In plain English
Electricity Generation by the User
Electricity Generation by the User is a reduction method run by Clean Development Mechanism. People often refer to it by its code, AMS-I.A. It works in the energy (small) space.
In short
Small-scale user-sited renewable electricity for own consumption.
What it is
This is a small-scale methodology under the Clean Development Mechanism in the Type I renewable energy category. It covers renewable electricity generation units such as solar photovoltaic, hydro, wind and renewable biomass that supply electricity to individual households or users or groups of households or users. Eligible activities supply power for local use rather than to a grid, within the small-scale capacity limits. One credit is one Certified Emission Reduction equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, reflecting displacement of more carbon intensive electricity or fuel.
What it rewards
The reward is a credit called a Verified Carbon Unit (VCU). One credit stands for one tonne of carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere (or taken back out of it). One tonne of CO₂-equivalent verified-and-issued. A whole period of work is issued as one batch of credits at a time, in the same way a registry issues a batch.
What gets measured
To earn VCU credits, a project has to measure and prove a few things. An independent reviewer checks the evidence before any credits are issued.
The baseline: what would most likely have happened to the land or the emissions if the project had not gone ahead.
The activity data for the period, with clear units and a clear source for every number.
The net result actually achieved, checked by an independent reviewer before any credits are issued.
Who takes part
Standard Registry. Owns the policy, approves participants, anchors each issuance to its evidence.
Project Proponent. Registers the project and submits monitoring reports.
Validation & Verification Body. Independently validates the design and verifies monitored data.
How it works
- 1
The project team registers the project and its plan.
- 2
An independent reviewer checks that the plan is sound and that the benefit is real and would not have happened anyway.
- 3
The team looks after the site and measures the agreed indicators over time.
- 4
The independent reviewer verifies those measurements.
- 5
Credits are issued for the verified result, and a buyer can retire a credit to claim the benefit once.
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