标准2025可持续电力准入低压直流大会将于2017年5月22日至23日于内罗毕召开
2017年3月30日，瑞士，日内瓦——为了使13亿生活在尚未通电地区的人也可以使用电能，IEC（国际电工委员会）正在通过一项突破性的技术——低压直流（LVDC）加紧供电。2017年5月22日至23日，IEC与肯尼亚标准局（KEBS）于肯尼亚内罗毕召开首届低压直流大会，会议内容关于可持续电力准入。
“与其他形式能源贮备相结合，低压直流（LVDC）有望给数以百万的人们带去光明。IEC进一步促进低压直流的开发，以使该技术更加安全，应用更加广泛。在非洲举办此次大会旨在使IEC的专家和相关参与者更直观地感受到电能准入的需求。
我们邀请与可持续发展目标，尤其是第七目标相关的所有部门参与：旨在确保所有人都能使用负担得起、可靠的、可持续的现代能源。”IEC秘书长兼执行主席法兰斯﹒维基（Frans Vreeswijk）表示。
能源，尤其是电能，是17个可持续发展目标（SDGs）的重要环节，对大多数发展目标都有影响，此外，也影响到每个国家和经济体的发展。而IEC的工作直接影响到17个发展目标中的12个——它为整个能源链和所有需要电力驱动的设备提供技术基础。
联合国已认识到，电能准入有助于减缓贫困和饥饿，增加教育机会，提高医疗保健质量。在发展中国家，低压直流通过提供负担得起且清洁环保的电能，使政府和决策者能够快速改善数以百万市民的居住条件、生活质量和闲暇时间。
在此背景下，可持续电能准入低压直流大会将各种利益相关者聚集到一起，包括决策者、电力企业、设备生产商、非政府组织、技术大牛、行业专家、系统工程师、基金会和保险公司等等。
肯尼亚标准局局长查尔斯﹒昂格韦（Charles Ongwae）表示：“我敦促所有利益相关者报名并参加此次大会，本会将成为决策者和监管者高效领导的平台。此举有助于我们获取改进低压直流标准所需的技术和经济信息，并推动技术商业化。”
近期低压直流的进展
低压直流是一种颠覆性的技术，从根本上改变并加速了能源准入。在过去的二十年里，几大趋势使对低压直流的需求高涨。要减缓气候变化的影响，就要重新聚焦于能源高效和可持续性的问题上，越来越多的发电设备以可再生燃料代替化石燃料。此外，太阳能光伏发电（PV）的成本已降低，而LED照明彻底淘汰了传统的白炽灯。
我们没有意识到，今天我们生活在一个“直流电”世界里，即我们的大部分电子设备已经能够直接使用可再生能源产生的电流，不需要转换。因此，低压直流的使用范围不断扩大，例如在数据中心、电动汽车等相关基础设施、城市住宅和建筑物照明或其它应用、公共分配、直流微电网、存储等。
这些趋势挑战了通过交流电分配电力的传统模式。此外，阻碍直流发展的许多技术问题已得到解决。IEC全球专家组目前正在为推广低压直流所需的技术基础做准备。
IEC低压直流系统委员会主席维玛﹒马汗德鲁（Vimal Mahendru）也是IEC的大使，他表示：“在电网连接太贵的地区，低压直流是唯一一个经济型的供电方式：它环保安全，性价比高。低压直流的应用十分广泛多样，在全世界每个国家都适用。在本次会议中，你可以提出本地需求和要求；了解低压直流相关的经济效益；同时，通过让监管部门和系统管理员测试低压直流解决方案，有助于关键性能及风险评价指标的开发。”
关于低压直流
术语解释，直流电的电流恒定，并且朝一个方向流动。相反，交流电则是以类似波的形式定期逆转方向。目前，电能转变为交流电再后转换回直流电用于直流驱动的设备，有时需要多次转换。利用可再生能源作为直流电更为高效，变压器和适配器产生的电子垃圾较少。
太阳能电池和其他可再生能源技术生产直流电，电池接收、储存并传递直流电。所有的电子产品和电池驱动设备都使用直流电，目前直流电是从交流电转换的。一切事物，从电动汽车、可再生能源技术、厨房电器、照明、交通、智能手机、平板电脑到数据系统和嵌入式电子产品，如物联网、智能家居和智能城市等，都靠直流电运行。
低压直流标准化工作是IEC承担的对社会影响最大的举措。需要所有利益相关者的共同努力。更多信息请参阅2015年6月电子技术文章，或访问SEG4和Syc LVDC。
IEC calls on disruptive technology for universal energy access
Announcing the LVDC Conference on Sustainable Electricity Access, 22-23 May 2017, in Nairobi
Geneva, Switzerland, 2017-03-30- The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) is stepping up efforts to bring electrical energy to the 1,3 billion people who have no access to electricity, via a disruptive technology – low voltage direct current (LVDC). The IEC is hosting the inaugural LVDC Conference on Sustainable Electricity Access, in Nairobi, Kenya, on 22 and 23 May 2017, in partnership with the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
“Combined with some form of energy storage, LVDC has the potential to bring millions of people out of the dark. The IEC is driving the development of LVDC, making this technology safe and broadly accessible. Holding this conference in Africa will provide a real understanding of electricity access needs to IEC experts and stakeholders.
