Future-proof utilities

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Benefits of working with the IEC—

Simplify expansion across countries and

markets through interconnections and

interoperability

Secure customer satisfaction via

increased reliability and quality of services

Build trust and acceptability

Reduce risk through use of the world’s

state-of-the-art power industry

technologies

Manage assets, especially end-of-life

issues and the increasing intelligence of

assets.

Gain direct input into regulation,

depending on the country

Reduce costs and maintain independence

from your vendors

Protect the interests of the electric power

industry

Talk to suppliers on a neutral platform

Provide frameworks for equipment

manufacturers by participating in

the development of IEC International

Standards

Change in the electrical industry is accelerating.

Evolution of the energy sector, climate change

and the rise in distributed generation, cheaper

renewables, storage, electric vehicles and

smart technologies continue to reshape

the landscape. Technological integration

for electricity utilities is a necessity and the

industry is entering largely uncharted territory.

Electric power supply was historically a

domestic business. Regulations and standards

were developed nationally, with limited

international exchange. Today electricity utilities

must think and operate globally. The global

stage that is today’s electricity sector requires a

high-level understanding of large systems, their

subsystems and components, including risk

assessment and many other elements.

Your seat at the table—Utilities need to be at the International

Standards table and help reshape the industry

to keep it vibrant, competitive and at the

forefront of technology. For the electric power

industry, the benefits of International technical

Standards are increasing. Globalization is

evolving supply chains and creating the

demand for more flexible procurement logistics.

Shaping the new electrical industry landscape

3

Strategic asset management of power networks

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Guidance for the industry —Electricity utilities’ needs are continuously

scanned, through a continuous drive to be

ahead of market trends coupled with a strategy

to develop the most efficient approach to serve

utilities’ interests. As part of this market watch

strategy, the IEC Market Strategy Board, with

the participation of Chief Technology Officers

from industry and the IEC Officers, and in

cooperation with world-renowned research

institutes, publishes its recommendations in

the form of thought leadership White Papers.

IEC White Papers1 address the most pertinent

topics facing the electric industry including:

Coping with the energy challenge2

Electrical Energy Storage3

Grid integration of large-capacity

Renewable Energy sources4

Microgrids for disaster preparedness

and recovery5

Internet of Things: Wireless Sensor

Networks6

Infrastructure for sustainable Smart Cities7

Strategic asset management of power

networks8

Factory of the future/Industry 4.09

At a glance—The IEC, with 169 countries, represents 96%

of the world energy generation and 98% of

the world population. It provides the global,

neutral and independent platform where

more than 20 000 experts from all over the

world cooperate to develop IEC International

Standards or Conformity Assessment services.

Many more experts are active in each member

country via their National Committee to the IEC.

The National Committee coordinates national

interests in electrotechnology and represents

local industry, government agencies,

academia, trade associations, end-users and

national standard developers within the IEC.

Every member country represented through

its IEC National Committee has one vote and

a say in what goes into an IEC International

Standard.

4

and frequency to deliver a reliable supply of

power to ensure a stable and safe service.

This requires extended management and

control from generation at power stations,

transmission over power grids, and distribution

integrating the rapidly growing distributed

generation.

IEC International Standards recommend the

parameters within which different types of

equipment become and remain interoperable

from power generation and distribution through

to consumer devices. They also outline the PQ

specifications for legacy and new infrastructure

that sets voltage and current levels to avoid

or contain sags/dips, surges/swells and

transients.

The work of the IEC helps electric utilities

address key business issues.

#1: Customers demand a reliable, consistent power supply without paying morePower quality (PQ)—Not having reliable and regular access to

electricity has a direct impact on a country’s

economy and its ability to participate in the

global economy. Even short disturbances are

costly in today’s digital world.

The cost—A study by the US Electric Power Research

Institute (EPRI) in 2001 suggests that across all

business sectors, the U.S. economy was losing

up to USD 164 billion a year to outages and

up to USD 24 billion for PQ phenomena, such

as surges and sags in voltage, transients and

harmonics. The European Power Quality survey

report declared that PQ problems caused a

financial loss in 2008 of more than EUR 150

billion per year in the EU-25 countries. Today

the cost is undoubtedly even higher given the

impact of global digitalization.

