Making an energy cocktail with sun rays

Summer is here and thirsty solar panels can make an energy cocktail with sun rays thanks to the solar photovoltaic energy system. A solar photovoltaic energy system is a power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics, the conversion of light into electricity using an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity.

National incentives, renewable energy sources

These days, not only in Europe but globally, there is an increased demand for photovoltaic modules, largely due to national incentives which encourage electricity production from renewable energy sources. European Standards support the solar photovoltaic energy systems to be cost effective and an important source of alternate energy generation for utilities.
The following standards were developed to be applied to all crystalline silicon terrestrial flat plate modules, being the dominant plate used commercially.

EN 61215-1-1:2016, ‘Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval – Part 1-1: Special requirements for testing of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) Modules’, identifies requirements for durable terrestrial photovoltaic modules in terms of the design qualification and type. It also determines electrical and thermal characteristics of a photovoltaic module which can endure lengthy exposure in varied climates.

EN 61215-1-1:2016 together with EN 61215-1:2016, ‘Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval – Part 1: Test requirements’, and EN 61215-2:2016, ‘Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval – Part 2: Test procedures’, will replace the previous standard, EN 61215:2005, ‘Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval’.

EN 62788-1-2:2016, ‘Measurement procedures for materials used in photovoltaic modules – Part 1-2: Encapsulants – Measurement of volume resistivity of photovoltaic encapsulants and other polymeric materials’, provides a method and guidelines for measuring the volume resistivity of materials used as encapsulation, edge seals, front-sheets, backsheets, or any other insulating material in a photovoltaic (PV) module.

Alignment and cooperation with IEC

These two new standards are identical to the IEC 61215-1-1:2016 and IEC 62788-1-2:2016. The standards were supervised by CENELEC/TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 82 ‘Solar photovoltaic energy systems’, in the frame of cooperation with International Electrotechnical Commission/Technical Committee 82 ‘Solar photovoltaic energy systems’. 
As of 24 June 2016, these standards were made available to 33 National Electrotechnical Committees – Members of CENELEC – for implementation by January 2017.

For more information CENELEC’s work on solar photovoltaic energy system

Making an energy cocktail with sun rays

Summer is here and thirsty solar panels can make an energy cocktail with sun rays thanks to the solar photovoltaic energy system. A solar photovoltaic energy system is a power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics, the conversion of light into electricity using an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity.

National incentives, renewable energy sources

These days, not only in Europe but globally, there is an increased demand for photovoltaic modules, largely due to national incentives which encourage electricity production from renewable energy sources. European Standards support the solar photovoltaic energy systems to be cost effective and an important source of alternate energy generation for utilities.
The following standards were developed to be applied to all crystalline silicon terrestrial flat plate modules, being the dominant plate used commercially.

EN 61215-1-1:2016, ‘Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval – Part 1-1: Special requirements for testing of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) Modules’, identifies requirements for durable terrestrial photovoltaic modules in terms of the design qualification and type. It also determines electrical and thermal characteristics of a photovoltaic module which can endure lengthy exposure in varied climates.

EN 61215-1-1:2016 together with EN 61215-1:2016, ‘Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval – Part 1: Test requirements’, and EN 61215-2:2016, ‘Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval – Part 2: Test procedures’, will replace the previous standard, EN 61215:2005, ‘Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval’.

EN 62788-1-2:2016, ‘Measurement procedures for materials used in photovoltaic modules – Part 1-2: Encapsulants – Measurement of volume resistivity of photovoltaic encapsulants and other polymeric materials’, provides a method and guidelines for measuring the volume resistivity of materials used as encapsulation, edge seals, front-sheets, backsheets, or any other insulating material in a photovoltaic (PV) module.

Alignment and cooperation with IEC

These two new standards are identical to the IEC 61215-1-1:2016 and IEC 62788-1-2:2016. The standards were supervised by CENELEC/TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 82 ‘Solar photovoltaic energy systems’, in the frame of cooperation with International Electrotechnical Commission/Technical Committee 82 ‘Solar photovoltaic energy systems’. 
As of 24 June 2016, these standards were made available to 33 National Electrotechnical Committees – Members of CENELEC – for implementation by January 2017.

