Siemens Financial Services (SFS) announced the launch of the Decarbonization Business Optimizer (DBO), a new cloud-based tool aimed at assisting building managers, construction firms, and others in the industry in their efforts to decarbonize buildings.

The new solution is a free, digital web tool that, the company says, will provide information on decarbonization processes, and includes mechanisms for modeling and optimizing the process, as well as access to financing for projects.

Anthony Casciano, President and CEO of Siemens Financial Services, said:

“Companies, specifically those in the supply chain, are increasingly asked to report their carbon footprint to their customers — yet many do not know where to begin. The DBO addresses these barriers by taking action and puts companies of all sizes, and at all stages, in a better position to create long-term value, accelerating participation in the transition to net-zero emissions.”

The scenario modeling and optimization tool aggregates and leverages data from relevant governmental agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Using that data, the DBO generates decarbonization scenarios that analysis of the data indicates would be cost-effective for each facility, using the address, facility size and type (for example, a hospital, office building, or manufacturing plant). Because the estimated carbon footprint calculated for the facility, as well as the energy cost, is based on data relevant to its geographic location, it is a more accurate estimate than using country-wide averages, according to the company. The tool also considers site-specific data such as the annual energy use or load profile, if available, to generate an even more accurate result.

According to Siemens, users can discover and choose a combination of generation and storage technologies that will help their decarbonization efforts, such as solar panels, combined heat and power (CHP), thermal energy storage, battery storage, and more. Customized decarbonization scenarios can also be generated based on a desire for specific technologies, resilience to grid outages, or a maximum budget, enabling data-driven decarbonization decision making. The tool also provides a summary of estimated return on investment (ROI).

SFS developed the tool in partnership with Siemens Technology, the company’s central R&D department. The tool is built on AWS. The tool also leverages public data made available through the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) to help estimate thermal properties of materials in buildings. ASDI works with sustainability-focused government agencies to host, and deploy key datasets on the AWS Cloud, including weather observations and forecasts, climate projection data, satellite imagery, hydrological data, air quality data, and ocean forecast data.