IEC e-tech - May 2009 Edition

Thirteen of the 20 recommendations made by SG 1, the Strategic Group on e-cubed have been approved by the SMB with a further 6 under consideration.

SG 1, headed by Bernhard Thies, Convenor, looked at changes that are needed for energy efficient devices and at power supply and distribution methods of the future. The recommendations covered the entire spectrum of electrotechnology from terminology to renewable energy sources. They included metrics; electrical power plants; transformers and distribution networks; rail, road and air transport systems; lighting and heating; storage systems; industry; IT (information technology); and the home with its numerous appliances. (more)

A joint international workshop planned by TC 105 and Seoul National University is to take place in Korea on fuel cell systems.

The workshop, co-chaired by Seung Jin Song of SNU and Wolfgang Winkler, Secretary of TC 105, is to take place 13-15 June 2009 in the Advanced Automotive Research Centre of the university, immediately after the plenary meeting of TC 105 on 8-12 June in Korea.

Registration is free to members of TC 105 and Seoul University. (more)

The wattwatt.com care4it competition, organized by the IEC in collaboration with the IEA (International Energy Agency) came to a close in May 2009.

The theme of the competition, open to any school student in the world, was electrical energy efficiency. Students – tomorrow's adults – were asked to submit ideas to increase awareness of the use or consumption of electricity and to suggest ways in which it might be used better or differently.

The judges awarded the first prize of USD 10 000 to the Akosombo International School in Ghana, whose two-minute video contained all the elements that best summarized the theme:concern for a local site – the Akosombo river; increased awareness and advice about electricity use; future implication.

Second prize went to the 6th grade students of the Kappelim�ki primary school in Laitila, Finland, who will receive USD 3 000 for their "snowball project" and "Care4the world" video.The winner of the third prize of USD 2 000 is the Chomutov Public Secondary School in the Czech Republic. (more)

This article by G�sta Fredriksson, Chairman of the IECEE Certification Management Committee and President, Conformity Assessment and International Relations, Intertek, looks at some of the key concepts – global harmonization, health and environmental issues, together with product personalization and user-friendliness – that make up the future of Conformity Assessment.

Today, countries throughout the world depend on imports and exports. Yet, in spite of this globalization, there are no worldwide rules for Conformity Assessment. Global harmonization of standards does not exist, and new certification programmes are continually being created for specific areas, such as the European WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restriction on hazardous substances) directives. All of this affects global trade, and there is no sign of any change in the foreseeable future. (more)

In parallel with the next IECEx annual meetings due to take place in Melbourne, Australia, the Conformity Assessment system is organizing an industry symposium, entitled "Keeping Hazardous Area Compliance to minimal cost". The symposium will focus largely on the Australian market and Australian issues, while retaining the global aspect of the IECEx system. This event represents a wonderful opportunity for local and Asian Ex industry players to get involved with certification at the international level, thus broadening their perspectives. (more)

In conjunction with its series of annual meetings held in Guangzhou, China on 11-15 May 2009, IECQ, the IEC Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components, organized a training workshop for its CBs (Certification Bodies). This was the first time such a session had been included in the annual meeting programme.

The workshop tackled many issues that are essential to the functioning of the IECQ system. It started with an overview of IECQ as part of the IEC – IECQ operations and management, its reporting to the IEC Conformity Assessment Board, the value of the IEC brand and IECQ’s obligations in that respect, and changes in IEC Statutes and Directives that may affect IECQ in future. The workshop then addressed topics that are specific to IECQ. (more)

Switchgear and controlgear assemblies are key products in today's modern electrical systems. These assemblies house the components and devices that protect, control, distribute and manage the electrical energy for our power plants, hospitals, factories, shopping malls, buildings, etc.

IEC SC 17D set out on a major restructuring programme (not just an update or revision) to bring the standard in line with today's technology and modern safety requirements. In January 2009, the IEC released the results of this work publishing the first two parts of the new series of standards. (more)

Connections can be established in many manners: hardware links, software transmissions, liaison congruity. They may be formed as social links between people; set up as associations or consortia in industry; established as trade agreements between nations.

If it weren't for connections, our world would be an entirely different place. From hardware cables to software IT protocols, day to day life involves some form or other of connection. Most cases involve electricity and thus an IEC International Standard. (more)

The Republic of Albania joins the IEC as Associate Member.

Associate Members have limited participation rights, which enable them to take part as observers in all technical meetings and in the Council and SMB (Standardization Management Board) meetings during the annual General Meeting. They can access and comment on all IEC technical documents. In addition, Associate Members may request permission from the IEC General Secretary to become Participating members (P-members) on a maximum of four TCs (Technical Committees) or SCs (Subcommittees) with the right to vote on technical work emanating from these committees. (more)

Two representatives of the IEC attended the annual meeting of COMCCANOR (la Comisi�n Centroam�ricana y del Caribe de Normalizaci�n), which this year was held on 27 March in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Fran�oise Rauser, IEC Affiliate Country Programme Secretary & International Liaison Officer, took advantage of the regional event to meet with a broad spectrum of some 20 Costa Rican stakeholders and representatives from INTECO (Instituto de Normas T�cnicas de Costa Rica). (more)

This article describes the steps taken by seven Latin American and Caribbean countries to use the IEC programme to the full.

As participants in the programme, they are able to choose up to 200 IEC International Standards for consultation with a view to adopting them as the basis for their own national regulations.

(more)

The IEC SMB (Standardization Management Board) first proposed the idea of a think-tank to work on Smart Grid at its May 2006 Copenhagen meeting. The energy crisis was not yet publicly apparent, and today's pressing international demand for measures to solve the world's energy issues had not become an issue for governments and nations.

Now, this forward thinking group, SG 3 (Strategic Group) on Smart Grid, is providing advice on fast-moving ideas and technologies likely to form the basis for new International Standards or IEC TCs of the future. SG 3's first task is to finish laying down the road map for the development of a framework to achieve interoperability of Smart Grid systems. (more)

Members of TC 115: High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Transmission for DC voltages above 100kV, recently came to Geneva for training sessions.

Dusan Povh, Chairman of TC 115, was accompanied by assistants Jianbin Fan and Peipei Zhang as well as Technical Officer Suzanne Yap Geok Sim of the IEC-APRC (IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre). (more)

A popular IEC International Standard that concerns protection against unwanted industrial explosions is now available as an IEC Standards+ Redline version.

S+ IEC 60079-18, Explosive atmospheres - Part 18: Equipment protection by encapsulation "m", includes the new third edition of this important International Standard with an annexed "marked up" version that shows what has been changed since the previous edition. It helps in providing Ex equipment manufacturers, certification bodies and testing laboratories with an immediate and accurate means of identifying changes from the previous edition of the standard.

(more)

To modify your subscription to these messages alerting you to new articles posted on the IEC website, please click here and follow the instructions given on the page.

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