Start in the browser
Find a Swiss electricity activity in BAFU and inspect the inputs behind its reference product. BAFU is Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). This is a database inspection exercise, not an institutional endorsement or a climate-claim verdict.
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”- A browser and an internet connection. No local installation is needed.
- A confirmed VoLCA account. Create an account or log in.
- Access to the read-only shared engine,
@volca/shared. The free shared workspace provides BAFU. Do not assume that Agribalyse or a particular LCIA method is available there.
Action
Section titled “Action”-
Complete signup and email confirmation if needed, then log in. Keep this guide open in another tab.
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From your account dashboard, open the shared engine (
@volca/shared). Wait for it to be ready. Its address identifies the engine you are using. -
Open Databases and select BAFU. Check which database version is displayed.
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Open Activities, search for
Electricity mix, and filter the location toCH. Search can be fuzzy: do not assume the first row is the exact match. -
Open the row whose activity name is exactly Electricity mix, location CH, and reference product is 1 kWh. In BAFU 2026v1 the process ID is:
3dd9f4d2-ebc3-32d6-8138-ba4253c4ebc3_a99c8f9b-0339-5c79-a622-08e1b5bee775 -
Inspect the direct upstream inputs. Then open the inventory to see cumulative emissions and resources across the supply chain. Record the activity name, location, reference unit, and one input you can identify.
Expected result
Section titled “Expected result”You can distinguish the activity’s direct inputs from its cumulative inventory and identify the selected process unambiguously. The same BAFU 2026v1 process returned 2,147 inventory flows in the local v0.12.0 exercise: 1,795 emission flows and 352 resource flows. Hosted versions may differ; use the displayed dataset and engine versions when comparing.
An inventory is not an LCIA score. Impact calculation additionally requires a compatible method and flow mapping. Do not add quantities across different units.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”- Back at login: finish confirmation and sign in, then explicitly reopen the engine from the dashboard. This guide does not rely on automatic return to an activity after signup.
- Engine unavailable: check its status in the dashboard and retry once it is ready.
- No exact row: clear extra filters, check the BAFU version, and inspect names, locations, and units rather than choosing the first fuzzy match.
- Cannot upload or edit: the shared engine is read-only. Use a local setup or a workspace with the required permissions for your own data.
- No impact method: stop at the inventory result. Missing methods do not invalidate this inspection exercise.
Next step
Section titled “Next step”Continue with the illustrated BAFU inspection walkthrough. The Agribalyse walkthrough is optional if you have that database available. For your own files, see database import, or choose another first step.