Develop a Project
The VCS Program provides clear rules and procedures to guide project proponents through the steps of generating quality-assured greenhouse gas emission reductions and credits.
Project proponents can use the program to develop projects and generate credits under any of the VCS sectoral scopes.
There are four major steps in developing a project:
1: Choose a Methodology
To quantify the GHG benefits of a project, project proponents must select and use a VCS-approved methodology or a methodology from a VCS-approved GHG program. A methodology must be followed in full. A new methodology may be developed under VCS in the event one does not exist for a proposed project activity.
2: Validate Project Description
Project proponents must develop a complete project description and have it validated by an accredited validation/verification body (VVB). The project description can be developed before, during or after project design and implementation, and it must be developed using the VCS template.
3: Verify Emission Reductions
Once a project starts, projects proponents monitor and measure GHG emission reductions and other data. All information for a given period, including the calculations of GHG benefits, are documented and reported in a monitoring report, using the VCS template, which must be verified by an accredited validation/verification body (VVB).
4: Register Project & Issue VCUs
Projects must open an account and submit all required documents to a VCS registry operator in order to be registered on the VCS Project Database and issue VCUs. Projects can register immediately upon validation or wait until they are ready to issue credits, but all projects must be publicly listed in the database once VCUs are issued.
