Measurements are indispensable for any scientific experiment, industrial process, or trade of goods and merchandise. Measurement technology and metrology –the science of measurement – are today virtually taken for granted. However, precise and reliable measurements require continuous dedication and scrutiny to guarantee that results are comparable throughout the world.
Metrology is the core competence of PTB, the national metrology institute of Germany, which engages in scientific and technical tasks and services.
PTB measures with the highest possible accuracy and stands for progress and reliability in measurements for the benefit of society, trade and industry, and science. Moreover, in the field of international cooperation, PTB is engaged in strengthening the expertise of partner institutions within the broader domain of quality infrastructure. Quality infrastructure can be defined as a system consisting of standardization, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment (testing, inspection, certification) and market surveillance. It encompasses associated public and private institutions, services, regulations, and policies. In principle, quality infrastructure is a cross-sectional task that serves to guarantee the quality, safety and compatibility of goods, services and processes. For the development of a green hydrogen economy, quality infrastructure contributes these
crucial elements to ensure plant and personal safety, product and process quality, and corresponding conformity evaluations, all of which improve economic viability.
The production, distribution and utilization of hydrogen have been fostered by quality infrastructure for many years. The same applies to renewable energy and natural gas, where sector developments have been accompanied by a continuous improvement
in services over the past decades. However, this demand for services will grow significantly in line with the staggering increase in the production and consumption of green hydrogen that many governments have predicted for the near future.
Understandably, different scales in many cases also require different approaches. Utilising green hydrogen as a relevant integral part of the future low-carbon economy hence requires additional and improved quality infrastructure services.
PTB, in collaboration with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is developing a roadmap outlining how to establish a quality infrastructure ecosystem for clean hydrogen production, transport, storage and utilization. This roadmap is being elaborated in consultation with a broad range of Quality infrastructure is a complex system combining different functions for the safety, quality and reliability of, for example, commercial transactions stakeholders and is titled “Quality infrastructure for green hydrogen: technical standards and quality control for the production and trade of renewable hydrogen”. It will assist policymakers and quality infrastructure practitioners around the world in taking informed decisions for the future development of services and the design of necessary enabling or regulatory frameworks. The comprehensive document will be available before the end of the year – please keep an eye on the websites of IRENA (www.irena.org) and PTB (www.ptb.de) from time to time.
In close partnership with the Moroccan government, the Federal Republic of Germany supports the development of the renewable energy and hydrogen sectors in the Kingdom of Morocco. PTB is currently implementing a technical cooperation project led by the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (MTEDD), with technical partners from the national quality infrastructure and the renewable energy sectors. The project’s objective is to improve services for quality assurance and the reliability of photovoltaic technologies in Morocco.
From 2025 onward, this cooperation will be enhanced by incorporating the topic of green hydrogen. Our strong commitment is to contribute to a successful energy transition in Morocco for the benefit of the people, the economy and the environment.
Mr. Carl Felix Wolff
Senior consultant for green hydrogen, environment and climate with PTB’s international cooperation department in Braunschweig, Germany.