Media Device Emission Reporting With Local Carbon Intensity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of accurately assessing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the display of media content is exacerbated by varying energy sources and consumption patterns, making it difficult for content providers and device manufacturers to report emissions accurately.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for determining carbon intensity based on local and temporal factors, using APIs and emission reports from display devices to generate precise emission data, which can be aggregated by content providers for Scope 3 reporting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If content is distributed to multiple devices with different display technologies and power sources, then the reach and impact of content distribution increases, but the accuracy of greenhouse gas emission assessment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the emission assessment process by device type, display technology, and power source combination. Each device or device category is assessed independently with its specific emission factors, allowing accurate aggregation across diverse devices while maintaining individual measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies location-specific and device-specific emission factors based on local power grid carbon intensity and device-specific display technology characteristics. This allows the assessment to adapt to local conditions (different power sources) and device qualities (different display technologies) rather than using a single average factor
2Quantity of substance
If emission reports are collected from multiple devices with varying power sources, then the comprehensiveness of emission data increases, but the complexity of aggregating accurate emission information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a universal emission report format that can accommodate different device types, display technologies, and power sources. The standardized structure includes device identifiers, energy consumption data, and location information that works across all device variations, simplifying aggregation despite data comprehensiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary processing layer that receives diverse emission reports from multiple devices, standardizes the data using consistent emission factors and calculation methods, and aggregates the information. This intermediary layer handles the complexity of varying power sources and device types through standardized processing protocols
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatuses and methods are described including techniques for assessing carbon emissions caused by the distribution and the consumption of media content. Techniques include determining a carbon intensity associated with a device displaying a video segment of a content received from a content provider, recording information indicative of energy spent by the device to display the video segment, and, then, transmitting an emission report generated based on the determined carbon intensity and the recorded information. Techniques further include transmitting content to devices, receiving emission reports, from those devices, corresponding to respective video segments of the content displayed by respective devices, and, then, aggregating information provided by the emission reports to obtain the emission amount caused by displaying, by the devices, at least a portion of the transmitted content.