In 1996, the Institute of Sustainable Power (ISP) under the direction and leadership of Mark Fitzgerald, developed the ISP accreditation and certification program, which is the Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) credentialing process. Internationally recognized renewable energy, education, training, and accreditation experts worked to create the initial ISPQ International Standard 01021, which provided the guidelines and set the bar for the accreditation of training programs and the certification of trainers in the renewable, distributed generation and energy efficiency fields. In October 2009 the ISP Board of Directors approved the second version, ISPQ International Standard 01022.
Through the application and auditing process, the ISPQ framework offers evaluation for achieving the following designations:
- Accreditation for Training Programs
- Accreditation for Continuing Education Providers
- Certification for Independent Master Trainers
- Certifications for Affiliated Master Trainers
- Certification for Affiliated Instructors
- Certification for Independent Instructors