The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) works towards a sustainable and widespread deployment of renewable energy technologies. Quality assurance and standardization play a key role in transitioning towards innovative and sustainable energy technologies, by strengthening rapidly growing markets and facilitating trading of renewable energy technologies. IRENA’s study from 2013 in this field, the first one ever focused on renewable energy technologies, shows that quality and standardization are crucial in global technology value chains matching producers and user in opposite places in the world by harmonizing processes, allowing comparability of contracts, and decreasing uncertainty. Also that assured quality, in conformity with sound standards, mitigates technical risks therefore attracting major investments and increasing the trust in the technology by financial sources and public. Quality assurance and conformity with sound standards enables long lasting technological solutions by reducing the replacements to be done in technological plants and equipment and thus, reinvesting the capital that would be aimed at repairing infrastructure to accelerate the deployment of the technology. Quality reinforces the reliability on RET markets and this highly contributes to spread awareness about RET achievements and fulfilment of energy needs. IRENA is finalizing its study on quality assurance mechanisms for small wind turbines and solar water heaters. The study, undertaken in cooperation with a number of national and regional experts, will provide guidance and recommendation on how countries can implement national quality mechanisms, adapted to their national context, to support growing markets for these technologies.

1. Quality and Standardization – Enabling Growing and Robust
Renewable Energy Technology Markets
INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY - IRENA
WORLD FUTURE ENERGY SUMMIT 2014
20 – 22 January 2014

2. Relevance of Quality and Standardization for
Renewable Energy Technologies
• Build consumer confidence
• Build trust with financial services
• Enable promotion of RET
• Improve product design
• Improve manufacturing
Stakeholders
• Nurture emerging markets
• Enable technology promotion
• Reduce trade barriers
• Attract new businesses
Industry
Economy
IRENA (In Press) “Quality Infrastructure for Small Scale RET”

3. IRENA STUDY – International Standardisation in
the Field of Renewable Energy
Standardisation – Benefits for Countries
Provides a detailed technical basis for laws and regulations
Supports public and private tendering processes
Enables access to latest technology developments and best
practices
Supports technology markets based on sound quality and health
& safety (H&S) requirements
IRENA (2013) “International Standardisation in the Field of Renewable Energy”

4. Quality & Standardization – Stakeholders Involved
Policy Makers &
Regulators
Supporting
Compliance to
Regulations and
Legislation
Design of
incentive
mechanisms
linked to quality
requirements
Standards
Makers
Facilitating
Trade
Manufacturers
& Installers
Common
Performance
Specifications
Testing,
Sampling
Facilitating
Communication
and
Understanding
Confidence and
Trust in what is
being funded
Ability to clearly
specify what is
being funded
Materials
Quality
Assurance /
Quality Control
Ability to verify
and audit
investment
Verification &
Auditing
Users of the
Products and
Services
Clear processes,
procedures and
specifications
Confidence
Consistency
Investors and
Fiscal Support
Trust
Harmonised
approach
Consistency
Protocols
established
Understanding –
performance,
safety
IRENA (2013) “International Standardisation in the Field of Renewable Energy”

5. Quality & Standardization – Support Global Value Chains
•
•
•
Importance of
innovation systems •
Contribution of
quality
infrastructure
Integration in more complex production systems
New forms of integrating different productive sectors
Increase number of partnerships
Integration in global innovation systems
• Harmonization of processes, materials, measurement units and instruments
• Comparability allows writing of contracts
• Decrease of uncertainty and leverage trust between worldwide productive
agents
• Harmonizing tools and methods used in R&D
PTB (2011) Measuring the impact of quality infrastructure

6. Market Support - Policy Incentives Linked to Quality
Requirements
Quality
requirements can
be linked to
national incentive
schemes for RET
(e.g. FiT)
Result: National
RET markets
develop based on
high quality
systems
IRENA (2013) “International Standardisation in the Field of Renewable Energy”

7. Market Support – Quality Increases Public Acceptance
Poor Quality
High Risk
Decreased Trust
in a Technology
IRENA (2013) “International Standardisation in the Field of Renewable Energy”

8. Market Support – Harmonisation of Standards
Non-harmonised standards may
create barriers for trading and
transfer technologies
International efforts needed to
harmonise standards and
technical regulations
IRENA (2013) “International Standardisation in the Field of Renewable Energy”

9. Quality assurance schemes should be affordable for the
local market level
IRENA is developing
recommendations to establish
national quality infrastructure
for small wind turbines and
solar water heaters based on
local market developments
-Performance
-Reliability
-HS&E
-Bankable
projects
-Cost
-Local capacity
-End user
Awareness
Testing & Certification
IRENA (In Press) “Quality Infrastructure for Small Scale RET”

10. Quality Infrastructure – Supports Robust Markets
Technology Value Chain
Raw Material
Supply
Design
Component
Manufacturing
Equipment
production
System
integration
Installation
O&M
Decommission
Accreditation
SUPPORT
Certification
Metrology
Quality Infrastructure
Market
survelliance
Standards
Testing
IRENA (In Press) “Quality Infrastructure for Small Scale RET”

11. Building trust from policy-makers, investors,
customers
Deutsche Bank
11
SolarPraxis Engineering
Source: PTB (2008) “Promotion of economic development in Technical Cooperation: Quality Infrastructure.”
http://www.ptb.de/de/org/q/q5/docs/broschueren/broschuere_QI_2008e.pdf

12. Market Support – Implementation of Quality Schemes
Promote Performance Improvement
Implementation of quality
schemes promotes a faster
improvement in technology
performance
Solar water heating collectors
efficiency improved by 36%
between 1977 and 1981 after
testing was required in
Florida in 1976
IRENA (In Press) “Quality Infrastructure for Small Scale RET”

13. Steps to achieve comprehensive Quality Infrastructure
Increasing Quality
Assurance
6. Comprehensive
Market*
5. Mature
Market*
4. Established
Market
3. Emerging
Market
2. Nascent
Market
1. Zero
market
Accredited CBs and TLs to highest level
international standards: $$$$$
Accredited TL and CB to national/international
standards: $$$$$
Unaccredited independent 3rd party TL and CB, SWT Labeling,
SWH Collector Label with end user education: $$$$
Set up unaccredited testing, SWH collector durability with system
simulations, SWT duration and performance: $$$
Training in-country practitioner & early demonstration projects; import regulations: $$
Inventory in-country QI and expertise: $
* - Meets all 5 elements of QI

14. Quality Covers the Whole System
Quality for
hardware
Implementation of Quality
Schemes covers not only
equipment but whole systems
Including Design, Installation
and O&M services
System
Quality
Training for
practitioners
Quality for
services
IRENA (2013) “International Standardisation in the Field of Renewable Energy”

15. International Quality Mechanisms – Engagement from
Developing Countries in Crucial
Use of existing mechanisms
• IEC Affiliate Country Programme
• ISO committee on developing country matters - DEVCO
Development of new mechanisms
• Use of virtual meetings
• Standard users – TC forums
Experts
• Participation of national experts in international Technical Committees
• Funding mechanisms for experts participation
Participation in international standardization assures that
country context is considered during the development of
international standards
IRENA (2013) “International Standardisation in the Field of Renewable Energy”

16. Forthcoming activities
Grid codes
Standards supporting
integration of high shares of
RE into the grid
Off-grid PV
Quality assurance for PV
systems off-grid
Impact of QI for RE
Assessing economic impact
of QI at national level

17. For More Information on IRENA Publications and
Activities in Quality and Standardization for
Renewables visit our web site at
www.irena.org