02 July 2014 IEC YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NEWSLETTER. South Africa launches its own IEC Young Professionals programme

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Dennis Dalton
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In this issue Adam Murdoch: An exceptional success story p.1 South Africa s IEC Young Professionals programme p. 1 Young Professionals (YP) on the move p. 2 Four YP Success stories p.

(Subcommittee) 61H on 1 March 2013 Between 2000 and 2004, I completed my Bachelor of Engineering at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, majoring in Electrical Engineering.

This position quickly provided me with an appreciation for standardization and how fundamental it is for the commercial sector.

1 In this issue Adam Murdoch: An exceptional success story p.1 South Africa s IEC Young Professionals programme p. 1 Young Professionals (YP) on the move p. 2 Four YP Success stories p July 2014 IEC YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NEWSLETTER GO GO AHEAD, GET AHEAD Adam Murdoch: an exceptional success story Adam Murdoch, IEC 2010 YP from Australia, was selected as Chairman of SC (Subcommittee) 61H on 1 March 2013 Between 2000 and 2004, I completed my Bachelor of Engineering at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, majoring in Electrical Engineering. I commenced my professional career working for a lighting and accessories supplier as their senior engineer in charge of product development and quality assurance. This position quickly provided me with an appreciation for standardization and how fundamental it is for the commercial sector. I am currently the Manager of Equipment Safety at ESV (Energy Safe Victoria). ESV is the independent technical regulator responsible for electricity, gas and pipeline safety in Victoria, Australia. ESV s role is broad and ranges from overseeing the design, construction and maintenance of electricity, gas and pipeline networks across the state, to ensuring Cont. on p. 4 South Africa launches its own IEC Young Professionals programme Gerhard Brown, IEC 2013 YP from South Africa After much anticipation the South African Chapter of the IEC Young Professionals programme was launched at an exciting event in early May Young Professionals from across the country gathered in South Africa s capital to find out how they become part of the IEC Young Professionals programme and contribute to improving the country through standardization. Attendees at the South African Chapter of the IEC Young Professionals programme launch event had the wonderful opportunity to hear top national and international experts talk about their passions for standardization with the speaker lineup including Dr Boni Mehlomakulu - CEO of the South African Bureau of Standards, Dr Pat Naidoo - president of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers and Dr Rob Stephen - Master Specialist in technology at the South African power utility, Eskom. Attendees were also treated to a special address by Mr Frans Vreeswijk, IEC General Secretary and CEO of the IEC who was visiting Africa to finalize a proposal for the setting up an IEC regional office for the continent. The core themes presented to the Young Professionals at this event were that South Africa and the rest of the world are realizing how important standards are in the development of a country and that industries, governments and institutions will Cont. on p. 5 1

Young Professional on the move From the Conformity Assessment side of the IEC Juan Rosales, IEC 2010 YP Leader from Mexico, involved in IEC TC 61, SMB ahg 47 and TC 59/WG 15, had a recent opportunity

It is always an honour to speak on behalf of the IEC especially if it s to spread the word about the Young Professionals programme but sometimes it s also a real pleasure.