For more information CENELEC’s work on solar photovoltaic energy system

European Standard for funeral services gets a second life 

A new CEN Technical Committee on Funeral Services (CEN/TC 448) will develop a revised edition of the European Standard EN 15017, which sets out requirements for the provision of funeral services.

The first edition of the European Standard EN 15017 'Funeral Services – Requirements' was approved and published by CEN in 2005. During the last 11 years, there have been significant developments in the delivery of funeral services, and therefore it is necessary to review and revise this standard.

Following a proposal from the Austrian Standards Institute (ASI), the CEN Technical Board has decided to create a new CEN Technical Committee on Funeral Services.

The role of this new Technical Committee (CEN/TC 448) is to revise EN 15017 and align it with the current state of the art in the funeral services sector. Specific aspects to be addressed include provisions relating to the cross-border transport of deceased persons, storage requirements, provisions for cremation services and equipment needed for good funeral service provision.
The Secretariat of CEN/TC 448 is provided by ASI, which will host the first meeting of the new Technical Committee on 9 and 10 June 2016.

European Standard for funeral services gets a second life 

A new CEN Technical Committee on Funeral Services (CEN/TC 448) will develop a revised edition of the European Standard EN 15017, which sets out requirements for the provision of funeral services.

The first edition of the European Standard EN 15017 'Funeral Services – Requirements' was approved and published by CEN in 2005. During the last 11 years, there have been significant developments in the delivery of funeral services, and therefore it is necessary to review and revise this standard.

Following a proposal from the Austrian Standards Institute (ASI), the CEN Technical Board has decided to create a new CEN Technical Committee on Funeral Services.

The role of this new Technical Committee (CEN/TC 448) is to revise EN 15017 and align it with the current state of the art in the funeral services sector. Specific aspects to be addressed include provisions relating to the cross-border transport of deceased persons, storage requirements, provisions for cremation services and equipment needed for good funeral service provision.
The Secretariat of CEN/TC 448 is provided by ASI, which will host the first meeting of the new Technical Committee on 9 and 10 June 2016.

Revisions to Key Standard on High Voltage Installations

A revised version of AS 2067:2016, Substations and high voltage installations exceeding 1 kV a.c., was published today. The standard provides common rules for the design and the construction of electrical power installations in systems with nominal voltages above 1 kV a.c. and nominal frequency up to and including 60 Hz.

The new edition of AS 2067 addresses a range of issues including fire risk related to substations within or near buildings and recognises changes in the National Construction Code. It also substantially expands on earthing, with reference to the Energy Networks Association’s (ENA) Handbook ENA DOC 025 EG-0.

Numerous changes have also been made to bring the document closer to IEC 61936, the relevant international standard on power installations exceeding 1 kV a.c.

“AS 2067 is a fundamental standard with wide ranging benefits,” said Alex Baitch, Chair of Technical Committee EL-043, High Voltage Installations.

“Application of the design principles in AS 2067:2016 improves public electrical safety, aims to reduce the associated fire risk associated with substations and high voltage installations and provides a reference document that regulators can use to enforce the application of the standard.”

While existing installations are not automatically required to comply with the changes to this standard, all installations should be reviewed, according to Robert Skene, Senior Technical Advisor at Energy Safe Victoria.

“The relevant regulatory authority or electricity network operator may require proof that the design and construction of the high voltage electrical installation complies with this standard and other relevant standards and regulatory requirements, including local service and installation rules,” explained Mr Skene. 

ISO standards help meet SDGs says World Bank Group expert

Trade and standards are key for meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), said Cecile Fruman, World Bank Group Director, Trade and Competitiveness Global Practices. Fruman was speaking at the opening of the annual meeting of the ISO Committee on developing country matters (DEVCO), which took place in Beijing, China, on 11 September 2016.

The SDGs are a priority for the World Bank Group. “We are proud to have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ISO, and it’s heartening to note that ISO addresses a number of the SDGs directly.” Fruman cited ISO 26000 on social responsibility as an example of a standard contributing to sustainable development. “It is the most comprehensive guidance of what an organization should do to contribute to sustainable development. More broadly, ISO’s portfolio of more than 21 000 standards provides practical tools for all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, environmental and societal.”