IEC and PQ—IEC work on PQ issues focuses on how to

provide the right combination of voltage

Power utility challenges

5

supply, sewage treatment, health services,

telecommunications or transportation may

stop working. Many of these defined critical

infrastructures may have standby generators.

See examples on page 9.

Cybersecurity—Energy suppliers and power grids can be

seen as a target of choice for cybercriminals,

seeking to cripple a country’s economy

and disrupt everyday life. Recognizing

cybersecurity as a major concern for utilities,

ACSEC, the IEC Advisory Committee on

Information security and data privacy, works

on matters which are not specific to one

single Technical Committee of the IEC. See examples on page 10.

#2: Maximize existing assets and prepare for the futureHeritage and future—The IEC has accompanied power utilities in

their journey since the pioneering days at the

beginning of the 1900s. The expansion of

global electricity-generating capacity and its

overall economic impact has been facilitated

by IEC work across the power generation,

transmission and distribution sectors. Almost

half of the 177 IEC Technical Committees work

in areas relevant to power utilities.

Generation and T&D—Power utilities face issues of asset

management, ageing equipment, and being

sufficiently prepared for the future. The IEC

partners with utilities to help them maximize

the lifecycle of existing infrastructures

and optimize opportunities with new

infrastructures. IEC work benefits electricity

utilities through the standardization of common

rules for system engineering, erection of

electrical power installations, and safety

aspects for power generation, transmission,

distribution and industrial installations.

Another benefit of IEC work for power utilities

comes from the system approach to electrical

energy supply, which covers the whole

electricity supply chain from production to

utilization at the customer level. This includes

terminology, electrical system reliability,

connection practices, operation, operational

safety, security, metering and characteristics of

energy supply.

Substation automation—The IEC 61850 series of IEC International

Standards on Substation automation facilitates

risk management, increases efficiency,

reliability and contributes to power quality. See examples on page 9.

IEC helps to keep the power on—From disaster risk assessment and avoidance

to mitigation, close to 60 IEC International

Standards directly support risk assessment

and help reduce or avoid the risk of disasters

resulting from the failure of electrical or

electronic systems or devices.

Disaster preparedness and recovery—When disaster strikes IEC International

Standards on electrotechnical equipment,

power plants and electric utilities are critical

tools for power utilities. After both natural

disasters and technical failures, no electricity

means that essential services such as water

(Image: ABB)

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#3: Reassure investors, insurers, regulators and end-users that you use best practiceTrillions of dollars—Global investment in the power sector is

projected to reach USD 21 trillion through to

2040, with over 40% in transmission and

distribution networks. Electrical energy has

become a central focus while the challenges

are bigger than ever.

Collaborative strength—Today, the speed of innovation is fast. It is so

fast that individual companies can no longer

develop everything alone. The IEC provides

the platforms and tools that facilitate this

broad cooperation through the development

of International Standards and Conformity

Assessment schemes, which aim to have one

Standard and one test accepted everywhere.

Interoperability

—With convergence of technologies there is a

need for smarter systems which interoperate

safely. To export surplus electricity and import

it when required, protocols need to be in

place, and systems must be able to “talk” to

those of neighbouring countries and utilities.

Infrastructure that is built with standardized

components is easier and cheaper to maintain.

Help make the rules

—In-large scale systems, a multitude of

technology solutions from many different

players need to seamlessly communicate and

interact. Only broad collaboration between

many organizations will allow us to build

the Standards that are needed in a systems

approach.

Power utilities who actively participate in the IEC

understand that they to help shape the rules their

industry will work with in the future. They see

this as an important tool which allows them to

compete globally. They also participate because

they don’t want competitors to decide what rules

they will have to work with in the future.

7

LVDC—Low-voltage direct current (LVDC) applications,

distribution and safety for use in developed and

developing countries have the potential to offer

important energy efficiency savings in a broad

variety of technical applications in residential,

commercial, public, industrial, renewable

energy and e-mobility environments. This

technology could potentially have a major

impact on the entire energy consumption

landscape. The IEC is at the forefront of LVDC

technology and understands the key value

propositions. See examples on page 10.

