Latest news from Kiwa

The new (voluntary) Kiwa 20% Hydrogen Mark for natural gas appliances burning up to 20% Hydrogen admixture, using EN15502 as the reference standard.

Hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources can make an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. When hydrogen gas is to be transported through the existing gas pipelines, the safety level has to be at least the same as for the transportation of natural gas. This means that important safety questions need to be answered, for example when it comes to the leak tightness of pipes and components that are used with hydrogen gas.

In the coming year, Kiwa will sponsor Forze Hydrogen Racing, the student team that specializes in racing on hydrogen. Kiwa not only supports Forze financially, but also contributes in the form of advice and validation of hydrogen systems. Forze Hydrogen Racing has been developing hydrogen racing cars since 2007 and wants to promote hydrogen as the fuel of the future in the automotive sector.

EuropeActive, the European trade association for fitness clubs, officially started with FITcert level 3 in October. This independent European quality label enables fitness clubs to demonstrate that they meet high standards when it comes to service, hygiene and safety. As of now, clubs will receive the NCS 17229-compliant certificate upon passing FITcert level 3. Kiwa is one of the certifying institutions for FITcert.

Flammable refrigerants such as A2L and A3 are increasingly being used for heat exchange in heat pumps. This means that safety aspects of heat pumps are becoming more and more important and complex. That is why the latest version of the IEC 60335-2-40, concerning the safety of electrical appliances for household and similar purposes, deals with, among others, the vibration aspects of heat pumps.

On February 15, 2022, the new version of the ISO 27002 standard was published. The ISO 27002 is an extension of the ISO 27001 standard for information security and specifies the requirements of an Information Security Management System (ISMS). The extension provides best practices for security controls and measures that you can implement to improve your security. Although ISO 27002 is not a certifiable standard, this revision does have consequences for organizations that are or want to become ISO 27001 certified. That is why we share the most important changes with you.

One of the ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to capture and store or use released CO₂. To do this efficiently and safely, additional knowledge is needed about the properties of materials subjected to carbon dioxide. Kiwa has therefore invested in new facilities to investigate and test with high pressure CO₂.

In 2018, the Dutch government decided to strive for a fossil-free energy supply by 2050 at the latest. Following that purpose and because of all the problems surrounding gas extraction in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands was supposed to get rid of gas as quickly as possible. What is the current state of that electrification decision? Has the role of gas in the energy mix completely been played out? Kiwa conducted research and published the results in the report “How the Dutch all-electric ambition was caught up by reality”.

Fertilizer producer ICL (Everris International B.V.), supplier of plant nutrition and fertilization solutions for the agriculture, fruit and vegetable sector, the ornamental plant sector and golf and sports fields, was issued the first FPR certificate by Kiwa Verin on 12 April. Kiwa VERIN recently obtained full accreditation for the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) (EU) 2019/1009, the CE marking for fertilizing products, which will come into effect on 16 July.

Hydrogen will play an important role in the energy transition. In particular green hydrogen, produced using sustainably generated electricity, can become a sustainable replacement for natural gas in industry, mobility and the built environment. While concrete applications of hydrogen are already fully operational, there is still much to be discovered about the properties of the gas.