How IEC standards can help renewables adapt to climate change?

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Renewable and clean energy is one of the most effective solutions to reduce carbon emissions, but they are also strongly affected by climate change. IEC Standards and conformity assessment can help them to be more resilient.</span></p><p>As global temperatures continue to rise, the move to renewable energies is becoming a prerequisite. Despite being contested in certain areas of the world, they remain one of the main ways of fighting climate change by helping to meet net-zero emissions targets.</p>
<p>By the end of 2023, renewables accounted for <a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2024/Mar/IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statistics_2024.pdf">43% of global installed power capacity</a> and, in 2024, global renewable energy capacity grew by another 15,1%, largely driven by solar, according to <a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/04/renewable-energy-transition-wind-solar-power-2024/">a new report by the World Economic Forum</a>. However, renewable energy installations face hurdles linked to the very climate change they are trying to mitigate.</p>
<p><strong>Hydroelectric power is affected by floods and drought</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://indd.adobe.com/view/0dee0560-bc50-4f76-aab9-73bf3b867b28">Hydroelectric power</a> is still the biggest source of renewable energy worldwide and plays an important role in stabilizing the grid through pumped-storage that acts like a giant, flexible battery working alongside intermittent power sources such as solar and wind.</p>
<p>Water availability is the biggest concern for hydroelectric power. It is subject to rainfall patterns and drought and is also impacted by glacial melt. Pierre Maruzewski<strong>,</strong> Chair of the IEC <a href="https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:7:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1228">technical committee</a> which prepares standards for hydraulic turbines, expects the challenge of climate change for hydro power to be a juggle between periods of low water availability and times of flooding. He adds that 2026 will see in-depth conversations around updates to IEC Standards linked to climate change.</p>
<p>“When river levels drop, turbines run into problems. Hydraulic instabilities can cause strong vibrations that impact and wear out blades and other turbine components,” he explains. “With snow melts or storms, the turbines cannot handle the volumes and we have to evacuate water without exploiting it.”</p>
<p>He foresees that utilities may need to combine Francis, Kaplan and Pelton turbines, each one of which works at different water levels. (Find out more about these turbines <a href="https://theconstructor.org/practical-guide/hydraulics-lab/turbines-pumps/difference-between-pelton-francis-kaplan-turbines/38169/">here</a>.) “New, more flexible turbines are also being introduced to give the ability to generate power in low water levels that usually cause instability, but all these solutions require financial investment, whether utilities are government-owned or private. And if there is no water at all, nothing will be able to work anyway,” he warns.</p>
<p>IEC Standards for these different types of turbines already exist: <a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/27320">IEC 62364</a> sets the guidelines for dealing with hydro-abrasive erosion in Kaplan, Francis and Pelton turbines, for instance. A third edition of the standard is under development and is due for publication at the end of 2026.</p>
<p>As varying water levels increase turbine fatigue, a new standard <a href="">IEC 63230</a> is on the cards, which plans to assess the fatigue of hydraulic turbine runners, from design to quality assurance. This publication is due by mid-2026.</p>
<p><strong>Wind turbines built for resilience</strong></p>
<p>Wind turbines are increasingly exposed to extreme weather episodes, such as tornadoes and typhoons, in various parts of the world. Ensuring they can withstand strong winds is what <a href="https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:7:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1282">IEC TC 88</a> and the IEC Conformity Assessment System <a href="https://www.iecre.org/home">IECRE</a> (The IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Renewable Energy Applications) are here to help with.</p>
<p>Alistair Mackinnon, TC 88 expert and Chair of IECRE, acknowledges that climate change is a factor that has to be taken into account, even if he feels that it won’t impact his field excessively. He emphasizes the role of conformity assessment when addressing resilience to climate change, something that is built into every aspect of the <a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/en/iec-search/result?q=IEC%2061400&amp;p=1&amp;f=eyJkYXRlUmFuZ2VzIjp7fSwidGVybXMiOnt9LCJ2YWxpZE9ubHkiOnRydWUsInB1YmxpY2F0aW9uSWRzIjpudWxsLCJzaG93VHJmIjpmYWxzZSwiZGlzcGxheU1vZGUiOiJsaXN0In0=">IEC 61400</a> series of standards published by TC 88, which covers various aspects of wind turbine design, performance, and control, including factors like high winds, extreme temperatures, and blade erosion. The generic standard <a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/64648">IEC 61400-1</a> now includes new annexes to deal specifically with wind turbines in typhoon regions.</p>
<p>“Typhoon resistance is not about simply making turbines stronger, but designing them to be more adaptable,”  Mackinnon explains. “We need turbines that can either safely operate in high winds or shut down effectively to prevent damage, with the specific approach depending on the precise environmental conditions.”</p>
