IEC e-tech - January 2010 Edition

Social media has changed how people exchange information. Why should an organization engage in social media and how?

Eminent speakers at the two-day conference talked about how they have used social media to make their messages heard and how they apply new technologies in their everyday work. (more)

In December 2009, Bahrain, one of the latest countries to join the IEC, hosted an international conference on standardization and CA (Conformity Assessment) in electrotechnology.

A major part of the conference concentrated on the safety and reliability aspects of conformity assessment, particularly where household appliances are concerned. (more)

In December 2009, Jacques R�gis, IEC President, and Amaury Santos, Regional Manager of the IEC-LARC met with government authorities, industry leaders, the Mexican NC of the IEC and COMENOR the Mexican Board of Standardization and Conformity Assessment.

Much of the discussion centred on using standardization as a means of mitigating climate change and harmonizing International Standards at the regional level. (more)

Building the next-generation power grid involves the integration of information and communication technologies into the electric power infrastructure.

The IEC was a partner at the California conference, Grid ComForum, an event organized by the International Engineering Consortium, a non-profit organization that is sponsored by universities and engineering societies. (more)

Electric shocks, fire and heat hazards... Whether at home or in the workplace, electrical appliances are part of our lives and very much taken for granted. Many of these appliances represent serious potential hazards to children and adults alike.

The IECEE tests reduce risk, take into account abnormal operation and look for hazardous substances. (more)

The United Nations through its UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) has formally endorsed the use of IECEx, the IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres.

As an internationally recognized certification system, IECEx promotes safety of equipment and services in explosive areas. It verifies compliance with IEC International Safety Standards in Ex (explosive) areas and covers equipment, systems, services and competency of personnel in the highly specialized industries where the risk of fire and explosions exist. (more)

Consumers are well aware of the risks associated with electrical hazards posed by faulty cords, switches, overheating, bad insulation and so on. But are they aware of those associated with defective or low-quality electronic parts? Perhaps not. Yet many consumer goods rely heavily on electronics.

IECQ is a worldwide approval and certification system covering the supply of electronic components and associated materials and processes. It uses quality assessment specifications based on International Standards prepared by the IEC (more)

You can find monitors, television screens, light bulbs, navigations systems, sporting events and billboards everywhere. They're getting bigger, brighter and flatter.

TC 110 began writing standards for BLUs (backlight units) for advanced OLEDs, for 3D (three-dimensional), e-paper and flexible displays in 2008. Some of the earlier LCD and PDP basic standards have entered into their second maintenance cycles. Two major LCD standards are soon to enter the FDIS (Final Draft International Standard) approval stage. (more)

There are still substantial differences in the types of washing machines used around the world as well as in the ways in which people wash their clothes.

MT 15 is the maintenance team within TC 59: Performance of Electrical Household Appliances, which is charged with updating IEC 60456, Clothes washing machines for household use - Methods for measuring the performance.

The standard sets out measurement and test protocols, while the labelling and minimum efficiency norms are set by bodies such as the EC (European Commission) and the US DOE (Department of Energy. (more)

Ridzwan Kasim, a chemist with a B.Sc. degree from Britain’s UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), has been appointed as the new Secretary of the IEC National Committee of Malaysia. (more)

The 42nd General Assembly of UPDEA, the Union of Producers, Transporters and Distributors of Electric Power in Africa was an excellent occasion to present the work of IEC to the power utility stakeholders in the African region. (more)

The House of the Future with its smart centralised intelligence was the perfect setting for the IEC Belgian Electrotechnical Committee centenary celebration.

It was also the occasion to produce an original-sized book entitled "100 ways...to benefit from standardization". The publication which can be downloaded from e-tech provides 100 different convincing statements about the major advantages of participating in standardization. (more)

Georges Goldberg, a renowned EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) expert, died on 5 September 2009 at the age of 86.
(more)

Following the Activity Report that the General Secretary Ronnie Amit gave to Council in Tel Aviv, this article looks at changes in electricity consumption and production so as to familiarize the IEC community with the trends over the past 30 years.

Consumption of electricity by IEC Member countries is growing; the same pattern of growth can be seen in the development of their economies. (more)

Green gadgets, the environment and the Smart Grid are starting to permeate consumer electronics and appliances. But how will utilities bring consumers to use electricity more efficiently and, if possible, off-peak? How can consumers really control their electricity bills? Will consumers allow utilities to collect information in the home?

Several symposia at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America, tried to provide answers. (more)

George Arnold, Deputy Director, Technology Services, and National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), US Department of Commerce, reflects on the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (more)

The narrowing distinction between IT (information technology) at home and as professional entertainment products has created a need to harmonize related safety requirements and a new way to look at IEC safety standards for these products. (more)

CISPR and TC 77 are the principal IEC Technical Committees that deal with EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) and more than 250 of their delegates met together in France last year.

One of the recent developments of TC 77 and CISPR/A was to set up a new Joint Task Force to develop guidance on uncertainty for immunity testing. (more)

"Invisible electronics", "nano-electric generation", "nano-fibers that conduct electricity"… These days, science papers and journals are bursting with nanotechnology-based innovations that promise to do more with less in the future.

Scientists and experts from IEC TC (Technical Committee) 113: Nanotechnology standardization for electrical and electronic products and systems, reported on progress of standardization work for this emerging technology at the recent German-China Bilateral Forum "Frontier of Nanotechnology and Nanostandardization". (more)

Want to know what standards have just been published? Now, thanks to a new feature in the IEC Webstore, you can glimpse all the new IEC publications, as and when they are issued. (more)

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If you have any questions and/or comments, please contact Philippa Martin-King at [email protected].