Smart Grid—The Smart Grid Standards Map provides

quick identification of the relevant Smart Grid

Standards. Regardless of what is needed in

terms of Smart Grid, electricity utilities will find

the relevant IEC International Standards both

as an architecture view and a mapping view

showing the relationship between International

Standards and Smart Grid components.

The IEC publishes the large majority of

technical Smart Grid Standards and provides

the solid technical foundation for robust energy

networks. IEC work enables the integration

of renewables, energy storage, Smart Grids,

smart meters and the development of

microgrids.

#4: Roll out new technologies at minimal risk and costRenewable Energies on the rise

—The International Energy Agency (IEA)

projections show that the share of renewables

in total power generation could rise from 21%

in 2012 to 33% in 2040, as they represent

nearly half of the growth in global electricity

generation.

Integrating Renewable Energy

into the Grid

—IEC International Standards together with

the IEC System for Certification to Standards

Relating to Equipment for Use in Renewable

Energy Applications (IECRE) can help electricity

utilities demonstrate that they have put in

place the necessary tools to address the new

generation-demand dynamics. IECRE aims

to facilitate international trade in equipment

and services for use in Renewable Energy

sectors while maintaining the required level

of safety and performance, which is crucial

for investment and insurance purposes. IECRE

provides testing, inspection and certification

for renewable energy sectors such as wind,

marine and solar photovoltaic.

HVDC—High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission

provides power systems with important

benefits such as flexibility, controllability, cost

effectiveness and environmental friendliness.

It presents significant advantages for large-

capacity power transmission over long

distances as well as for the interconnection of

power systems. IEC experts are at the forefront

of technological advances and development

of HVDC International Standards. Technical

Committee 17: High-voltage switchgear and

controlgear, Subcommittee 32A: High-voltage

fuses, and TC 42: High-voltage and high-

current test techniques, are some of the IEC

Technical Comittees at work in this area.

8

plug-in electric vehicles and the electricity

supply infrastructure.

Through close cooperation with the automotive

industry, electricity and infrastructure

suppliers, SyC Smart Energy, SyC Smart Cities,

and relevant fora and consortia, this work will

determine the best solutions in terms of safety,

interoperability and systems performance.

Smart Energy for Smart Cities—Almost 70% of all energy produced globally

is consumed by cities. By 2050, an estimated

66% of the world’s population will live in urban

areas.

Cities are complex, multi-dimensional systems

of systems. As no single standards organization

will be able to provide everything cities need,

the work of the IEC includes wide consultation

with a broad group of external stakeholders as

well as within the IEC community.

IEC SyC on Smart Cities fosters the

development of International Standards in

the field of electrotechnology to enable the

integration, interoperability and effectiveness of

city systems.

IEC SyC Smart Energy aims to provide

systems-level standardization, coordination

and guidance in the areas of Smart Grid and

Smart Energy.

#5: Harnessing innovations to prepare new business modelsCO

2 reduction and more efficient, reliable

electricity supply and use are global, long-term

goals in the electricity sector.

Storage—Electrical Energy Storage (EES) will be

indispensable to reaching these goals, hence a

key component of new utility business models.

Three major drivers which will help determine

the future of EES are the increase in Renewable

Energy generation, the design and rollout of

Smart Grids, and the spread of dispersed

generation and dispersed management of

electrical energy – microgrids.

IEC work on EES allows utilities to reduce

overall generation cost, to achieve

higher efficiency with renewables and to

accommodate decentralized generation by

storing surplus energy for later use.

Microgrids—Microgrids will be a key to Smart Energy use

in communities, factories and buildings, as

well as for disaster mitigation and recovery.

Moreover, they may offer electricity utilities

new business opportunities – for example, for

large server farms or data centres which need

constant access to reliable power.

