Abstract :
The Cigre organisation has been described, with a highlight on Study Committee B4, HVDC and Power Electronics. The current activities in SC B4 have been summarised, followed by a description of the current and potential future activities in the area of HVDC Grids, which is one of the main activities at this juncture. A much higher level of standardisation will be required in the area of HVDC technology, to enable HVDC grids to be built, basically to ensure that interoperability of converter stations from different manufacturers can be achieved without the need for cumbersome interaction studies, involving many different manufacturers. Some of the work being performed by Cigre SC B4 is aimed at establishing the foundations for such standards, as has been described in this paper. Whilst the development of HVDC Grids requires many technical challenges to be faced, it is believed that none of these challenges will be insurmountable, and therefore, in the author´s opinion HVDC Grids will be possible, and can make a huge contribution to the future transmission of electrical energy and power. Cigre welcomes new members with all background from investment management, through detailed engineering to research and development in the fields of HVDC and power electronic applications in power systems. Members benefit by being part of a thriving community, which undertakes leading and policy setting work in the stated technical areas.