2 Young Professional on the move From the Conformity Assessment side of the IEC Juan Rosales, IEC 2010 YP Leader from Mexico, involved in IEC TC 61, SMB ahg 47 and TC 59/WG 15, had a recent opportunity to present at COPANT Alan Ly, IEC 2012 YP from Australia, Head of Delegation attending IECEE CMC meetings April 22 nd, 2014; La Havana, Cuba. It is always an honour to speak on behalf of the IEC especially if it s to spread the word about the Young Professionals programme but sometimes it s also a real pleasure. Recently, I had the chance to present during the Annual General Meeting of COPANT (the Pan- American Technical Standards Council), which is composed of national standards bodies. My presentation provided a brief summary of the four years of the IEC YP programme, with the aim of encouraging the participation of the American nations. I concluded my talk with an open invitation to participate in the next workshop, with a special emphasis on encouraging participation from developing countries. COPANT s annual assembly is the central point of the standards policy work for the American countries. COPANT is formed by 32 active members from North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. It also sees the participation of ten adherent members from other parts of the world, including DIN (Germany), AENOR (Spain), AFNOR (France), BSI (UK), SABS (South Africa), SA (Australia) and some others. The COPANT General Meeting was held in the Hotel Nacional of Cuba an historic and beautiful place dating from 1930 and was the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas with more than 20 head managers from the most important standards organizations in the Americas. Also in attendance were Frans Vreeswijk (IEC General Secretary and CEO), James E. Matthews III (IEC Vice-President) and Amaury Santos (IEC Regional Director LARC), plus more than 50 guests. In terms of networking and sharing experiences of the IEC YP programme, this represented a great opportunity to let people know what we re able to achieve as new generations of professionals. From a very personal point of view, this invitation also gave me the chance to get a second view of this interesting country. Previously, I visited Cuba at the end of 2013 to participate in the COPANT technical committees in charge of the standards development for energy efficiency and safety. At that meeting, I was appointed as coordinator of the COPANT working group in charge of adopting and reviewing the standard for safety of household and similar appliances based on IEC , which is applicable in all Latin-American regions. As a conclusion, I can say the IEC Young Professional programme is becoming well known. Standards organizations, private industry and public institutions are aware of us, so now it s up to us to keep moving, stay committed and get ahead. I first joined the world of standards whilst still at university, and working at Standards Australia where my main role was facilitating the development of standards (National and International) in the electrotechnology area. It was also in this role where I was exposed to the other major pillar of the IEC conformity assessment. Specifically, my role was secretary to the National Mirror Committee for the IECEE, more commonly known as the CB Scheme. Carrying my experiences over, I currently work at Rockwell Automation where the majority of my role is assisting the company in complying with global regulations and coordinating standards activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Since attending the IEC YP workshop in Oslo, my role includes assisting and sharing my experiences with other young professionals within the organization who are seeking to participate in the workshop. Two years after my participation in the YP programme, I still encounter many professionals who only associate the IEC with standards development and standardization activities and not so much with conformity assessment. I have always viewed standards and conformity assessment as a pair of legs that need to work in tandem. With the IECEE, IECQ and IECEx (and soon IECRE) Systems running successfully, from a manufacturer's perspective it makes sense to utilize the Systems to minimize the costs associated with testing and certification, as well as enabling wider market access. My company s understanding of the importance of standards and conformity assessment and their continual support allows me to become more involved in the IEC. For a start, they support me as the Head of Delegation who attends the IECEE CMC meetings, as well as granting me the opportunity to participate in various groups tackling the common challenge of succession planning. 2

Standards Development in a non-standard career path IEC YP involved in MSB Keith Sunderland, IEC 2010 & 2011 YP from Ireland, works in Academia As an apprentice electrician in Ireland, the importance

As an electrician, I realized this practically, but as an electrical engineer, I subsequently learnt that standardization, as a design benchmark, is the only metric that facilitates both safety and

I lecture across a range of electrical engineering themes from apprenticeship to BE broadly encapsulated by the discipline of electrical services engineering.

