Quality Infrastructure Portal

Welcome to the Quality Infrastructure Portal

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• About Quality Infrastructure
• All Articles/Publications

This page includes information on quality infrastructure for sustainable energy including concrete examples of international cooperation projects on quality infrastructure by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB).

Quality infrastructure comprises the following elements:

• Standardization provides requirements and specifications to ensure that products, processes and services are fit for their purpose. The national standardization body is responsible for standards development, their publication, awareness-raising and the provision of related information.
• Metrology is the science of correct and reliable measurements for legal matters, industry and science. The national metrology institute provides traceability for secondary laboratories and ensures accuracy through calibration services. Read more...
  

• Testing allows the characteristics or performance of a product or process to be determined following a specific procedure. It is important for research, for quality control, and to ensure health and safety, as well as compliance with contractual or regulatory requirements.
• Furthermore, inspection services can be used to determine whether a product or process complies with certain requirements.
• Certification is usually based on testing and inspection and provides assurance that a product or process complies with a standard or specification. As mentioned above, quality management systems can be certified by an independent certification body to show a commitment to quality and that the necessary processes are in place.
• Finally, accreditation is provided by the National Accreditation Body or organized by a National Focal Point for Accreditation and consists in a formal recognition of an organization’s competence to carry out a specific conformity assessment task. Testing and calibration laboratories as well as certification and inspection bodies can apply for accreditation to prove that they are able to provide reliable services.

The national quality infrastructure is an interrelated system in which no component can be developed without developing the others, as they complement each other. Furthermore, the national policy framework and relevant public institutions are to be seen as a part of the quality infrastructure as they establish the framework for the different services (Sanetra and Marbán 2007).

The development of national quality infrastructure varies considerably between different countries. Some nations have established one body in charge of all quality infrastructure services; others have separate institutes placed under different ministries. In many countries, structures for standardization, metrology, testing and inspection exist, while certification is often provided mainly through the offices of international service providers. Accreditation is often organized on the regional level.

The national quality infrastructure should not be developed in an isolated way, but linked to the international and regional systems by establishing the respective relations, to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), for instance. Only in this way is it possible to ensure international traceability, comparability and recognition of local services and benefit fully from the national quality infrastructure.

Case studies and fact sheets

• Maroc: Renforcement de l’infrastructure qualité pour l’énergie photovoltaïqu
• Ecuador: Fortalecimiento de la Infraestructura de la Calidad para Eficiencia Energética
• Bolivia: Fortalecimiento de la Infraestructura de la Calidad en las áreas de Energías Renovables y Eficiencia Energética
• Ecuador: Strenghtening Quality Infrastructure for Energy Efficiency
• Tunisia: Strengthening Quality Infrastructure for Photovoltaics
  
• Tunisie: Renforcement de l’infrastructure qualité pour l’énergie photovoltaïque
• Senegal: Renforcement de l’infrastructure qualitépour des services énergétiques innovateurs
  
• Support to Mongolia’s Quality Infrastructure with Particular Regard to the Energy Sector
  
• Mexico: Fortalecimiento de la Infraestructura de la Calidad para Energías Renovables y Eficiencia Energética
  
• Introducción a la Eficiencia Energética y Sistemas de Gestión de la Energía en Pymes de México
• Estado de la Infraestructura de la Calidad para Energias Renovables y Eficiencia Energetica en Mexico - Estudio
• Mercosur: Fortalecimiento de la Infraestructura de la Calidad para la eficiencia energética de artefactos electrodomésticos
  
• Maghreb: Strengthening Quality Infrastructure for Solar Thermal Energy
  
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Quality Infrastructure for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  
• India: Strengthening Quality Infrastructure for the Solar Industry
• Brasil: Fortalecimento da Infraestrutura da Qualidade para Energias Renováveis e Eficiência Energética
• Brazil: Strengthening Quality Infrastructure for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency
• Analysis of Quality Infrastructure Services Offered in Uganda and Potential for Development
  
• Analysis of Quality Infrastructure Services Offered in Kenya and Potential for Development
• Analysis of Quality Infrastructure Services Offered in Ethiopia and Potential for Development
• Analysis of Quality Infrastructure Services Offered in Benin and Potential for Development

Overarching topics and studies

• Sub-Saharan Africa: Quality Infrastructure for Hydropower in the Context of Climate Change
• Quality Infrastructure for Renewable Energies in the Context of Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Quality Infrastructure for Solar Energy in the Context of Climate Change
• Quality Management for Photovoltaic Implementation
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Quality Infrastructure for Renewable Energies in the Context of Climate Change
  
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Quality Infrastructure for Climate ChangeMitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change
  
• Quality Infrastructure and Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean
  
• Quality and Safety Criteria Applied in Financing Photovoltaic Projects - A Practical Appraisal of Information on the Examples of India and Indonesia
  
• Compact: Quality Infrastructure for Sustainable Energy
• Priorities for Quality Infrastructure Development for Photovoltaics in Indonesia
• Pilot Study on Quality Aspects of PV Power Plants in India

This project page is created in collaboration with the “Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt”. PTB is the National Metrology Institute of Germany with scientific and technical service tasks. PTB measures with the highest accuracy and reliability – metrology as the core competence. PTB stands for progress and reliability in metrology for the benefit of society, trade and industry, and science.