English Glossary

volt-amps

A form of consumption or sales tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the value added to a product, material, or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its manufacture or distribution. The manufacturer remits to the government the difference between these two amounts, and retains the rest for themselves to offset the taxes they had previously paid on the inputs. Also know as a general Sales tax (GST).

The generation of electricity from a variable renewable resource such as wind power and solar power. Because of their fluctuating nature, the production of electricity from these resources also flucuates and is thus 'variable'.

value–added tax

virtual classroom

Voluntary Emission Reductions

volatile fatty acids

A viable project is a project that has the potential to be profitable.

(bio.) The ratio of the tangential frictional force per unit area to the velocity gradient perpendicular to the direction of flow of a fluid.

Electromagnetic radiation, which is visible to the human eye. The wavelengths of visible light range between 380 nm and 750 nm. Within that range, the different wavelengths are visible as colours, from longer to shorter: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

open circuit voltage

VFA - these are acids that are produced by microbes in the silage from sugars and other carbohydrate sources. By definition they are volatile, which means that they will volatilize in air, depending on temperature. These are the first degradation product of anaerobic digestion prior to methane creation.

VS - those solids in water or other liquids that are lost on ignition of the dry solids at 550°C.

Unit of electromotive force or electric pressure analogous to water pressure. One volt is defined as the difference in electric potential between two points of a conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power between those points

VA - apparent power is expressed in volt-amps. Apparent power product of the applied voltage and current in an AC circuit (VxI). It is not the true power of the circuit because the power factor is not considered in the calculation.

Measure of the electric potential difference between two points, usually measured in volts (V).

VSC - converter technology consisting of two back-to-back connected converters linked together via a DC circuit consisting of DC link capacitor for storing the electrical energy

Also known as "Verified Emission Reductions". VERs are commonly understood as tradable emission reductions that have been generated according to defined standards and requirements other than the Kyoto Protocol.

Variable Renewable Energy