3 Standards Development in a non-standard career path IEC YP involved in MSB Keith Sunderland, IEC 2010 & 2011 YP from Ireland, works in Academia As an apprentice electrician in Ireland, the importance of electro-technical standards as a central pillar of work practice was constantly emphasized. As an electrician, I realized this practically, but as an electrical engineer, I subsequently learnt that standardization, as a design benchmark, is the only metric that facilitates both safety and operational consistency. I then became an academic at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Ireland. I lecture across a range of electrical engineering themes from apprenticeship to BE broadly encapsulated by the discipline of electrical services engineering. This discipline offers ideal synergies between design and implementation in the context of the built environment. My involvement in the development of standards came about as a result of a nomination to TC 2 of the ETCI (Electro-Technical Council of Ireland) which shadows (in full) IEC TC 64. The ETCI, is representative of all aspects of electro-technology in the Republic of Ireland, and in collaboration with NSAI (the National Standards Authority of Ireland), is the national body responsible for the harmonization of standards in the electrotechnical field. The primary task of TC 2 is the publication of the National Rules for Electrical Installations and I was involved in the compilation of the 4 th edition (ET101:2008). In an IEC context, TC 2 shadows committees such as TC 8, TC 23, TC 44, TC 66, TC 69, TC 81, TC 85, TC 96, TC 99, TC 108 and TC 109 (non exhaustive list). In 2010 and 2011, I was nominated by ETCI to participate in the YP workshops in Seattle and Melbourne respectively. While both workshops were highly valuable for me personally, I was particularly motivated at the Seattle workshop. Cont. p. 4 Caihao Liang, IEC 2012 YP from China, team member of IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) projects Caihao Liang has been working for CEPRI (the China Electric Power Research Institute), affiliated to the SGCC (State Grid Corporation of China) since he received his PhD in He is now a Senior Engineer and Deputy Director of the Power Grid planning Division, Power System Department, CEPRI. He is also a Project Leader of R&D Nester, a research institute cosponsored by CEPRI and REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais), based in Lisbon, Portugal. Unlike most of the other YPs, who are involved in IEC standards development or conformity assessment activities, he is more involved in IEC MSB activities. In 2011 and 2012, he participated in the MSB s third White Paper project Grid Integration of large-capacity renewable energy and large-capacity electric energy storage as a major co-author. Cont. p. 5 Success story from Mexico Dan Emmanuel Romero Altamirano, IEC 2011 YP from Mexico, involved in IEC TC 111 and IEC TC 61 In 2009, I finished my major in electrical engineering in Mexico. In parallel from 2008 to 2010, I worked as an electrical installations engineer/designer. At the end of 2010, I started working for ANCE (Asociación de Normalización y Certificación, A.C.) in Mexico. There I work as a standardization engineer using standards related to high voltage equipment, and developing NMX (Mexican Standards) for items like insulators, transformers, high voltage techniques, insulation coordination, surge arresters, and so on. In 2011, I was selected as one of the Young Professionals for that year. It let me see and learn many things about how the IEC develops standards and how the work is done. Nowadays, I work developing standards for household appliances for Mexico, most of them based on IEC TC 61 and IEC TC 59 standards. I am also interested in environmental standardization issues, so I have become involved in the work of TC 111. Since attending the IEC Young Professionals workshop, my organization has given me the opportunity to attend other IEC international meetings related to these areas. These experiences have given me the opportunity to meet other people who have further helped me apply the relevant standards and become even more involved with IEC work. I believe that economic development depends on technology, but technology needs to be regulated to provide enough level of safety and performance, also taking into account health, environment and waste reduction aspects. Many companies are aware of this, but we must work to make more companies aware. I believe that the work of the IEC will help us to ensure this progress, and help us stay ahead of other issues related to electrotechnology. 3

4 Adam Murdoch Continued from p. 1 appliances used in the home meet safety and efficiency standards. Managing the equipment safety department requires attendance at Standards Australia s electrotechnical committees for household appliances as an expert. I am active on the following committees: EL-041 Lamps and related equipment EL-002 Safety of household and similar electrical appliances, small power transformers and power supplies QR-012 Conformance marking to regulatory requirements TE-001 Safety of electronic equipment. On a day-to-day basis my department provides technical support and guidance within the areas of electrical safety and energy efficiency while ensuring compliance to relevant acts, regulations and standards. We also consult with suppliers and manufacturers to provide technical support and guidance to ensure relevant equipment safety standards are met; analyze test reports to determine compliance to relevant Australian and New Zealand standards; and certify household electrical appliances. We also investigate electrical-related incidents we provide technical support when electrical equipment has been involved in a fire, electric shock or other incidents. The IEC Young Professionals programme provided me with a great overview of the IEC. As a Young Professional I gained expert knowledge and exposure to exactly how such a large organization operates. I now have a comprehensive understanding of the growing need for international standardization, and how this affects every aspect of trade and the wellbeing of end-users. After attending the IEC YP 2010 workshop in Seattle, I increased my involvement in various Technical Committees and maintenance teams as an Australian delegate. TC 61: Safety of household and similar electrical appliances and SC 61C: Safety of refrigeration appliances for household and commercial use and SC 61H: Safety of electrically-operated farm appliances TC 61 MT4: Temperature limits and resistance to heat and fire I was able to develop a mentor-mentee relationship with and gain inspiration from Derek Johns, who has been Chairman of TC 61 since Derek has been involved with the IEC since 1984 and is a wealth of knowledge. He has been able to guide me both technically and professionally. With his expertise, I have been able to quickly develop the skills required to competently negotiate my way through the sometimes complex pathways of the IEC. I was honoured to have been nominated as Chairman of SC 61H: Safety of electrically-operated farm appliances and I hope to keep challenging considered best practices. This experience is an ideal learning platform to provide me with expertise and enable me in the future to possibly chair other larger committees. The best way of getting experience in the IEC is to get involved when an opportunity arises put your hand up for the work. Don t be afraid to ask for help from others. Standards Development in a non-standard career path Continued from p. 3 Electrical standards had been central to both my education and professional experiences, but my interaction with fifty-five other Young Professionals from twenty-seven countries around the world offered a true insight into the global scale and importance of standards development. Since the 2011 Melbourne workshop, my life has significantly changed. I successfully completed my PhD in 2013 and became Head of Discipline (Electrical Services Engineering) in June of this year! My PhD research considered meteorology as an enabler to micro wind generation and distribution network integration. An appreciation of standards was of paramount importance to this research particularly in respect to the electrical engineering context. Here, standards governing electrical installations and their potential as electricity prosumers were interrogated to establish the effects of DwG (distributed wind generation) capacity in an urban context. This involved appreciation of both the distribution network code of practice and the electrotechnical and safety requirements for LV installations. As the leader of the Electrical Services Engineering Discipline at DIT, I believe that a standards heritage is integral to what we offer as educators and that the role of standards development needs to be embedded across the breadth of our educational offerings. In this regard, we have developed educational modules in our Bachelor programmes as well as CPD for industry. We have strong links with EI (Engineers Ireland), the CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineering) and IET (the Institution of Engineering and Technology). From a research perspective, we encourage TC 2 to relay industry-led technical queries that warrant critical analysis to our electrical services research group. 4