We invite participation of all those concerned with the Sustainable Developments Goals, especially Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all,” said Frans Vreeswijk, General Secretary & CEO of the IEC.
Energy, and especially electricity, is the golden thread that impacts the majority of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and furthermore, the development of every nation and economy. The work of the IEC directly impacts 12 of the 17 SDGs – it provides the technical foundation for the whole energy chain and all equipment that is driven by electricity.
The UN recognizes that electricity access helps to reduce poverty and hunger, improves educational opportunities and enables higher quality healthcare. In developing economies, LVDC helps governments and policy makers to rapidly improve the living conditions, livelihoods and leisure time of millions of citizens as they gain access to affordable and clean electricity.
Against this backdrop, the LVDC Conference on Sustainable Electricity Access will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders including policy makers, power utilities, equipment manufacturers, NGOs, technology gurus, industry experts, systems engineers, funding agencies and insurers.
“I urge all stakeholders to register and attend the conference which will be a thought leadership platform to effectively engage with policymakers and regulators. This event will help us to gain the technological and economic information needed to evolve LVDC standards and drive the technology’s commercialization,” said Charles Ongwae, Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards.
The recent evolution of LVDC
LVDC is a disruptive technology that fundamentally changes and accelerates energy access. Over the last twenty years several mega-trends have created a groundswell of demand for LVDC. The need to mitigate the effects of climate change has seen a renewed focus on Energy Efficiency and sustainability, taking power generation increasingly towards renewable sources and away from fossil fuels. In addition, the cost of energy generation from solar photovoltaics (PV) has become more accessible, while LED lighting has made the conventional incandescent lamp a thing of the past.
Without realizing it, today we live in a “direct current” world, with most of our electronic devices already being able to use current that is produced by renewable sources directly, without conversion. As a result, LVDC is seeing a growth in uses like data centres, e-mobility and related infrastructure, urban homes and buildings for lighting and other applications, public distribution, DC micro-grids, and storage etc.
These trends challenge the traditional model of electricity distribution via alternating current (AC). Also, many of the technical issues that blocked the development of DC are no longer an obstacle. A diverse group of global experts in the IEC is currently preparing the technical foundation needed for the broad roll-out of LVDC.
Vimal Mahendru, Chair of the IEC Systems Committee (SyC) on LVDC, and IEC Ambassador said, “For areas where grid connection is too expensive, LVDC is the only economic way to provide electricity access to everyone: it is clean, safe and affordable. The applications for LVDC are wide, varied and apply in every country in the world. This conference is your opportunity to input your local needs and requirements; to hear about economic benefits linked to LVDC; and to contribute to the development of key performance and risk assessment indicators to allow regulators and systems administrators to benchmark LVDC solutions.”
About LVDC
In technical terms, direct current is constant and flows in one direction. In opposition, alternating current periodically reverses direction in a wave-like pattern. Currently, electricity is converted to AC to be converted back to DC for use by DC driven devices, sometimes multiple times. Using Renewable Energy as DC electricity is more efficient and generates less e-waste in the form of transformers and power adaptors.
Solar cells and other renewable power technologies produce DC power and batteries receive, store and deliver DC power. All electronics and battery driven devices use DC power, which today is often transformed from AC. Everything, from electric vehicles, renewable energy technology, kitchen appliances, lighting, transport, smart phones and tablets to systems with data and embedded electronics, such as the Internet of Things, smart homes and Smart Cities, runs on DC.
Standardization work for LVDC is perhaps one of the biggest societal impact initiatives undertaken by the IEC. It requires a concerted effort by all stakeholders. For further reading, please see the article in e-tech of June 2015 and also visit the SEG4 and Syc LVDC.