For Fruman, a number of key global trends will impact our collective capacity to meet the SDGs’ ambitious targets: demographic change; urbanization; pressure on resources; climate change; and the evolution of globalization. “All of them are likely to both shape the environment for standards and also be shaped by standards,” she said. But standards’ contribution to trade is particularly important.

According to Fruman, trade addresses all SDGs. Take, for example, SDG Goal 2 to end hunger – trade barriers have meant that only 5 % of African food staples are sourced from the continent itself, even though the potential is there to meet their own food security needs. Trade can also boost gender equality (Goal 5) through the creation of economic opportunities, and drive innovation (Goal 9).

“South-South trade is a key feature of the new international trade landscape. As evidence of this, global-value chain-related trade between developing countries has quadrupled in the last 25 years,” explained Fruman. “When I say ‘trade’, it is really shorthand for many of the issues central to the international standards agenda: not just trade of goods and services, but also investment, as well as flows of technology, ideas and people.” In Fruman’s view, standards build the confidence that underpins these different exchanges. “ISO standards have established themselves as the ‘passport’ of international trade.”

She emphasized two powerful ways in which ISO standards contribute to achieving the SDGs. First, by helping to increase developing country participation in trade – failing to do this is one of the greatest barriers to investment and outsourcing. Second, as a vessel for practical solutions to implement the SDGs.

Promoting standardization is therefore an important goal for the World Bank Group. “As we intensify our work in the area of standards, together with ISO and many of you represented here today… closer cooperation and support, especially for developing countries, will be needed to maximize the opportunities that exist.”

From the World Bank Group perspective, there are three pillars key to meeting the SDGs. Standards can contribute to all of them.

• The first is data. We need a more rigorous and systematic approach to collecting and utilizing data to make fact-based decisions, diagnose problems and monitor progress.
• The second is financing. Official development support is not enough; it needs to be complemented by a much greater focus on domestic resource mobilization. Standards can draw private investment.
• The third pillar is implementation backed by partnerships. There is a need to strengthen existing partnerships and form new ones. ISO and the World Bank Group partnership is key.

The ISO DEVCO committee brings together national member bodies from around the world to look at how international standardization can meet the needs of developing countries. Opening their 50th meeting, ISO President Dr Zhang Xiaogang drew attention to the new Action Plan for developing countries 2016-2020, which sets the strategic directions for the next five years. “This new Action Plan is ambitious. It’s visionary. Its targets are fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.

“This is very exciting because ISO’s future, our future, is strategically linked with that of developing countries. They make up the majority of our members. And of the world. To progress, we need them to progress.

“There are members who are struggling because of limited resources or complex national situations. They need our help the most. But we also need to support members from emerging economies. They are the ones that can make important contributions to international standardization in the short term.”

For World Bank Group’s Cecile Fruman, the benefits of international standards are:

• Support sustainable economic growth and productivity gains
• Help facilitate the adoption of good regulatory practice and create economies of scale that are particularly beneficial for small and medium enterprises
• Promote open international trade by reducing technical barriers and building confidence in the quality and safety of traded products, and increasingly also services
• Promote innovation and technology diffusion
• Level the playing field on environmental and societal issues, and codify international agreements
• Provide common ground for understanding and agreement on difficult issues, e.g. social responsibility
• Help to protect communities and consumers from unsafe and harmful products and practices

Big step forward for the cocoa sector with new global standards in the pipeline

As the demand for cocoa and chocolate rises, as seen over the last few years, so has the need to address many of the challenges faced by cocoa farmers in order to improve their livelihoods and that of their families. A new series of standards under development that aims to support cocoa farmers to produce sustainably has just reached a crucial stage in its development.

There are around 14 million cocoa farmers and rural workers around the world, largely serving the demands of consumers in developed countries. All of those farmers are living in countries around the equator, typically on smallholder farms. Cocoa production is labour-intensive yet often produces low yields, making it challenging for farmers to be economically viable.

There are a number of initiatives to assist farmers to be sustainable, with much of the cocoa sector agreeing to increase its use of sustainable cocoa over the coming years. This has created the need for harmonized initiatives, uniform procedures and consensus on what sustainability in this sector really means, to improve common understanding and to create a level playing field.

