October 2010

	CONTENTS
Introduction Smart Grid: What is it? How is it Smart? Who's Buying? Security and Interoperability Europe: A Quick Look East: 2009/125/EC China: A Quick Look Far East Nuclear Energy Perspectives

Introduction

uch ado is made over the evolution of the electrical power industry and much money being spent in that sector. In our little corner of the world we feel the trickle-down effect of the pursuit of a more efficient and integrated electric power supply. The effects are pleasant though, not like an electric shock. The technologies that come to us for evaluation come from the wind, solar and conventional generation technologies (nuclear/thermal).

One of the most critical tasks facing our technological society is the upgrade of the electrical system. Not only is there a pressing need to improve efficiency (must less keep the juice flowing), but it is also critical to create a sustainable system that addresses some of the climate change issues the coming generations will deal with. And we need to bulk up the supply to meet a doubling of the demand in the next 40 years.

There are several pressing needs that are driving the development of new technologies to make juice: notably the aging infrastructure and rising demands. Linking these together are “SmartGrid” technologies that are still be defined, developed and deployed.

This Issue of T&E Update takes a look at some of the energy issues that are percolating in our industry. Enjoying our window on technology has its benefits: we’re the benefactors of the innovation that is uniquely American in the form of the products that come into the lab. We’ve also taken a look around the world and give a brief overview of some of the trends in Europe and the developing countries of Asia (where we trod from time to time).

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Smart Grid: What is it? How is it Smart? Who’s Buying?

There are an estimated 140 million electric meters in the US, one for every two Americans. These meters are a common link in the electrical grid and a replacement “boom” of sorts is underway, funded in part by the huge federal stimulus package that was rolled out last October. Regardless of one’s leanings in the debate over the effect of stimulus money, we have to pay attention, not only from a business perspective, but from the point of view that has developed by working in the energy field for a number of years.

Read More >>

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Security and Interoperability

Protection against direct intrusion through the back-, or front-door, of the SmartGrid is a top priority for standards-developing organizations. Imagine opening up 140 million connections to the public utility…with the connection of smart meters envisioned, that is the ultimate situation. Essentially, the entire electric utility grid will be connected to the outside world through uncounted nodes. The very integrity of the electricity supply will be increasingly at-risk.

Europe: A Quick Look East: 2009/125/EC

The European Union has had a long-standing “green” industry bent, both from an energy efficiency point of view as well as general environmental protection directives that address hazardous chemicals (ROHS/REACH) and waste in packaging (WEEE).

A Directive on “Energy Related Products” is maturing as the “Ecodesign Directive” 2009/125/EC. The previous “Energy Using Products” EuP was too narrow and is thus being extended. The ErP Directive ostensibly covers a wider set of products and could be applicable to items such as windows, doors, insulation systems that have an impact on energy consumption. In the parlance of the EU: “any goods having an impact on energy consumption during use". The Directive runs to some 35 pages and covers every aspect of Eco notions and conformity assessment. In the end, the Directive calls for the CE Markiing DoC issued by the party that places the device on the market.

In addition, during recent meetings at the Notified Body group for the R&TTE Directive (Prague, Czech Republic) proposed requirements for renewable energy sources was advanced. The notion is that consideration is being given to the requirements for equipment that ‘gather’ power and convert it to AC and supply it back to the mains, such as solar panels and wind turbines. Manufacturers of these devices will eventually have to comply with a set of requirements particular to those technologies. Currently, the EMC and Low Voltage Directives apply (as they do universally). Eventually, specific product standards are sure to proliferate.

The focus of these Directives is to reduce the use of power during the life of a product. Most manufacturers apply standards to demonstrate compliance, though there are very few published standards and this will be a difficult Directive to monitor and enforce.

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	China: A Quick Look Far East
During a recent round-robin tour through China, we met with Professor Shi Dinghuan, a science and policy advisor reporting to the inner power circle in China. Mr. Shi is Counselor the State Council and Former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Fueled by a spicy Sichuan dinner at the New South Restaurant ("where chili peppers reign") we were treated to an expansive and cogent conversation about Energy China. Professor Shi began with an assessment and ended with his outlook. The near-term reality is that in China 30B MT of coal is burned yearly and coal is a long-term factor in her energy. Petro and natural gas stand at 10% of the energy supply. Nuclear energy accounts for 3% capacity, but is growing (with cooperation with Westinghouse). Oil fields are aging and capacity is decreasing—the oil is mixed with water—which reduces the quality and yield from the existing fields, so it is very costly. To gather more oil, according to Mr. Shi, deep ocean offshore fields are being explored at depths of 3000 m. Diversity is being sought, but coal will be critical in the near future; a great deal of emphasis was placed on cooperation with the US to develop "clean-coal" technology. The objective is to reduce the dependency on oil and increase the use of alternative and low-carbon forms of energy. Read More >> back to top ^
	Nuclear Energy Perspectives

The Nuclear Power Industry in the United States is mature, one might even say geriatric. Most of the plants that are in operation have been churning out MW for the past 40 years; whole careers have passed for some workers in these plants which were built during the nuclear heydays of the 1960s. Environmental concerns caused the collapse of the nuclear building industry, but not before 100 or so plants were connected to the electric grid. Now, with aging plants key primary power sources, life extension strategies are in-place to ensure ongoing licensing of upgraded power plants. “Nuke is green” for the time being, at least as far as carbon footprint is concerned.

To our industry, the concern is the proper functioning of new equipment being installed into the nuclear plants. The methods to validate the proper operation, from an EMC point-of-view are embedded in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations and also in consensus industry standards administered by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The NRC Regulatory Guide RG 1.180 and the EPRI TR-102323 are nearly interchangeable and reference the same types of EMC phenomenon.



In its simplest terms, a suite of EMC tests are performed on the equipment to-be-commissioned and the report becomes part of the qualification package for the new equipment. Some of the challenges of this program are not unlike Military Standards test programs; the test levels are quite severe, compared to the commercial equipment and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices may not meet the requirements of the standards.

Often, modifications are required to pass the test levels. The methods often take the form of cable shielding improvements, installation of filter elements to reduce the amount of emitted or coupled conducted noise, and the addition of shielding to reduce radiated coupling (or a combination of all three).

In the end, the device must meet certain equipment limits that have been developed to represent the operational environment.

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