 carbon emissions, respectively. Claim 9 A method for calculating carbon emissions according to claim 7, comprising: a step of verifying the itemized expenditure costs of the said company using the said company’s ERP data, the said company’s accounting disclosure data, and the said company’s tax data; a step of generating standard data by cluster of standard companies belonging to the industry to which the said company belongs and similar industries, characterized by the company’s personnel size, office size, industry type, and capital size; and a step of further verifying the itemized expenditure costs of the said company using the generated standard data by cluster. Claim 10 A carbon emission calculation method according to claim 9, wherein the step of verifying the itemized expenditure costs of the above-mentioned company includes the step of transmitting a message to the user's terminal indicating that the itemized expenditure costs received from the user terminal are an error when the itemized expenditure costs calculated from the above-mentioned company's ERP data, the above-mentioned company's accounting disclosure data, or the above-mentioned company's tax data differ from the itemized expenditure costs of the above-mentioned company received from the user terminal. Claim 11 A carbon emission calculation method according to claim 9, comprising the step of calculating the energy usage for each item using the expenditure costs for each item that reflect the results of performing the verification step and the results of performing the additional verification step. Claim 12 A method for calculating carbon emissions, comprising: receiving itemized expenditure costs of a company from a user terminal in a method performed by a computing system; calculating itemized energy usage of the company using itemized expenditure costs; calculating itemized carbon emissions of the company using itemized energy usage; verifying itemized expenditure costs of the company using the company's ERP data, accounting disclosure data of the company, and tax data of the company; generating cluster-specific standard data of standard companies belonging to the industry to which the company belongs and similar industries, characterized by the company's personnel size, office size, industry type, and capital size; further verifying itemized expenditure costs of the company using the generated cluster-specific standard data; comparing itemized expenditure costs of the company with itemized expenditure costs of the standard companies using the cluster-specific standard data; and transmitting information regarding excessive carbon emissions to the company when the itemized expenditure costs of the company exceed the itemized expenditure costs of the standard companies. Claim 13 A method for calculating carbon emissions, comprising: receiving information related to the total expenditure costs of a company from a user terminal; calculating the detailed expenditure costs of the company by item using the total expenditure costs of the company and the ratio of detailed expenditure costs by item in a segmentation table; calculating the carbon emissions of the company by item using the calculated detailed expenditure costs by item and the emission factors by item in the segmentation table; and summing the calculated carbon emissions by item to calculate the total carbon emissions of the company, wherein the segmentation table includes the ratio of detailed expenditure costs and the emission factors for each expenditure item, and the ratio of detailed expenditure costs and the emission factors are data individually designated for each industry group; and a second carbon emissions calculation method comprising: receiving the expenditure costs of the company by item from a user terminal; calculating the energy usage of the company by item using the expenditure costs by item; and calculating the carbon emissions of the company by item using the energy usage by item, wherein the first carbon emissions calculation method and the second carbon emissions calculation method are different. Claim 14 A carbon emission calculation system comprising: one or more processors; and a memory for storing instructions, wherein the one or more processors perform the operation of receiving information related to the total expenditure cost of a company from a user terminal by executing the stored instructions; the operation of calculating the item-specific detailed expenditure cost of the company using the total expenditure cost of the company and the item-specific detailed expenditure cost ratio of a segmentation table; the operation of calculating the item-specific carbon emission of the company using the calculated item-specific detailed expenditure cost and the item-specific emission factor of the segmentation table; and the operation of calculating the total carbon emission of the company by summing the calculated item-specific carbon emission, wherein the segmentation table includes the item-specific detailed expenditure cost ratio and the emission factor for each expenditure item, and the item-specific detailed expenditure cost ratio and the emission factor are data individually designated for each industry group. Claim 15 A carbon emission calculation system comprising: one or more processors; and a memory for storing instructions, wherein the one or more processors perform the operation of receiving an itemized expenditure cost of an enterprise from a user terminal by executing the stored instructions; the operation of calculating an itemized energy usage of the enterprise using the itemized expenditure cost; and the operation of calculating an itemized carbon emission of the enterprise using the itemized energy usage.

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