The ISO 34101 series of standards, Sustainable and traceable cocoa beans, will specify requirements for a management system for the farming of cocoa beans, making production more sustainable. It features a dynamic farm development plan, using a stepwise approach. Parts one, two and three of the series have just reached Draft International Standard (DIS) stage, or public enquiry stage, meaning anyone interested can submit feedback on the drafts which will be considered before final publication in 2017.

The series is designed to be used by all those involved in the cocoa supply chain from the farmers to the purchasers of cocoa, to other organizations involved in the sector; and aims to implement good agricultural practices, protect the environment, and improve the social conditions and livelihoods of farmers. All this can make cocoa farming more attractive to young people, which is important as the average age of farmers has risen rapidly in the main cocoa-producing regions over the last few decades.

This series of standards is being developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) under CEN/TC 415, Sustainable and Traceable Cocoa, whose secretariat is held by DS, ISO’s member for Denmark, along with ISO technical committee ISO/TC 34/SC 18, Cocoa, which is jointly managed by ISO members for Côte d’Ivoire (CODINORM), Ghana (GSA) and the Netherlands (NEN).

Jack Steijn, Chair of both committees, said the new series will help to support the professionalism of cocoa farming around the world.

“The use of this series of standards will have a very valuable impact on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families, because it will help them transform their farms into economically viable businesses.”

The Vice-Chair of ISO/TC 34/SC 18, Edouard Kouassi N’Guessan, emphasized: “Cocoa producers and cocoa consumers should reach a common definition for sustainable cocoa beans to facilitate the efforts of farmers to meet the expectations.”

The draft versions were developed in a multi-stakeholder process with input from major players in the cocoa supply chain, with ISO members from cocoa-producing and cocoa-consuming countries leading the project, and with participation and support from large organizations in the sector such as CAOBISCO, European Cocoa Association (ECA), European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC), International CoCoa Farmers Organization (ICCFO), International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), ISEAL Alliance, Solidaridad Network Foundation and World Cocoa Foundation (WCF).

A wide range of organizations and governments, in particular the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supported the process and facilitated active participation of cocoa-producing countries in the elaboration of the drafts in order to assist them to adopt new management principles and to enhance an easier access to the international market.

Those wishing to purchase or comment on the draft versions can do so by contacting their nationalISO member. The final versions are due to be published at the end of 2017.

CEN与CENELEC制定有助于企业与组织提升环保成效的标准

European Standards respecting the environment

CEN and CENELEC developing standards that help companies and organizations improve their environmental performance.

Maintaining a healthy environment and taking care of natural resources is essential to our world. Standards play a key role in enabling more efficient use of energy and natural resources, as well as preventing unfavourable environmental impacts. CEN and CENELEC work with their members and stakeholders to develop standards that help companies and organizations improve their environmental performance. Many of the European Standards developed by CEN and CENELEC aim at supporting the implementation of EU Directives and Policies, for example those in relation to construction products, drinking water, ecodesign, and energy efficiency. CEN and CENELEC also promote a horizontal approach by encouraging their Technical Committees and Working Groups to consider environmental aspects when developing standards for diverse products, services, processes and systems. A range of tools, guidance and support is available to help standard writers understand and integrate objectives such as environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and climate resilience.

• By making use of environmentally respectful standards, businesses and organizations can benefit from higher levels of public trust and customer satisfaction.
• By using less energy and resources, they can also gain in terms of less waste and lower cost

Thanks to standards, sustainability and competitiveness can go hand-in-hand!

• USE OF RAW MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Our raw materials, from the environment surrounding us, are limited resources making ecodesign a future core component of a sustainable, circular global economy.

Standardization is a key tool, ensuring the performance specifications of materials and products are compliant while allowing the flexibility of innovative organizations to develop materials and products which meet those specifications.

Economies of the future will need to become increasingly eco-efficient, delivering products and services while utilising fewer virgin materials. Industries of the future will need to work within a circular economy where re-use and recycling of materials and products as well as efficient use of resources is common practice.

As virgin materials become increasingly scarce and expensive, alternatives will be innovated and developed. Using less natural resources in production increases profitability and improves our long term prospects to remain sustainable.

