Lloyd’s Register becomes first IECRE-approved certification body for marine energy

Maritime classification society Lloyd’s Register has secured approval from the International Electrotechnical Commission’s Renewable Energy System (IECRE) for the certification of complex hybrid renewable energy projects that involve multiple technologies, such as wind, wave and tidal.

IECRE approved the world’s first renewable energy certification body (RECB) status for the marine energy market for Lloyd’s Register (LR), enabling it to certify complex hybrid renewable energy projects on behalf of the IECRE.

Through its RECB status, LR can conduct end-to-end certification activities for marine energy converters that seek compliance with the IEC 62600 technical specification and operational documents published by the IECRE.

Furthermore, LR can also support marine energy technology developers by providing independent assessment and certification, which uses IEC standards as its basis. 

Mark Darley, LR Marine & Offshore director, said: “LR’s new status as the world’s first IECRE renewable energy certification body for marine energy is a testament to our strong capabilities across a range of technical disciplines and our commitment to safety in the renewable energy market.  We look forward to working with new clients in the future, certifying marine energy or complex hybrid renewable energy projects in line with the IECRE scheme.

“Given the expected rapid growth of the marine energy industry, we anticipate the IECRE system will be widely adopted by the industry and become increasingly important in providing the assurance required by project stakeholders, which LR can provide, while ensuring this process adds value to projects”.

Alistair Mackinnon, IECRE chair, added: “Marine energy is the newest of our renewable energy technologies in IECRE and our members have worked exceptionally hard to develop a robust conformity assessment system to meet the needs of this exciting emerging sector. IECRE is delighted to welcome LR as its first renewable energy certification body (RECB) for technology qualification (TQ). 

“As the sector develops IECRE is keen to offer new deliverables to help address the global climate challenge and the marine energy sector has an important role to play in maintaining a sustainable climate for future generations”.

Jonathan Colby, convener for the Marine Energy Sector Working Group (ME-SWG) within IECRE, said: “Certification plays a critical role in the development of the marine energy industry and the third-party verification of compliance to international, consensus-based standards, such as the IEC TS 62600-4 on TQ, is essential to reduce risk and increase market confidence in the innovative technologies used to extract energy from waves, tides and other water currents”.

IECRE is the global renewable energy conformity assessment system that addresses technology in three separate sectors: solar PV, marine and wind energy at a component, device or system type, and at the large utility project-scale.