Smart grids, decentralised solutions, power lines, electric mobility ... the future holds many tasks in store for the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy. The ways to solve them may vary - but they must be found cooperatively across companies, industries and borders. In order for this joint work on sustainable, reliable power supply to succeed, rules and standards that apply to everyone involved are necessary: employees from the SGB-SMIT Group participate in working groups, organisations and committees in order to create new standards in cooperation with other experts and to set such standards. This allows innovations to proceed in an orderly fashion and to establish permanent quality standards and seals of quality on which our customers can rely. We introduce two employees of the SGB-SMIT Group and their committee work.
Rob Verhoeven works as a technical manager in the test field of our Dutch group member Royal SMIT. He is also a member of an expert group on reactors at the IEC in Geneva. The International Electrotechnical Commission, as an international standardisation organisation for electrical engineering, has a similar significance to ISO or DIN in other industrial sectors. The IEC was founded in 1906 and in 2018 had a total of 86 full members (national committees) who participated in more than 1,500 committees and working groups.
Rob Verhoeven is "Convenor", i.e. convener and chairman of an IEC working group for reactors, with experts from all over the world. They are given the mandate to update and recreate the standards for reactors - usually for a period of three years. The process is as follows:
- The working group reviews the existing standard and discusses amendments, most of which involve stricter and more extensive testing. The approval and specifications for new materials or process technologies are also discussed.
- A draft for a new standard is drawn up, which is reviewed in 3 iterations by the national committees of the IEC member countries.
- At the end the countries vote. If a majority is reached, the new standard comes into force. The members of the working group are all experts from the transformer industry or representatives of our customers from the energy sector.
You can find out more about the IEC at www.iec.ch
Dr. Jan Declercq is Head of Research & Development at the SGB-SMIT Group and works in this function across different locations. In addition, he is chairman of the T&D Europe Working Group Circular Economy. The aim of recycling management is to save resources and use them more sustainably by reusing, repairing, processing and recycling products and materials in an (almost) closed cycle, while at the same time using energy and resources efficiently and reducing waste to a minimum. Recycling could reduce negative impacts on the environment, provide opportunities for secondary raw materials and ultimately increase competitiveness and innovation.
But this important topic is only one of the tasks to which T&D Europe is dedicated: The industry association of all European T&D (Transmission & Distribution) manufacturers is a partner for the EU Commission, for the Association of European Transmission System Operators (ENTSO), the industry association of the European electricity industry (Eurelectric) and many other institutions dedicated to energy supply. The members of T&D Europe are both EU countries and companies sending T&D experts such as Dr Declercq to work in working groups. In total, the association represents European T&D companies with a total annual turnover of 25 billion euros. More about T&D Europe at www.tdeurope.eu
In addition to Dr. Jan Declercq and Rob Verhoeven, who chair their respective working groups, other employees from the SGB-SMIT Group are also involved in various associations. At the end of 2019 the participation will be as follows:
Cigré is a technical-scientific organization for the exchange of information between energy professionals. There are 10 of our experts working in 8 working groups. At IEC, 8 experts participate in 6 working groups and 8 technical committees. One of our experts is involved in 2 working groups at T&D Europe, and 5 of our experts contribute their knowledge to several committees at the IEEE professional association. In addition, there are nine employees who participate in twelve national committees (Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland).
Thus, employees of the SGB-SMIT Group commit themselves beyond their daily work to lead the entire energy industry into a sustainable and successful future. And to contribute a small part to the future of us all.
By 2020, the member states want to become less dependent on energy sources outside the EU, such as gas or oil. Another longer-term goal is to reduce imports of raw materials and supplies. This requires a higher recycling rate for all energy distribution facilities, from compact distributors to grid transformers. Thus, employees of the SGB-SMIT Group are committed to more than their daily work, in order to lead the entire energy industry into a sustainable and successful future. And thus contribute a small part to the future of all of us.
