Accredited Testing

For marine energy research, NLR is accredited for power performance (International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC] 62600–100 and –200), power quality (IEC 62600–30), and mechanical loads (IEC 62600–3) testing of wave and tidal technologies.

Accreditation provides a third-party comprehensive assessment and confirmation of the technical competence of the test facility to conduct the scope of work covered in its accreditation.

According to A2LA—an independent, nonprofit, and internationally recognized accreditation body—"Accreditation is synonymous with both quality and competence of an organization, through the use of international standard(s)."

Although accreditation means test results can be used for certification, project financiers and insurance companies also ask for certification to reduce their risk. Accreditation also ensures that the test facility has the quality assurance procedures in place and the expertise to provide high-quality testing more broadly.

NLR is accredited to International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/IEC 17025, the global standard that sets organizational and technical requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.

Learn more about NLR's accredited testing.

Project Highlight

NLR leveraged its ISO/IEC-accredited status to secure international accreditation for PacWave South, launched off the Oregon Coast in August 2026.

To help the first prepermitted, grid-connected, open-ocean wave energy facility in the continental United States meet ISO/IEC standards for marine energy testing, NLR provided technical support, including:

• Procuring and deploying Waverider buoys to characterize PacWave South's wave environment
• Collaborating with the European Marine Energy Centre to provide resources and training to inform PacWave of ISO/IEC 17025 and 17020 requirements.

NLR's support was pivotal to ensuring the performance data collected from utility-scale wave energy converters at PacWave South were certified to meet rigorous international standards for commercial validation.

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