ETV

The EU Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) pilot programme is a new scheme for companies developing and commercialising innovative, environmental technologies.

The Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL will operate as a Verification Body (VB) for Energy Technologies under the new EU Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) pilot programme.

Activities will specifically focus on:

• Energy Efficient Lighting
• Photovoltaics
• Smart Infrastructure, e.g. Smart Meters
• Wind and Marine Technologies
• Fuel Cell Technologies

NPL's Jessica Cross Brown will be the main contact for ETV related work and enquiries, and can be contacted on 020 8943 6134.

Background

The EU Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) pilot programme is a new scheme for companies developing and commercialising innovative, environmental technologies.

• ETV is a voluntary scheme that provides the verification, by qualified third party organisations (VBs), of the performance claims of new environmental technologies.
• This should help manufacturers prove the reliability of their claims, and help technology purchasers identify innovations that suit their needs.
• ETV is not about defining minimum requirements, but about ensuring the credibility of performance claims put forward by a manufacturer, thus going beyond existing minimum requirements.
• ETV is not a new idea, and has been successfully implemented in the United States, China, Japan, Korea, Canada and the Philippines, and ongoing dialogue exists between the EU and these states on the implementation of ETV.

The full ETV pilot programme will initially cover the following technology areas:

1. Water treatment and monitoring (monitoring of water quality, treatment of drinking water and of waste water)
2. Materials, waste and resources (separation and sorting of solid waste, recycling of materials, end-of-life products and chemicals, biomass-based products)
3. Energy technologies (renewable sources of energy, energy from waste, energy efficiency technologies)

The diagram below shows the key processes in ETV:

Proposers - what's in it for you?

• At present, standards and regulations take a long time to catch up to cutting edge technology. If you have a new technology that is not covered by current standards, how can you prove to investors or customers that the performance claims of your product are correct?
• The 'Statement of Verification' reflects the actual performance of the specific technology. There is no pass/fail outcome like other product certification schemes.
• There is no set rulebook on what data has to be collected and the Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL will work with the manufacturer to make sure the test methodology and data are suitable to provide adequate assurance.
• Innovative SMEs can gain competitive advantage by differentiating their technology from that of larger competitors.
• An International Working Group on ETV is preparing the ground for the mutual recognition of ETV programmes. This will enable new innovative technologies to be recognised internationally with the ETV statement of verification.

Contact

For all enquiries, please contact Jessica Cross Brown.

E: jessica.cross.brown@npl.co.uk
T: 020 8943 6134