Given that this technology is complex, a

systems-level standardization approach is

needed. The IEC Systems Evaluation Group

(SEG) on Microgrids closely collaborates with

Technical Committee 8: Systems aspects for

electrical energy supply, Systems Committee

(SyC) on Smart Energy and SEG 4 on LDVC

applications, among others.

e-mobility—An increase in electrified transportation will

massively impact existing electricity networks,

which will require significant investment in

energy and charging infrastructures. IEC work

on e-mobility evaluates the interaction between

9

reduction (DRR). International Standards

for electrotechnical equipment for electric

utilities are a vital tool to increase the disaster

resilience of the essential infrastructure. They

help ensure that alarm and emergency systems

are designed and built to resist failure during

extreme conditions such as natural disasters.

The IEC has also contributed to DRR through

input to the GAR 10 review, participation in

Working Session 31 in Sendai and publishing

Substation automation

—The IEC 61850 series on Substation

automation series are valuable Standards

for utilities because they participated in

their development. These Standards enable

easier asset retrofit and accommodate future

technologies. IEC 61850 is also a strong

enabler for the sustainable substation of

the future. Other benefits for power utilities

are clear and coherent utility/contractor

relationship delineation, combined with

sustainable substation management, which

provides for future-proof investments.

Disaster preparedness and recovery—Hundreds of IEC Standards provide the technical

foundation for the equipment and components

that comprise the power infrastructure. They

apply everywhere, including in disaster risk

The IEC at work ∙∙∙ some practical examples

10

LVDC—The need for electricity access in developing

economies is driving the standardization of

LVDC, which with its associated technologies

offers the potential to deliver safe, efficient

electricity to remote communities. The IEC

is leading the global effort on LVDC. The IEC

SEG 4: LDVC applications, distribution and

safety for use in developed and developing

economies, is evaluating the status of LVDC

standardization and it will recommend to the

IEC Standardization Management Board the

architecture of any future IEC standardization

work programme. The SEG 4 work, with

active participation from existing IEC Technical

Committees and external stakeholders,

includes defining the voltage parameters for

LVDC, current and future market evaluation, the

development of use cases, and identification of

gaps in standardization. Technical Committee

109: Insulation co-ordination for low-voltage

equipment, Technical Committee 37: Surge

arresters, and Subcommittee 32B: Low-

voltage fuses, are some of the IEC Technical

Committees at work in the LDVC field.

the White Paper on Microgrids for disaster

preparedness and recovery 5 which can be

downloaded from the UN preventionweb 11.

Key suggestions encourage the uptake and

operation of microgrids and the development

of Standards to assist the planning of disaster

relief. Such Standards are critical to the

preparation of detailed electricity continuity

plans for a local site, and the comparison of

such plans across different sites.

Cybersecurity and electricity

utilities

—Energy installations, especially nuclear

power plants, are also seen as prime targets

for cyberattacks. IEC 62645 is the first IEC

International Standard to define adequate

programmatic measures for the prevention

of, detection of, and reaction to malicious

acts by cyberattacks. Also in preparation is an

International Standard covering requirements

for coordinating safety and cybersecurity for

instrumentation and control systems of nuclear

power plants.

ISO/IEC 27001 is the world’s common

language when it comes to assessing,

treating and managing information-related

risks. In order to help power utilities combat

cyberattacks this Standard specifies the

requirements for establishing, implementing,

maintaining and continually improving an

information security management system.

11

1. IEC White Papers www.iec.ch/about/brochures/whitepapers.htm

2. Coping with the energy challenge www.iec.ch/whitepaper/energychallenge

3. Electrical Energy Storage www.iec.ch/whitepaper/energystorage

4. Grid integration of large-capacity Renewable Energy sources www.iec.ch/whitepaper/gridintegration

5. Microgrids for disaster preparedness and recovery – With electricity continuity plans and systems www.iec.ch/whitepaper/microgrids

6. Internet of Things: Wireless Sensor Networks www.iec.ch/whitepaper/internetofthings

7. Infrastructure for sustainable Smart Cities www.iec.ch/whitepaper/smartcities

8. Strategic asset management of power networks www.iec.ch/whitepaper/assetmanagement

9. Factory of the future/Industry 4.0 www.iec.ch/whitepaper/futurefactory

10. www.unisdr.org/we/inform/gar

11. www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/publications/v.php?id=42769

References

T +41 22 919 0211info@iec.chwww.iec.ch

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