IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution

IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution
Name	IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution
Established	1889
Focus	Electrical power systems, engineering, standards
Parent	Institution of Engineering and Technology
Headquarters	London

Contents

IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Generation, Transmission & Distribution (GTD) is a professional community focused on Electrical engineering, Power engineering, and the technical boundaries linking Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, James Clerk Maxwell, Michael Faraday, and Geoffrey Ingram Taylor to modern utilities like National Grid (United Kingdom), Edison Electric Institute, and Siemens. It engages practitioners from organizations such as General Electric, Schneider Electric, ABB Group, Hitachi Energy, and Mitsubishi Electric while interacting with standards bodies including International Electrotechnical Commission, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and British Standards Institution.

Introduction

IET GTD serves members across industries represented by companies like Alstom, Toshiba, Honeywell International, and Vestas and academic partners such as Imperial College London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Delft University of Technology, and Tsinghua University. The section organizes conferences, publications, and working groups that align with historical milestones like the War of Currents, technological programs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and international initiatives led by United Nations Industrial Development Organization and International Renewable Energy Agency.

Electricity generation topics span conventional plants operated by Bechtel Corporation and Babcock & Wilcox through nuclear projects at Électricité de France, Rosatom, Westinghouse Electric Company, and research reactors influenced by Enrico Fermi and Marie Curie. The community examines thermal generation in facilities sited by ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP; hydroelectric projects like Three Gorges Dam, Itaipu Dam, and Hoover Dam; and renewable deployments by Iberdrola, Ørsted, and NextEra Energy. Integration of technologies from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, GE Renewable Energy, and Nordex SE with power plants influenced by standards from Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) management and practices advocated by Royal Society stakeholders is a recurring theme for members.

Power transmission covers high-voltage and extra-high-voltage systems developed by National Grid ESO, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, California ISO, and multinational projects such as Cross-Sound Cable and EuroAsia Interconnector. Key equipment and vendors include Hitachi Rail, Siemens Energy, AREVA, and NKT. Studies reference historical work by Oliver Heaviside, Michael Faraday, and later engineers associated with Bell Labs and Westinghouse Electric Company. Interconnection projects and regional bodies like ENTSO-E, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and African Union receive attention for policy coordination.

Distribution systems address utilities such as Con Edison, Tokyo Electric Power Company, E.ON, Enel, and municipal systems like Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Scotland’s SSEN. Topics include smart-grid pilots from Google (Alphabet Inc.) initiatives, microgrid projects at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and community energy schemes modeled after Boulder, Colorado municipalization efforts. Equipment suppliers like Schneider Electric, Eaton Corporation, Siemens, and ABB are discussed alongside case studies involving Tesla, Inc. energy storage, Panasonic, and distributed generation incentives influenced by European Commission directives.

Grid operation and management engages system operators including National Grid (Great Britain), PJM Interconnection, Nord Pool, and Independent Electricity System Operator. Operational research draws on methods from John von Neumann and Leonid Kantorovich and tools developed at institutions such as Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Electric Power Research Institute. Topics include demand response programs used by Southern Company, market designs influenced by New York Independent System Operator, and contingency planning reflecting lessons from events like the Northeast blackout of 2003, 2012 India blackouts, and Texas power crisis.

Safety and standards work intersects with bodies such as Health and Safety Executive (United Kingdom), Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ofgem, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Department of Energy (United States). Regulatory frameworks reference international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement where energy policy shapes grid decarbonization. Standards development relies on contributions to IEC 61850, IEEE 1547, and ISO committees, with industry stakeholders including British Energy, EDF Energy, and Siemens participating in codes and compliance.

Emerging trends encompass wide-area monitoring involving Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) deployments, grid-forming inverters from suppliers like SMA Solar Technology AG and Fronius International GmbH, and digitalization using platforms such as IBM, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services. Research collaborations with European Organization for Nuclear Research and projects funded by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe explore hydrogen integration championed by Linde plc and Air Liquide, battery technologies from QuantumScape and CATL, and carbon capture partnerships with BP and Shell. Future governance models reference energy transition roadmaps issued by International Energy Agency, climate finance mechanisms from World Bank, and standards evolution led by International Organization for Standardization.