Tutorial - Study Committee C3 - Ecodesign methods for the power system

Presenter : Michael Gatzsche, Team Leader Circuit Breaker Development (Hitachy Energy, Switzerland)

Ecodesign is a systematic approach which takes into account environmental impacts in the design and development process over the entire lifecycle with the aim to reduce adverse environmental impacts.
Ecodesign is highly relevant because the power system is a major tool for humanity to lower environmental impact by connecting renewable energy sources and enabling electrification of sectors like heating and transportation.
On the other hand, the infrastructure of the power system itself does have a considerable environmental impact, prominent examples are overhead lines, SF6, and power losses.
During the session, key definitions and methods will be clarified to establish a shared vocabulary, with life cycle assessment (LCA) as the core approach.
Relevant standards, regulations, directives, and guidelines on ecodesign will then be summarized, providing a global overview with Europe as a main hub.
Based on real-world examples, the integration of ecodesign into power systems at both equipment and system levels will be reviewed.
Guidance will be provided on how to prioritize ecodesign efforts by impact category, life-cycle stage, and CIGRE’s future work.
The importance of data sharing will be emphasized, and an implementation framework and key challenges will be outlined.