Market Strategy Board

Increasingly, electricity is generated outside of big power plants, for example through solar panels, small wind turbines or small hydro, and usually close to where it is consumed. When more energy is generated than consumed, surplus energy is fed back into the existing power network where it can negatively affect grid stability. Unlike with traditional power generation, these additional resources are often invisible to grid operators, who are unable to predict and control when energy is fed back into the network. The publication explores the driving factors behind decentralized power generation. It explores future grid models and technology solutions that will allow grid operators to ensure grid stability and ensure cleaner, affordable and reliable power. It also provides recommendations to industry leaders, policy makers and the IEC community. The White Paper was prepared by the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) advanced network operation project team with major contributions from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and project partner GridOptimize. Supporting contributions came from Huawei Technologies, FZSONICK SA, Waseda University, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions, and State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC).

Advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things are transforming how humans and electrotechnical systems interconnect. With the introduction of new technologies, it is critically important to ensure that human safety remains at the centre of the human-machine relationship.

Each year, several million workers are injured on the job. Aside from the economic cost, this is the source of immeasurable suffering that is largely preventable.

Using real-life examples, this white paper addresses safety in the future by exploring current social trends and initiatives as well as projects that are pioneering innovative safety solutions. All of them are based on the concept that safety will be integral to systems in which humans and machines closely interface. The paper also introduces a collaborative framework – the tripartite system for safety – which offers a systematic approach to examining key safety elements.

Bringing these safety concepts to fruition will require significant standardization efforts to mitigate challenges related to decision-making involving machines and humans.

The white paper formulates recommendations both of a general nature as well as to the IEC community.

The white paper was developed by the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) safety in the future project team, directed by Dr Kazuhiko Tsutsumi, MSB Convenor, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, with major contributions from the lead project partner, Dr Coen van Gulijk, TNO, the Netherlands.

The proportion of Renewable Energies is likely to increase in all major electricity markets. Their large scale incorporation into existing electricity grids will be complex, and their successful integration will likely depend on large-capacity Electrical Energy Storage. his White Paper’s primary goal is to provide a global view on the state of the art and future directions for grid integration of large-capacity Renewable Energy sources and the application of large-capacity Energy Storage for that purpose. It identifies challenges for grid operators and producers of electricity, and provides insights into current and potential methods for addressing these difficulties. The White Paper aims to support grid integration efforts around the world by providing guidance to the electric utility industry, policy makers and the IEC standardization and conformity assessment community. This White Paper was developed with CTOs (Chief Technology Officers) of major technology companies who participate in the IEC MSB (Market Strategy Board) in cooperation with RASEI (the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute) at NIST (the US National Institute of Science and Technology) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, and SGCC (State Grid Corporation of China).

The proportion of Renewable Energies is likely to increase in all major electricity markets. Their large scale incorporation into existing electricity grids will be complex, and their successful integration will likely depend on large-capacity Electrical Energy Storage. This White Paper’s primary goal is to provide a global view on the state of the art and future directions for grid integration of large-capacity Renewable Energy sources and the application of large-capacity Energy Storage for that purpose. It identifies challenges for grid operators and producers of electricity, and provides insights into current and potential methods for addressing these difficulties. The White Paper aims to support grid integration efforts around the world by providing guidance to the electric utility industry, policy makers and the IEC standardization and conformity assessment community. This White Paper was developed with CTOs (Chief Technology Officers) of major technology companies who participate in the IEC MSB (Market Strategy Board) in cooperation with RASEI (the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute) at NIST (the US National Institute of Science and Technology) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, and SGCC (State Grid Corporation of China).

Artificial intelligence (AI) is continuously making inroads into domains previously reserved to humans. Robots support workers in the manufacturing sector; digital assistants automate office tasks; intelligent appliances order food based on owners’ preferences or control lighting and temperature in the home in preparation of their arrival. Increasingly sophisticated algorithms have the potential to help address some of humanity’s biggest challenges. They also bring about a number of risks and threats that businesses, governments and policy makers need to understand and tackle carefully.

This white paper sets the scene for understanding where AI stands today and the outlook for the next 5 to 10 years. Taking an industrial perspective, it discusses in more detail: smart homes, intelligent manufacturing, smart transportation/self-driving vehicles, and the energy sector.

It covers current technological capabilities and provides a detailed description of some of the major existing and future challenges related to safety, security, privacy, trust and ethics that AI will have to address at the international level. AI will become one of the core technologies across many different industries and standardization will play a critical role in shaping its future.

The white paper was developed by the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) with major contributions from Haier Group and project partner the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). Supporting project team members included SAP, Huawei, NSW Data Analytics Centre (DAC), China Electronic Standardization Institute (CESI), LG Electronics, and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).