S/Y Twizzle is proud of its Green credentials and has striven to be exceptionally eco-friendly. Not only has it ensured that there is near zero un-processed and cleansed discharge into the sea, S/Y Twizzle is certified to the highest levels for operation in the world’s oceans, including Alaska.
S/Y Twizzle is working with Yacht Carbon Offset towards carbon neutral operations. Specifically, S/Y Twizzle has a policy of Carbon Offsetting her fuel, including all the diesel fuel used by her engine, generators and small craft, as part of her standard environmental management procedures. Under the agreement with Yacht Carbon Offset, the greenhouse gas emissions arising from S/Y Twizzle’s forthcoming cruising programme will be balanced, tonne for tonne, by compensating emissions savings from green energy projects. All projects are independently verified, and S/Y Twizzle’s selected provider, Yacht Carbon Offset, has Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Certification. The full capabilities and performance of the yacht can therefore be enjoyed in the knowledge that her carbon footprint has been offset.
In addition, S/Y Twizzle has also agreed a Carbon Offset Balancing Agreement to compensate for the estimated “embodied” Greenhouse Gases emissions associated with her construction and in the refinement of her metal content, and is believed to be the first Superyacht to enter such an agreement.
The current Carbon Offset Project is the Amatitlan Geothermal Power Plant (pictured) located in the Municipalities of San Vicente Pacaya, Amatitlan and Villa Canales, Guatemala. The project comprises three turbines with a combined installed capacity of 25.2 MW, and can generate over 160,000 MWh per annum. The project utilises the geological resources at the site to generate renewable power, which is then dispatched to the relatively carbon-intensive Guatemalan electricity Grid.
Benefits: Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by the project since its output displaces electricity that would otherwise have been generated in the existing fossil fuel powered plants in the grid or by the addition of new generation plants. The CDM baseline and monitoring methodologies used is ACM0002: “ Consolidated methodology for grid-connected electricity generation from renewable sources” (Version 6), and the monitoring report confirms that around 0.47 tonnes CO2 equivalent are achieved for each megawatt-hour of electricity exported to the grid
Other project benefits include the creation of 20 permanent jobs, and a program to reduce flooding of the local area through the repair of road infrastructure and the reforestation of hillsides with over 5,000 trees. Furthermore, geothermal-derived electricity is relatively free of seasonal or fuel-driven supply fluctuations, so the project increases stability of power supply to consumers and to the national economy.
Project carbon credits: During the verification period from 10 February 2007 to 11 December 2008, total greenhouse gas reductions by this project amounted to 104,344 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Carbon credits were verified to the Voluntary Carbon Standard (2007) in June 2009 by DNV. This project has subsequently been validated under the CDM programme. Click here to see the DNV Certification.
For a more comprehensive description of the carbon offset mechanism, and for details of individual projects, please click on: http://www.yachtcarbonoffset.com/.