Examples include:

The EU construction sector is a major user of natural resources. EN 15804:2012 sets out horizontal rules, requirements and guidelines (Product Category Rules) for developing environmental product declarations (EPDs) of construction products which meet the requirements of ISO 14025:2006 and ISO 21930:2007.

By applying EN 15804:2012 within EPDs, all those involved in the construction supply chain can make decisions on environmental impacts of buildings and other construction works as the same rules and a set of environmental indicators are also employed at the level of the end product, i.e. for buildings EN 15978:2012.

EN 50242:2008 (as amended 2012) provides methods for measuring performance characteristics of electric dishwashers and EN 50440:2015 specifies methods for measuring the performance of electric storage water heaters for the production of sanitary hot water for household use. Both were developed in support of the Ecodesign Directive. These standards take into account water and energy consumption.

• WASTE AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Waste can be economically harmful as it represents a product or raw material that we have paid for and are paying to discard. Producing waste reduces profitability and, in a global market where resources are increasingly scarce, it risks our ability to sustain our economic activity.

We usually think of the cost of waste in terms of the cost of disposal. We forget that the true cost of waste also includes the cost of purchasing the materials which we are now discarding or processing, treating, converting and handling as waste using costly energy, water and other resources which might be better reserved for producing products and delivering services.

Similarly, waste is environmentally harmful. We deposit waste on land or discharge emissions to water or air, often relying on natural processes to clean it up for us. This puts pressure on already burdened natural systems. In a more circular economy waste needs to be prevented and what used to be regarded as ‘waste’ can be turned into a resource by re-using, repairing, refurbishing and recycling.

Examples include:

In order to properly handle different types of waste at the end of life as a product, it is important to correctly identify, collect and treat it. EN 50574 and EN 50625 series provide details on how to collect, transport, sort and treat waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) so that it can be routed to the best end of life option for recovery, recycling or re-use.

Reduction of the overall impact of waste is possible by using it as secondary or alternative material in other processes. The technical specification CEN/TS 14243 highlights categories for materials produced from end of life tyres. This categorization enables potential users of these materials to rely on the consistent specification of these secondary materials.

The plastics industry is a cornerstone in today’s fast changing world and a variety of standards address the characterization of plastic recyclates. These standards enable end of life plastics to re-enter the production cycle as alternative materials and work towards a circular economy.

• ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT

Energy enables food production, manufacturing, heating and cooling, water and wastewater treatment, however, it significantly impacts the economy and the environment. Emissions of greenhouse gases from energy production and energy use in industry result in climate change, affecting the environmental conditions in which we live and work. Changes in temperature and water availability impact our ability to produce food and goods while weather extremes interrupt the transport of goods and resources. Buildings and infrastructure must be modified to adapt to changing conditions. Finding ways to reduce our energy demand and to produce energy with a lower environmental impact results in lower economic costs, in both the short and long terms.

Standardization helps us control emissions arising from fuel consumption and manufacturing while strengthening the development of efficient distribution infrastructures and enabling us to consistently measure energy data. Standards support renewable energy production such as systems for photovoltaic conversion of solar energy and wind turbine systems.

In the future, standardization will have an even greater impact in areas such as smart metering, interoperability across systems, more efficient generation, and the development of energy efficient products and services.

Examples include:

Over the past years, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI have collaborated to develop an open architecture that would support the implementation of ‘intelligent metering systems’ to assist active participation of consumers in the energy market, and produced a technical report (CEN-CLC-ETSI TR 50572) to address some of the technical issues that technical / data communication standards should focus on. EN 13757-1:2014 addresses the communication systems for meters.

In 2015, CEN and CENELEC published a series of European Standards that set out requirements and provide guidance on how to carry out energy audits. The EN 16247 series of standards are intended to help companies throughout Europe comply with the requirements of the European Union’s Energy Efficiency Directive (2012/27/EU).

In 2012 CEN published EN 16258, a ‘Methodology for calculation and declaration of energy consumption and GHG emissions of transport services (freight and passengers)’. This standard sets a harmonized methodology and requirements for calculating and reporting energy consumption and GHG emissions in transport services.