Implementing a Net Zero Carbon Strategy in the Real Estate Industry

Abstract

Tishman Speyer is a real estate developer that owns an international portfolio of office properties in major cities and has a goal to reach net zero carbon emissions across global operations by 2050. As an intern with Tishman Speyer last summer, I delivered a tool that provides pathways for each US asset to reach operational net zero. I worked with internal stakeholders such as asset managers, portfolio managers, engineers, and members of the sustainability team to inform the tool’s design. The tool includes financial models that project NPV and IRR associated with individual energy efficiency, retrofit, electrification, and on-site renewable projects by evaluating future energy costs, fines from regulators, and future REC/offset costs. The tool also estimates emissions reductions associated with energy projects, recommends project prioritization, and estimates future emissions under multiple decarbonization scenarios. For my MP Project, I expanded the scope of this tool and helped deploy it. I worked throughout the year to add features that provide scenario-level financial models, incorporate scenario Opex and Capex changes into property Profit and Loss Statements, and give users the option to design customized decarbonization scenarios. I helped Tishman Speyer use this tool to generate net zero pathway reports for all US assets. Reports will be sent to employees and investors, ensuring that all stakeholders understand what is needed for Tishman Speyer to reach net zero.