<p>Extreme temperatures can also affect wind turbine gearboxes, whether in the Middle East or very northern regions in winter. “The challenges and opportunities now lie in new, more sustainable materials and manufacturing processes, and in reusing and recycling materials,” he concludes.</p>
<p><strong>Extreme temperatures affect solar PV panels</strong></p>
<p>A recent fact sheet from the IEA photovoltaic power systems programme (<a href="https://iea-pvps.org/fact-sheets/fs-t13-optimisation-climates-2025/">PVPS)</a> highlights the need to improve the reliability and performance of PV systems in harsher climates, and the need to further tailor their design.</p>
<p>According to the report, a drive towards larger, cheaper modules with thinner glass, for instance, is proving unsuitable for challenging climates. Soiling, high temperatures and thermal cycling, as well as salty mist, intense UV irradiation and strong winds, can impact PV systems. Elevated levels of moisture can corrode and degrade the components and encourage dust adhesion and biological growth, which reduces energy production. Lower temperatures can cause physical and thermomechanical degradation, leading to system failures. Snow can cause overloading of the modules.</p>
<p>Key standards for PV systems include <a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/68594">IEC 61215</a> for module design qualification and <a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/59803">IEC 61730</a> for safety. Other important standards cover aspects like salt mist corrosion (<a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/59588">IEC 61701</a>). The <a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/33027">IEC 62938</a> standard provides a method for determining the load-bearing capability of framed PV modules when subjected to non-uniform snow loads.</p>
<p><strong>Nuclear power needs a lot of water</strong></p>
<p>Nuclear facilities <a href="https://etech.iec.ch/issue/2024-03/betting-on-nuclear-energy-to-reduce-carbon-emissions">do not emit carbon dioxide or greehouse gases</a>, so are viewed by several countries as a way to contribute to the global effort towards net-zero. (To find out more about plans for nuclear power in different countries, read: <a href="https://etech.iec.ch/issue/2024-03/betting-on-nuclear-energy-to-reduce-carbon-emissions">Betting on nuclear energy to reduce carbon emissions | IEC e-tech</a>). Similar to hydro power, nuclear energy is also used to compensate for the fluctuations of wind and solar on the grid. However, when it comes to climate change, one of the obvious drawbacks is that nuclear plants depend on large volumes of water to cool their systems down. They are therefore likely to be increasingly affected by water scarcity, which is expected to be one of the main effects of climate change.</p>
<p>Conflicts over water use are already beginning to emerge, as the precious resource dries up. Even in areas where water remains plentiful for now, the requirements for nuclear energy can become a problem. Lake Geneva, which is surrounded by two countries, France and Switzerland, is at the centre of international negotiations between the two nations over its use for nuclear energy. As part of its nuclear expansion, France recently <a href="https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/geneve/2025/article/la-france-obtient-un-droit-de-regard-sur-la-gestion-du-leman-enjeux-et-impacts-28893263.html">requested a say in the management</a> of Lake Geneva waters, as they impact the Rhône river, which exits from the lake in the Swiss city and pursues its journey on French land towards Marseille in the South of France. France wants to ensure adequate water volumes to cool four nuclear power stations stationed along the Rhône, one of which is expected to expand. With experts predicting a 20% drop in the <em>débit</em> of the Rhône by 2055, and a 75% drop by 2100 due to glacial melt, water-related disputes such as these are likely to increase.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:7:::::FSP_ORG_ID:1244">IEC TC 45</a> has developed many standards relating to the safety and performance of nuclear plants, including water cooling. It has also recently published the <a href="https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/76407">IEC 60911</a>, which defines the measurements for monitoring adequate cooling within the core of pressurized light water reactors, for instance.</p>
<p>It also cooperates with the International Atomic Energy Agency (<a href="">IAEA</a>), which sets global safety standards for nuclear energy and its experts participate in the IAEA’s technical working group on nuclear power plant instrumentation and control.</p>
<p>IEC Standards already address a number of issues related to climate change and how it affects renewable and clean energy systems. More and new standards, however, will have to be developed as novel, ever more specific effects of our changing climate will take their toll.</p>
<p><em>Author: Monica Heck</em></p>
<p><em>The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a global, not-for-profit membership organization that brings together 174 countries and coordinates the work of 30.000 experts globally. IEC International Standards and conformity assessment underpin international trade in electrical and electronic goods. They facilitate electricity access and verify the safety, performance and interoperability of electric and electronic devices and systems, including for example, consumer devices such as mobile phones or refrigerators, office and medical equipment, information technology, electricity generation, and much more.</em></p>
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