South African Programme Continued from p.

In just a few months the South African Chapter of IEC Young Professionals programme expanded its membership to almost 80 people, showing just how interested young South Africans are in

With the vision of enabling young South African professionals to become national and international experts in standardization and conformity assessment, the South African Chapter of IEC Young

As part of the IEC s Young Professional programme the South African chapter hopes to provide a large group of technical experts to support the IEC in the near future, as well as work in national

Caihao then led the translation of this White Paper into a Chinese version, which was published in May 2014, to improve its visibility in China.

5 South African Programme Continued from p. 1 be looking to Young Professionals to help address the many problems that the world is facing through the appropriate application of standards and conformity assessment. In just a few months the South African Chapter of IEC Young Professionals programme expanded its membership to almost 80 people, showing just how interested young South Africans are in standardization. The chapter also now has 10 mentor members who have joined the committee with the intent of mentoring YP members in various fields of electrotechnology and standardization. With the vision of enabling young South African professionals to become national and international experts in standardization and conformity assessment, the South African Chapter of IEC Young Professionals programme has made many excited about the future of technical standards. As part of the IEC s Young Professional programme the South African chapter hopes to provide a large group of technical experts to support the IEC in the near future, as well as work in national standardization activities. Caihao Liang Continued from p. 3 This white paper was published in October 2012 and it can be downloaded here. Caihao then led the translation of this White Paper into a Chinese version, which was published in May 2014, to improve its visibility in China. Based on the experiences he gained from this project, he supported the application to set up IEC SC 8A: Grid Integration of Large-capacity Renewable Energy Generation which was established in July In 2012 and 2013, he also participated in MSB s fourth White Paper Microgrids for disaster preparedness and recovery. This White Paper was formally published in March 2014 and it can be downloaded here. In 2012, he was selected to be one of the IEC YPs and attended the annual workshop in Oslo. From Caihao s point of view, the workshop was very successful and helpful as it had comprehensive sessions introducing the history and future, the architecture and culture of IEC. It was also helpful to have all the YPs from all over the world sitting together to discuss their experiences with and suggestions to IEC. The knowledge and experiences he gained from this workshop have helped a lot and will continue to help Caihao with his participation in IEC activities. Editing team Dimitrios Ladas, IEC 2013 YP Leader, dimitrios.ladas@schneider-electric.com Ethan Biery, IEC 2013 YP Leader, ebiery@lutron.com Adam Hamilton, IEC 2013 YP Leader, HamiltTA@eskom.co.za Robert McLaren, IEC YP Programme Coordinator, rml@iec.ch Janice Blondeau, IEC Communications dept. 5

Name title. Event Date Venue

Name title. Event Date Venue Name title Event Date Venue Summary Overview of the South African National Committee IEC Conformity assessment systems IEC Young professional programme IEC in Africa AFSEC How to get involved Structure