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Glossary
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Bioenergy – Energy produced from renewable biomass (plant derived organic matter) resources, can yield electricity, liquid, solid, and gaseous fuels, heat, chemicals, and other materials. Calculation Methodology – The approach used in quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from offset or reduction projects. Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e) – Global warming potentials (GWPs) are used to convert emissions of non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases (GHGs) into their CO2 warming equivalents (CO2e). The CO2e of a non-CO2 GHG is calculated by multiplying the mass of the emissions of the non-CO2 GHG by its GWP. When entering CO2e values in CO-OP the mass unit is metric tonnes. Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) – The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) is a voluntary cap and trade program for reducing and trading greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More information can be found by visiting the website or by clicking the Compliance Information hyperlink within the help section of the CO-OP application. Climate Trust – The Climate Trust (The Trust) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization originally formed in 1997 as Oregon Climate Trust. The Trust promotes greenhouse gas (GHG) offset projects. More information can be found by visiting the website or by clicking the Compliance Information hyperlink within the help section of the CO-OP application. Climate VISION – Climate VISION – Voluntary Innovative Sector Initiatives: Opportunities Now is a voluntary, public-private partnership aimed at pursuing cost-effective initiatives to reduce the projected growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. More information can be found by visiting the website or by clicking the Compliance Information hyperlink within the help section of the CO-OP application. Compliance Goal – Greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction commitment made by individual companies or organizations. Detailed Project Description – A basic explanation of the project and manner in which the project reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which should include all information important to understanding the functionality of the project, the effectiveness of reducing emissions, and any special conditions that would be pertinent in attempting to repeat the achievements of the project. Emission Reduction Unit (ERU) – Total amount of offset or reduction in units of weight from a project aimed at reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Energy Efficiency – The ability to use less energy to accomplish the same task. Geothermal Energy – The use of heat from the earth to provide energy resources. Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) – A global warming potential is defined as the total impact over time of adding a unit of a given greenhouse gas (GHG) to the atmosphere. The global warming effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) is assigned a value of 1, and the warming effects of other GHGs are calculated as multiples of this value in order to maintain global warming consistency among the various GHGs. GWPs are calculated by multiplying the effect of the heat absorption by the concentration of GHG added to the atmosphere and integrating over time from zero to a specific time period. GWP values are used to calculate CO2 equivalent (CO2e) levels of non-CO2 GHGs. A list of GWPs can be found by clicking on the Links hyperlink on the main toolbar of CO-OP. Internal Verification – Verification of emission reduction units (ERUs) performed by individuals within an organization. Internal Voluntary Commitment – A commitment made voluntarily by an organization. Match Criteria – The criteria used by CO-OP in determining potential matches to a specific opportunity. The match criteria is selected when entering a new opportunity within the CO-OP application and includes the selection of categories associated with the data entered. These categories include: resources; type/detailed type; target GHGs; and, time period. Opportunity Category – A method of describing the opportunity being entered into CO-OP. The term project developer refers to a contemplated or existing offset or reduction project for which a user is seeking resources. The term project partner refers to an organization that provides resources to assist in the development and/or implementation of offset or reduction projects. Project Additionality Claim Support – An expanation of how the specific actions taken under the project have caused emissions to be offset or reduced more so than would have occurred naturally. Project Characteristics – An explanation of the general features of the project, including information pertaining to the project type, project detailed type, project scale, sectors or end users affected by the project, and the net change in energy/fuel consumption due to the project. Renewable Energy – Energy produced by resources that are constantly replenished and will never run out, such as solar and wind energy. Risk Management Activities – Actions taken to mitigate potential project risks. Solar Energy – Energy produced by photovoltaic solar cells, which are made of semiconducting materials, to directly convert sunlight into electricity. Target Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) – GHGs selected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and other internationally recognized organizations as gases that may contribute to adverse climate change:
Third-party Verification – Verification of emission reduction units (ERUs) performed by an external, independent organization. Validation Methodology – The approach including sequential steps and utilization of appropriate technologies to confirm emission reductions from offset or reduction projects. Verification Methodology – The action of confirming emission reductions from offset or reduction projects. Verification Methods – Mechanisms implemented to confirm emission reductions from offset or reduction projects, includes both internal and third-party verification. Wind Energy – The harvesting of energy in the wind through utilization of wind turbines. |