From mounting piles of waste to the depletion of natural resources, the current modes of production and consumption are unsustainable. Based on the current linear economic model, products are made, used and discarded...
In the last 50 years, the global population has consumed more goods and services than the combined total of all previous generations. This has fostered economic growth and improved the quality of life for many while...
ISO and IEC produce many joint standards which specify how to improve the energy efficiency of information and communication technology (ICT). A number of these publications deal specifically with the excessive energy...
A new mobile phone is released and millions of consumers purchase it even though they already own a working phone. A television set breaks down and is replaced by a new one, rather than being repaired. Based on a linear...
IEC Technical Committee (TC) 111 prepares horizontal International Standards which are key in helping to ensure electrical and electronic products are designed with the environment in mind. They are essential tools in...
IEC is paving the way for the growth of concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) capacity around the world by issuing a number of new publications in the field, while technical breakthroughs are making the technology more...
More and more governments and industry players recognize the importance of taking measures to safeguard the environment. But do International Standards have a role to play in the process?
Imagine using the millions of kilometres of paved roads around the world to harvest energy. Apart from the initial investment costs required for equipment and installation, this energy source is free to produce and has...
The electrification of commercial vans and trucks is being driven by a combination of technological advances in passenger electric vehicles and moves by governments and cities around the world to reduce greenhouse gas...
Hydropower projects are usually very large, designed to last for decades and then to be refurbished. Owing to the huge costs involved and the need to achieve the best possible results and efficiency, extensive testing of...
The world’s climate is changing. This change will impact not only our communities but also the global economy. Organizations around the world are responding to these challenges in many ways and energy efficiency...
In 2015, global generation of electricity was 24 255 TWh. Hydropower accounted for around 16% of the total, making it the main renewable energy (RE) source for electricity generation. It will also play a key role in the...
Electricity is consumed predominantly as it is produced. Electricity generation relies increasingly on new renewable energy (RE) sources, mainly sun and wind. These are intermittent and not always available when needed...
Transportation is a major source of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG); air transport is a contributor and efforts have been under way to cut emissions from the sector for many years. These are not limited to cutting...
Energy efficiency (EE) is the most important and easily available source of energy; it can be collected along the entire energy chain, from generation, transmission and storage to final use in industry, homes or...
Among these, in 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on Sustainable Energy for All (SDG 7), while the year ended in the United Nations Framework Convention on...
IEC TC 4 Secretary Robert Arseneault, winner of the 2016 IEC Thomas A. Edison Award, was at IEC Central Office (CO) recently to receive his award. Arseneault also shared a few thoughts with e-tech on some aspects of the...
To mark the occasion of the 2017 G7 Summit, an article about the IEC contribution in dealing with climate change in cities and communities, written by Frans Vreeswijk, General Secretary and CEO, appears in the official...
Today, a number of different technologies are being developed to extract energy from oceans, such as tidal, river and ocean current and wave power. Though only a few large-scale systems currently operate, several are...
