That was electrotechnical standardization 2022

Owners of electric automobiles who "refuel" their vehicles with electricity should also only have to pay for the amount of energy consumed. The basis for this is provided by the regulations concerning weights and measures. Although REA document 6-A describes requirements for measuring devices and additional equipment in the field of electromobility, it does not provide a sufficient basis for systems that comply with calibration law.

This gap has now been closed by VDE-AR-E 2418-3-100 for conductive charging equipment, which provides clear specifications for DC and AC charging equipment that conforms to measurement and calibration regulations.

All of the relevant organizations and stakeholders have jointly developed this VDE application rule in the DKE/UK 461.2 committee, so that it may also be used by everyone in the same manner.

The European Commission has published its European Standardization Strategy. This strategy is intended to make the European standardization system agile, efficient and ready for the future. In this manner the EU Commission aims to strengthen European industry among global competitors and market innovations more quickly. In addition, the aim is to ensure that European and international standards are in line with the strategic interests and values of the EU.

DKE welcomes the strengthening of the national delegation principle in the EU standardization strategy. This creates a balance of interests in Europe and transparent involvement of all technical and interest groups.

Currently, important product information is lost in the course of manufacturing, sales and operation – in general with regard to sustainability, and specifically with regard to recyclability and disposal. It is for this reason that there are legislative initiatives at both the national and European level with the aim of introducing appropriate product passports.

The exchange and uniform provision of data can only work if all branches of industry agree on uniform standards. Thus the activities relating to the Digital Product Passport have been combined in a separate working group at Standardization Council 4.0 (SCI 4.0).

Open source software makes it easy to spread the risk and cost of complex innovation projects across many shoulders.

Open source projects in parallel with existing standards also make for rapid implementation through agile working methods as well as the possibility of involving all stakeholders in the development process early on.

OSPO @ DIN-DKE, the joint initiative launched by DIN and DKE, supports standardization bodies in networking with open source organizations and communities, while providing advice on possible standardization needs.

Printed electronics offer a number of advantages over the conventional design of electronic components. The low production costs and unique properties of elastic, flexible thin-film electronics make printing processes quite interesting for certain applications.

The potential applications are diverse – not only in displays, wearables or solar cells – and standardization has supported this development for years. The newly published international standards IEC 62899-201-2 and IEC 62899-202-4 focus on materials and measurement methods and improve the safety and performance of printed electronics.

Wind, tides and ocean currents make the oceans a tireless energy package that could contribute significantly to the global energy mix.

Due to the geographical conditions, the prospects for the use of marine energy in Germany are rather low, but German research in this field is among the world's best.

As the development of power plants designed to use marine energy progresses, while making them ever larger and more efficient, Technical Committee IEC/TC 114 (DKE/GK 385) continues to work on the IEC 62600 series of standards in order to support the future successful course of marine energy production and to ensure technical safety in the development process.

After a two-year abstinence, a large part of the invited standardization community attended the DKE Innovation Campus in person. It was held as a hybrid event this year for the first time. 

Inspired by the vision of an All Electric Society, the participants learned and discussed the fact that integrated energy on the electricity and heating markets is particularly about understanding data across markets, exchanging data and making data interoperable.

At the end of the day, there was agreement that the energy transition represents a transformation of society as a whole, and that digital standards are an important building block when it comes to overcoming the boundaries of organizations and industries.

The basis of our DKE Commitment 2030 consists in the vision of an All Electric Society and the scientifically-based concept of a carbon neutral, sustainably developing world, whose energy needs are met entirely on the basis of renewable generated electricity.

We are creating the architectural framework for achieving this vision by essentially focusing on digitizing standardization. We are pushing networking among stakeholders worldwide for standardization of a sustainable energy system and to provide the organizational framework to this end.

After all, standards create trust, maintain quality and raise safety standards – crucial in a world in which everything is increasingly electric and digital.

As part of its G7 presidency this year, the German government has placed the strategic importance of norms and standards for combating climate change and the digital global energy transition on the agenda of the most important industrialized nations in the Western world.

DKE participated in the multi-stakeholder conference as part of the activities of the G7 Digital Ministers, and DKE Chairman Roland Bent summed up in his presentation: "Standards are the basis for the global energy transition by, among other things, integrating energies and creating uniform communication formats. The standards organizations provide a common platform for the various sectors of the economy and society, which previously worked separately from one another. The G7 should stand by this process and support the development of international norms and standards."

A topic that has been inflaming passions for quite some time: Do we need a power socket when installing plug-in solar devices?

Seldom has there been such controversial discussion in the preparation of a standard. But in the end, the draft of the product standard DIN VDE V 0126-95 was adopted by consensus and set in motion.

The standard not only serves as a test basis against which test facilities are able to test and qualify devices, but also formulates requirements for manufacturing. If these are complied with, then manufacturers have legal security and can assure customers that they are purchasing a truly safe device and that the installation recommendations correspond to the state of the art.

The cause of nearly one in five traffic fatalities is alcohol behind the wheel. In order to counteract this, international experts led by DKE have worked to ensure that the EN 50436 series of standards supports the widespread use of alcohol interlocks in Europe.

While manufacturers of alcohol interlocks were only able to retrofit their devices in motor vehicles at great effort and expense, an EU regulation now provides a technically and legally secure framework regulation according to which new cars in the EU must make it possible to connect alcohol interlocks more easily as of the year 2024 than in the past. The technical basis for this EU legislation is provided by the newly revised European standards EN 50436-7 and EN 50436-4.

Right from the start, this year has taken a course that we could not expect and one that has pushed the energy transition in exceptional manner. Renewable energies and the contribution that every individual is able to make are just one aspect of the All Electric Society. Our common technical curiosity and our shared knowledge and understanding make it possible to provide tomorrow's technical developments with a secure framework through norms and standards.

We say THANK YOU – for your commitment, for your willingness to share both knowledge and ideas in order to make the future safer together. You are the driving force behind DKE's success in the national and international setting.

This cannot be taken for granted. That is why we are proud and grateful for your trust and look forward to continuing to develop standardization together with you in the coming year.