IEC e-tech - July 2009 Edition

The 2009 International Conference on UHV (Ultra High Voltage) Transmission was held on 21-22 May 2009 in Beijing, China. It was attended by representatives from governments, industry, power utilities, R&D (Research and Development) institutes, academia and financial organizations from 21 countries and regions. Among the attendees at this major energy conference were Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang; Liu Zhenya, President of SGCC (the State Grid of China Corporation); and SGCC Executive Vice-President Shu Yinbiao.

The ethos for the conference was that energy is vital for our survival, and electricity, being clean and efficient, is particularly important. (more)

The IEC MSB SWG EEE (the Market Strategy Board's special working group on Electrical Energy Efficiency) met on 29-30 June 2009 for a two-day gathering in Tokyo.

This working group differs from that of the SMB (Standardization Management Board) with a very similar name, SG 1 (Strategic Group 1 on Electrical Energy Efficiency), in that its role is to look to the future in terms of market needs rather than to suggest next steps for standards. Recently their research concentrated on electrical energy efficiency and renewable energies. (more)

The IEC was represented at the recent WTO TBT (Technical Barriers to Trade) Committee meeting by Fran�oise Rauser. In her capacity of IEC International Liaison Officer she presented IEC activities for the first semester of 2009. This report, together with the June 2009 e-tech, was provided as a room document to the Delegates.

Over 50 trade concerns had been submitted to the Committee and the agenda was reordered at the last minute to discuss the Fifth Triennial Review of the TBT Agreement before going on to examine its current implementation.

The next meeting is scheduled for 5-6 November 2009. (more)

The APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Seminar on Understanding and Implementing the APEC EE MRA (Electrical and Electronic Mutual Recognition Arrangement) took place in Singapore in May 2009.

After a presentation of the IECEE Scheme, Pierre de Ruvo went on to talk about counterfeit. He underlined the dangers it represents in terms of electrical accidents due to low-quality materials and "short-cut" manufacturing processes.

He described some of the work the IECEE is doing with Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) to fight the negative impact of counterfeit electrical and electronic goods. (more)

Vaisala Oyj, a Finnish maker of products for environmental and industrial measurement, is the first in the world to receive the Ex Mark (IECEx Conformity Mark License).

The Vaisala Group, headquartered in Finland, develops, manufactures and markets products and services for environmental and industrial measurement. (more)

CEPREI, China Electronic Product Reliability and Environmental Testing Research Institute, organized two IECQ industry seminars for Chinese industry representatives.

These seminars, given during the period of the IECQ 2009 annual meetings in Guangzhou, attracted between 150 and 200 attendees each. Participants were able to learn more about testing and certification to International Standards, key factors for credibility and reliability on the international scene. (more)

3D (three-dimensional) visualization production technologies are not new. It is today's home viewing market, with its generalized move from analogue to digital technology, that offers an opportunity for change.

This article, written by Vincent Teulade, Director in the Telecommunication Media and Technology practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Paris, is based on a survey conducted by the firm on the video entertainment industry.

Describing some of the technology, it underlines the choices open to industry to standardize 3D in the home market. (more)

To come to the brow of a hill and see on the horizon a line of giant wind turbines, their arms turning majestically, never fails to take one's breath away. These are awesome structures, imposing in their size, their grandeur – and their simplicity.

Together with an overview of IEC activities in setting standardization trends for the future, this article looks at some of the area covered by TC 88: Wind turbines, the worldwide situation, trends and government incentives to encourage investment in methods of producing energy from the wind and other sustainable sources. (more)

The IEC Singapore team welcomed a new Technical Officer, Damien Lee, on 1 June 2009.

After gaining a Bachelor in Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia, Lee went on to do a Masters (Logistics and Supply Chain Management). On graduation he took a job with Singapore MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), the Singapore public transport system. Then for 5 years, Lee worked in the test laboratories of PSB Corporation, notably in the area of EMC testing for the automotive industry, at the time part of the SPRING Singapore group, familiar to the IEC as the IEC National Committee of Singapore. (more)

Fuel cells have been identified as a promising solution in answer to the world's increasing demand for energy.

The International Workshop on Fuel Cell Systems 2009 - Research and Standardisation was held in connection with the plenary meeting of IEC TC 105: Fuel Cell Technologies on 11-12 June 2009 in Seoul.

It brought together experts and students from industry and the academic world and in a fruitful study of some of the latest research and standardization developments on fuel cells. (more)

Aat van der Giessen dedicated much of his energy and experience to standardization in the field of wind turbines. As Secretary of TC 88, not only did he contribute to IEC standardization work professionally, he was also excellent company outside the meeting room.

As witnessed by the memories of his fellow Officers, the TC 88 community will certainly miss Aat’s sense of humour, his personal warmth and his charm. (more)

As of early August 2009, it will be possible to order more than 8 000 replaced or withdrawn IEC Publications directly from the IEC Webstore.

These publications, often required for legacy and legal purposes or comparison needs, were available previously only through the IEC Central Office Customer Service Centre. Now they can be ordered easily through the new-look Webstore.

To avoid any confusion with current editions publications carry a reference number "P-". They will also display a watermark that clearly shows they are obsolete.

Thanks to years of in-depth research, the IEC Central Office has been able to build an extensive electronic library of nearly all IEC Publications issued since the IEC's creation more than 100 years ago. (more)

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