Region: Palestinian Territories

Date: 12.01.2026 – 09.04.2026

A robust Quality Infrastructure (QI) system, covering metrology, standardization, accreditation, conformity assessment and market surveillance, helps countries improve product and service quality, reduce technical risks, and enable market access. In the Palestinian Territories, work on QI takes place in a fragile, conflict‑affected environment, where heightened insecurity and severe restrictions can disrupt mobility, market access and public service delivery. The appraisal therefore focused on how strengthening QI can make a tangible, near-to-medium term contribution to resilience and socio‑economic development, and how it can lay foundations for the country’s future development rather than being a purely technocratic exercise.

A central part of the assignment was to identify those sectors that are particularly critical under current conditions and where better QI services would have the highest leverage. Drawing on existing QI diagnostics and additional partner consultations, the appraisal confirmed that the energy sector, in particular photovoltaic (PV) and energy efficiency, is a structural backbone for socio‑economic development in the Palestinian Territories. High energy costs and the importance of decentralised energy supply mean that the quality, safety and performance of PV systems and energy efficiency measures directly affect households, businesses and public institutions. At the same time, metrology, testing and other QI services for the energy sector are still underdeveloped, with significant gaps in calibration and testing services and in the availability of relevant standards and technical guidance.

Ferdinand Consultants supported PTB by leading the appraisal mission and working closely with the PTB project team and Palestinian partners to update the project outline and sharpen the project focus. Our team prepared and led interviews with existing and potential partners, facilitated the discussions on how to update outputs and indicators, and translated the jointly agreed direction into an updated impact matrix and a formal change proposal for BMZ.

Our contribution combined mission delivery with concrete improvements to the project design.

What we delivered:

Appraisal mission leadership, including preparation and facilitation of interviews with existing and potential partners.

Structured partner dialogue to agree, together with PTB and Palestinian counterparts, how to update the project outline, outputs and indicators.

Sector prioritisation to sharpen the project focus, identifying PV and energy efficiency as a priority area given its relevance for socio‑economic development and the potential contribution of QI.

An updated impact matrix, developed in close collaboration with the PTB project team, integrating the agreed changes into a coherent and measurable results logic.

A BMZ-compliant change proposal, drafted from the appraisal findings and finalised in close coordination with PTB.

What changed in the project as a result (outcome-oriented design improvements):

Strong system-wide governance focus, sharpening coordination and strategic steering of the national QI system and advancing the pathway for the National Quality Policy implementation plan.

Outcome-oriented indicators, better capturing demonstrable progress and capability gains among both providers and users of QI services.

A sectoral deepening on PV and energy efficiency as an additional component, creating a structured interface between energy-sector actors and QI institutions to align standards and services with practical sector needs. This includes targeted exchange formats between QI and energy stakeholders, the preparation of energy‑related standards for integration into the national system, and the systematic linkage of identified sector needs to metrology and other QI service development.

Building on existing QI diagnostics and partner consultation, Ferdinand Consultants led the appraisal process that enabled PTB and Palestinian counterparts to agree and formalise a revised project design for the next implementation phase – one that explicitly responds to the current fragile context while positioning QI as a critical enabler of the Palestinian Territories’ future socio‑economic development.

The publication “Quality Infrastructure and Sustainability Standards” outlines the role of quality infrastructure in translating sustainability standards into practical and verifiable requirements. Public and private sustainability standards define ecological and social benchmarks that help distinguish sustainable from unsustainable products, support responsible business practices, and reduce risks along global value chains.

The report describes how companies — in particular small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and emerging economies — often face a complex landscape of sustainability standards, varying compliance requirements, and limited access to local testing, certification, and accreditation services. It explains how a well-functioning quality infrastructure system, covering metrology, standardization, conformity assessment, and accreditation, can help address these constraints and facilitate the practical application of sustainability standards.

Using examples from countries such as India, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Egypt, the publication illustrates how improved quality infrastructure can support businesses in meeting sustainability standards more efficiently, increase confidence among international buyers, and improve access to global markets. It also points to broader contributions to sustainable economic development, improved labour practices, and environmental protection.

Download the report (PDF):
https://www.ptb.de/cms/fileadmin/internet/fachabteilungen/abteilung_q/q.3_internationale_zusammenarbeit/publikationen/PTB_Compact_QI_Nachhaltigkeit_DE.pdf

However, while the green hydrogen sector features prominently on political and strategic agendas, less than 1% of global hydrogen production in 2021 was based on low-emission technologies. This emergent sector offers great potential therefore in terms of decarbonization and will create fresh economic opportunities for stakeholders along its entire value chain.

