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Step 5: Input your solution unit emissions

Confirming or modifying the solution unit emissions.

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In this step you can view and change the emissions per sales unit for the technology solution being assessed. The solution unit emissions is based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the technology solution or similar resource. An LCA can be used to determine the emissions (kgCO2e) of a product per sales unit (as selected in

Step 3⁠

On this page, you will find:

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Using the CRANE tool default data⁠

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Modify the solution unit emissions⁠

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Modifying the uncertainty parameter⁠

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FAQs⁠

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Learn more about

quantifying impacts and effects of the solution⁠

from Project Frame.

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Don’t forget to save!

Your progress in the tool does not save automatically. If you are not finished inputting data for your tool, click through to the end and save the solution to your solutions. You can then go back and open the model in “My Solutions” and edit the inputs later.

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Using the CRANE tool default data

The CRANE tool default values are based on research conducted by the CRANE team on the existing technology solutions. The CRANE tool defaults often assume this is unchanging over time unless the technology’s performance is expected to improve. For example, if the technology is advancing (in other words, becoming more efficient), its emissions will decrease per sales unit leading to a higher impact relative to an unchanging incumbent.

To determine whether the default data used by the CRANE tool is sufficient, you can click the EDIT REFERENCE button on the top right. This allows you to view and edit the reference if needed.

If the technology is very similar to the technology chosen in

Step 2: Find your technology⁠

then you may choose to use the CRANE tool default data, if it meets the required accuracy.

You can check whether the data source is reliable by looking at the name of the reference organization, year of publishing and author, where applicable. The CRANE tool’s default values are based on research conducted from 2018 onward, so if you would like up-to-date, region- or niche-specific data, we recommend checking the sources directly for new data or searching for an entirely new source, adding the data manually and editing the reference accordingly.

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Modify the solution unit emissions

When you would like to modify the default values for a more accurate impact assessment, you can choose to either research a life cycle assessment (LCA) that serves as a better proxy for the technology in question or conduct their own LCA. Be aware that LCAs use functional units rather than sales units. This often requires transposing the emissions per functional unit to relevant sales unit.

Use an existing LCA

The fastest and recommended route is to research existing LCAs on the technology solution, converting the functional unit to the relevant sales unit where necessary and importing the data to the CRANE tool. These can be found through a simple online search or in academic literature via websites such as

Google Scholar⁠

ScienceDirect⁠

. For example:

If you are producing an alternative protein to beef and using a specific ingredient or process that is not reflected in the reference case, you can search for an LCA that aligns better with the technology.

If you are developing an energy storage solution for buildings and the specific solution is not available in the CRANE tool, you may choose the model that has the incumbent market that is being displaced and search for an LCA that matches the technology.

Conduct an LCA

To obtain an accurate order of magnitude using the CRANE tool, we believe using an existing LCA from literature should be sufficient. However, when you would like to go into more depth and further improve the accuracy of the calculation, you can choose to conduct an LCA and use those results to reflect the solution instead.

We only recommend this for mature technologies as LCAs can be costly and time consuming, and they require a lot of operational data. You can learn more about how to conduct an LCA via

Ecohain’s LCA Beginners Guide⁠

, but we also recommend hiring firms to help conduct the LCA. This is currently not something the CRANE tool offers.

Once you have conducted an LCA, youcan input the data manually in the table. Keep in mind that the impact performance of a solution may improve over time as technologies develop. You can choose to decrease the solution unit emissions value gradually based on the expected impact performance of the technology or keep it constant if you are not expecting significant improvements in the solution.

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Learn how to edit references

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Learn how to edit data

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Uncertainty

The CRANE tool automatically assumes an uncertainty of 25%, and this is used to bound the results. For the solution unit emissions, the uncertainty is dependent on the technology maturity, scale and other external factors.

For example:

If you are still in the ideation phase (pre-seed), where it is likely that the technology solution may change significantly, we recommend using higher uncertainty.

At this stage, you are testing different types of solutions and materials, but do not know what the product will look like yet. There are many variables that can change before you settle on one product.

If you are further into the prototyping and product development phases, where you have decided on a specific solution and are refining the details such as the materials, dimensions, shape or type of service, you can use the standard uncertainty.

At this stage, you have chose a direction for the technology and have an idea of how it will look and function but are still optimizing the specifics.

If you have fully developed their products and are working toward scaling up and mass production or sales, then we recommend using a lower uncertainty.

At this stage, you have a set product and most of the variables around the product have been determined. Any changes made would be small, such as choosing between different suppliers or minor design or packaging changes.

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FAQs

How do I know if I should use the default data in the CRANE tool?

We recommend using the default data in the CRANE tool if users are looking to do a quick assessment to get an order of magnitude for the impact. For more accurate results, we recommend looking up the references and checking the websites for more up-to-date data and adding this to the model manually. Users should always remember to update the references for the corresponding section that has been changed.

What life cycle phases are taken into account in the solution unit emissions?

To determine which phases are taken into account, please refer to the source data to identify the boundary conditions of their assessment. Phases that might be included are: materials, production process, transportation, use phase and disposal or end-of-life phases.

Why is most of the CRANE tool default data still from 2018-2019?

In 2018-2019, a team of researchers have manually collected data for each of the technologies and integrated these into the CRANE tool database for a total of 281 models. We will be updating many of the models and data in the near future, but currently users are expected to validate and modify the data on their own or with the help of a trusted third party.

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Using the CRANE tool default data