World cities embracing renewable energy
By: Mike Mullane
Tags: Hydropower, Geothermal Power, Wind Energy, Sustainability, Renewable Energy

World cities embracing renewable energy

100 cities get most of their electricity from renewable sources, says report

The Swiss city of Basel is running on 100 per cent renewable power. (Photo by Hans, Pixabay)

What do the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, the Swiss city of Basel and the US city of Burlington have in common? According to a new report they are among the more than 100 cities worldwide that obtain at least 70 per cent of their power from renewable sources, such as hydro, geothermal, solar and wind.

The biggest city in Vermont, Burlington, already obtains 100 per cent of its electricity from wind, solar, hydro, and biomass. Atlanta, San Diego and more than 50 other American cities are not there yet, but have committed to completing the transition to renewable energy sources by 2050.

Basel operates on 100 per cent renewable electricity from the city’s own energy supply company, which relies on a mix of hydro-power and wind energy. Reykjavik sources all its energy needs from hydro-power and geothermal.

Bolzano in Italy and Ljubljana in Slovenia obtain 100 per cent of their energy from hydro-power, as does Winnipeg in Canada. Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, and Quelimane, in Mozambique, also make the cut, with 100 per cent of their energy coming from hydro-power.

The IEC has been facilitating the adoption of renewable energy (RE) for a number of years. For example, hydropower has been a focus of IEC work for more than 100 years.

IEC experts on hydraulic turbines prepare standards and technical reports for designing, manufacturing, commissioning, testing and operating hydraulic machines. These include turbines, storage pumps and pump-turbines of all types, as well as related equipment, such as speed governors and performance evaluation and testing.

IEC experts are developing International Standards for thermal power plants, which use steam turbines to convert heat and steam into power. Steam turbines are used in geothermal installations, as well as solar thermal power plants.

IEC experts in the area of solar photovoltaic energy systems, produce International Standards enabling systems to convert solar into electrical energy, including the IEC 60904 series of Standards.

Wind energy generation systems is another priority area. Standardization work on wind turbines has played a key role in wind power’s emergence as the most cost-effective and fastest-growing new renewable energy source.

The IEC is leading efforts to promote the benefits of low voltage direct current (LVDC). In an energy-hungry world, LVDC provides affordable, safe electricity access even to those who do not have access to the grid.

LVDC is fully in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7, of providing universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services by 2030. You can read more about the IEC’s work in this area here.

IEC experts in the area of secondary cells and batteries have been publishing Standards in the area of renewable energy storage, both on-grid and off-grid. To deal more effectively with rechargeable renewable energy storage systems, they are collaborating closely with technologists developing Standards related to secondary cells and batteries for renewable energy storage.

An important part of the work of IEC experts is providing the tools to ensure that electro-technical products and equipment conform to international technical and safety Standards. The IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Renewable Energy Applications (IECRE System) aims to facilitate international trade in equipment and services for use in Renewable Energy Sectors while maintaining the required level of safety.

IECRE was set up in 2014 to provide a global framework for independent assessment of equipment and services related to renewable energy (RE) applications. The System uses International Standards developed by IEC technology experts in the following areas:

International Standards are playing a critical role as cities move towards renewable energy. They not only offer protection against fake and defective products, but also ensure efficiency and interoperability.