Overall, there needs to be a swift, significant increase in renewable energy generation so that the surplus can be used to produce hydrogen. That goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure (electrolyzers, storage, transportation and usage) and the development of new applications to drive demand.

A new study by Ferdinand Consultants for Germany’s National Metrology Institute, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), explains how quality infrastructure creates the basis for the development of the green hydrogen sector by reducing existing risks and supporting the positive sustainability impact of investments.

Quality infrastructure comprises the public bodies, private companies, regulatory and legal frameworks of the value chain. It relies on the components of metrology, standardization, testing, accreditation, conformity assessment, and market surveillance.

Robust, internationally recognized criteria and quality assurance mechanisms must be put in place to prevent technical barriers to trade, green washing and unintended negative sustainability or local economy impacts. This is especially relevant in Africa and Latin America, whose abundant renewable energy sources make them ideal green-hydrogen producers.

There are significant challenges to be addressed across a number of quality infrastructure services. For example, there is a need for clear, internationally recognized criteria for life-cycle assessments to estimate emissions releases and any negative environmental impacts. Another important area is the “guarantee of origin” required to differentiate green hydrogen from other hydrogen types.

The publication examines the existing gaps between the demand, both current and projected, and supply of quality infrastructure services. It also sets out key learnings to help policymakers and sector stakeholders effectively support quality infrastructure and foster the development of the green hydrogen industry.

Contact us for more information on our activities related to green hydrogen and quality infrastructure. 

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netpositive develops tailor-made solutions for our clients that go beyond compensation strategies by creating net positive sustainability projects in Spain.

At netpositive, our initial focus is the hands-on development of innovative photovoltaic projects in Spain, where the renewable energy industry is thriving. These projects offer carbon emission compensation to our clients whilst making tangible environmental, economic and social impact for local communities.

Besides photovoltaic solutions, netpositive also creates projects to respond to the growing water scarcity in Spain, protecting biodiversity and removing carbon from the atmosphere.

netpositive is a group of leading experts uniting strategic understanding, innovation and local know-how for real sustainability impact. We draw on over 15 years of experience in corporate sustainability strategies, development of renewable energy projects, financial and legal advisory, biodiversity, local sustainability initiatives and quality assurance.

Contact us for more information on netpositive: info@netpositive.es

In many countries, the reputation of photovoltaic (PV) technology has suffered from negative experiences that occurred when safety, quality and sustainability aspects were not sufficiently addressed. Although PV is often perceived as easily deployable, special expertise is necessary throughout all phases of a PV project to ensure the correct functioning of the system and the long-term success of the project. The required know-how and experience can only be accumulated over time. In countries where PV development is comparatively recent, the sector finds itself at an early stage of the learning curve, and safety, quality and sustainability issues are more common. This is the case for many developing and emerging economies. Nevertheless, many of the challenges are also relevant in industrialized countries and need to be addressed to further develop the PV sector, such as:

• Installation faults, which are common worldwide due to unqualified personnel and lack of training. Such faults can cause serious defects in photovoltaic plants, impacting safety, performance, and financial returns.
• Quality gaps and low-quality imports in emerging and developing economies.
• Lack of reliable solar irradiation data required for successful plant planning.
• Water stress in arid zones due to the use of water to clean PV modules.
• High resource use and waste generation, especially as more systems reach their end-of-life stage.

Quality infrastructure is the system comprising the organizations (public and private) together with the policies, relevant legal and regulatory framework and practices needed to support and enhance the safety, quality and environmental soundness of goods, services and processes. The development of this system helps to overcome existing challenges and facilitate the wider use of PV energy.

Based on the unique experience gained in projects implemented by PTB in emerging and developing economies in Africa, Latin America and Asia, the study describes case studies and recommendations pertaining to the development of the quality infrastructure. It includes general recommendations, describes requirements for specific quality infrastructure services, and highlights aspects to be considered within specific national contexts.

The study shows that it is crucial – especially in developing and emerging economies – to support the national quality infrastructure alongside the development of the PV sector. By following the recommendations for action in this area, sector organisations, policymakers and quality infrastructure institutions can lay the foundations for the sustainable growth of this sector.

Download the pdf:  https://www.ptb.de/cms/fileadmin/internet/fachabteilungen/abteilung_9/9.3_internationale_zusammenarbeit/publikationen/Studies/PTB_study_QI_for_PV_EN.pdf