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39 changes: 25 additions & 14 deletions docs/channel_considerations.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -329,33 +329,44 @@ Similarly to Linear TV, we estimate corporate emissions per radio spot rather th

### Broadcast Signal Emissions

In [_The energy footprint of BBC radio services: now and in the future_](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf) (2020) the BBC provides estimated energy use for each broadcasting method for BBC radio in 2018, broken down by process: signal preparation, signal distribution (referred to as Transmission in the report), and consumption.
In [_The energy footprint of BBC radio services: now and in the future_](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf) (2020) the BBC provides estimated energy use for each broadcasting method for BBC radio in 2018, broken down by process:

- Signal Preparation,
- Signal Distribution, referred to as Signal Transmission below,
- and Consumption, covering the energy use of consumer radio receiver devices.

#### Signal Preparation

The BBC estimates that signal preparation is marginal for all audio broadcasting methods. We derived average defaults from our Linear TV methodology. For networks and/or channels where actual power usage data is available, we use those values instead of the average.
The BBC estimates that signal preparation energy is marginal for all audio broadcasting methods. We derive average defaults from our Linear TV methodology. For networks and/or channels where actual power usage data is available, we use those values instead of the average.

#### Signal Transmission

**Energy Use & Embodied Emissions**

For each audio broadcast method, we assume a fixed energy consumption required to transmit the signal, regardless of the number of radios receiving it. Different audio broadcast methods exhibit varying power efficiency across countries, but for now we do not differentiate between countries.
For each audio broadcast method, we assume a fixed energy consumption required to transmit the signal from the [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf) study, regardless of the number of radio devices receiving it.

We use the total annual signal transmission energy, divided by the number of supported radio stations, to estimate the average power per radio channel for each broadcast method. The resulting figures are consistent with other studies from [Bayerischer Rundfunk](https://www.worlddab.org/public_document/file/1460/Report_Green-Radio_BLM_BR_E_Web.pdf?1636114991), [MDR](https://www.worlddab.org/system/news/documents/000/011/985/original/Digitalradio_Vortrag_Daemmerschoppen_final_%28002%29.pdf?1619108841), [GatesAir](https://www.gatesair.com/media-center/news/gatesair-amplifies-efficiency-savings-for-dab-radio-networks).

From BBC, for FM the total reported annual energy consumption for signal transmission is `26 GWh`, covering eight national stations and 41 local stations. We assume that the coverage of ten local stations is equivalent to that of one national station.

For each audio broadcast method, we derived power draw estimates from annual energy consumption, either based on primary data shared with Scope3 by network operators or from publicly available sources.
The calculation for FM is:

```
26 (GWh) / 12.1 (national equivalent stations) / 365 (days) / 24 (hours) * 1,000,000 (GWh to kWh) = ~245 kWh / hour / station
```

In the absence of embodied emissions data specific to each audio broadcast method, we derived default values from various studies, including, in addition to the BBC paper:
In the absence of embodied emissions data specific to each audio broadcast method, we adapted the formula and assumptions used for linear TV.

- [_ICT Impact study, Final report, VHK and Viegand Maagøe for the European Commission_](<https://susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/product-bureau/sites/default/files/2020-11/IA_report-ICT_study_final_2020_(CIRCABC).pdf>) - 2020
- [_Study of the Environmental Impact of Audiovisual Usage in France - ADEME ARCEP_](https://www.editionmultimedia.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rapport-Arcom-Arcep-Ademe-Impact-environnemental-2022-2030-de-laudiovisuel-07-10-24.pdf) (FR) - 2024
**Limitation:** The signal transmission energy per station should be linked to geographic coverage. The current values are of the right order of magnitude for the UK’s coverage but will overestimate emissions for smaller coverage areas (e.g., regional stations or smaller countries) and underestimate them for larger ones.

Power draws & embodied emissions of each audio broadcast method for the signal transmission of one radio channel:
The resulting power draws & embodied emissions of each audio broadcast method for the signal transmission of one radio channel are:

| Audio Broadcast Method | Energy consuming sources | Signal Transmission Power per Radio Channel | Embodied emissions gCO2e/s | Source(s) | Assumptions |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| FM | FM transmission infrastructure | 15 kW | 7g | [ADEME ARCEP](https://www.editionmultimedia.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rapport-Arcom-Arcep-Ademe-Impact-environnemental-2022-2030-de-laudiovisuel-07-10-24.pdf), [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf) | |
| AM | AM transmission infrastructure | 62 kW | 10g | [ADEME ARCEP](https://www.editionmultimedia.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rapport-Arcom-Arcep-Ademe-Impact-environnemental-2022-2030-de-laudiovisuel-07-10-24.pdf), [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf) | |
| OTA/DAB | Over the air transmission network | 5 kW | 5g | [ADEME ARCEP](https://www.editionmultimedia.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rapport-Arcom-Arcep-Ademe-Impact-environnemental-2022-2030-de-laudiovisuel-07-10-24.pdf), [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf), [Bayerischer Rundfunk](file:///Users/bdavy/Downloads/green-radio-studie-102.pdf), [MDR](https://www.worlddab.org/system/news/documents/000/011/985/original/Digitalradio_Vortrag_Daemmerschoppen_final_%28002%29.pdf?1619108841), [GatesAir](https://www.gatesair.com/media-center/news/gatesair-amplifies-efficiency-savings-for-dab-radio-networks) | Estimated to be more efficient than FM |
| Satellite | Uplink transmission from Radio station tower to satellite | 3.15 kW | 6g | [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP189.pdf) | Similar to Linear TV |
| Audio Broadcast Method | Energy consuming sources | Signal Transmission Power per Radio Channel | Embodied emissions gCO2e/s | Source(s) | Assumptions |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| FM | FM transmission infrastructure | 245 kW | 7g | [ADEME ARCEP](https://www.editionmultimedia.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rapport-Arcom-Arcep-Ademe-Impact-environnemental-2022-2030-de-laudiovisuel-07-10-24.pdf), [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf) | |
| AM | AM transmission infrastructure | 273 kW | 10g | [ADEME ARCEP](https://www.editionmultimedia.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rapport-Arcom-Arcep-Ademe-Impact-environnemental-2022-2030-de-laudiovisuel-07-10-24.pdf), [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf) | |
| OTA/DAB | Over the air transmission network | 106 kW | 5g | [ADEME ARCEP](https://www.editionmultimedia.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rapport-Arcom-Arcep-Ademe-Impact-environnemental-2022-2030-de-laudiovisuel-07-10-24.pdf), [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP393.pdf), [Bayerischer Rundfunk](https://www.worlddab.org/public_document/file/1460/Report_Green-Radio_BLM_BR_E_Web.pdf), [MDR](https://www.worlddab.org/system/news/documents/000/011/985/original/Digitalradio_Vortrag_Daemmerschoppen_final_%28002%29.pdf?1619108841), [GatesAir](https://www.gatesair.com/media-center/news/gatesair-amplifies-efficiency-savings-for-dab-radio-networks) | |
| Satellite | Uplink transmission from Radio station tower to satellite | 3.15 kW | 6g | [BBC](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP189.pdf) | Similar to Linear TV |

For radio networks and/or channels where actual data are available, we use the contributed values instead of the above defaults.

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