Committee work
Wind turbines are safety-critical and technically complex systems. New standards, certification requirements and changes to guidelines are constantly shaping the industry. TÜV NORD provides information on the latest developments from working groups and supports manufacturers, operators and project developers in assessing regulatory changes at an early stage.
From 2027, Christian Hering (TÜV NORD) will assume the role of Convenor of IECRE SG550, succeeding Bente Vestergaard (DNV), whose dedication and leadership have made a significant contribution to the success of the group over many years.
SG550 is the Stakeholder Group of Certification Bodies within IECRE. It provides a platform for certification bodies to exchange experience, discuss industry challenges, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the IECRE conformity assessment system.
Christian Hering brings extensive experience in certification, peer assessments, and conformity assessment activities within the renewable energy sector. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with certification bodies, assessors, and industry stakeholders to promote competence, consistency, and confidence in certification processes.
As a representative of TÜV NORD, Christian also represents an organization whose core values strongly align with the mission of IECRE. The principles of quality, independence, technical competence, and international harmonization are deeply embedded in TÜV NORD's DNA, underpinning the company's strong commitment to IECRE activities worldwide.
Building on the excellent foundation established by Bente Vestergaard, Christian Hering looks forward to fostering collaboration among certification bodies and contributing to the continued development and global success of IECRE.
With the new generation, the verification approaches have been updated to reflect the current state of the art. For steel structures, for example, clear rules for fatigue assessment are provided. The requirements and conditions for both the hot-spot stress approach and the effective notch stress approach are specified. In addition, the S-N curves have been reviewed and updated.
Initial comments on the draft have been received and are currently being discussed and clarified. The second edition aims to enhance usability and incorporate state-of-the-art approaches.
We are actively contributing to the working group. Dr. Claas Fischer serves as the convenor of the European working group.
Edition 2.1 of OD-501-7 has been published. TÜV NORD has actively contributed to the development of this edition through its participation in the working group. For a transitional period of two years, Edition 1 may continue to be applied within the IECRE framework.
A new sub-OD for lightning protection systems is currently being developed. The draft document has been circulated for review, and comments have been collected. The next working group meeting is scheduled to discuss and address the received comments. TÜV NORD is actively contributing to the work of the group.
A new standard for generator systems used in wind turbines is currently under development. The objective is to provide a more specific and technically detailed standard than the existing industrial standards for electrical machines. Working group meetings are ongoing. TÜV NORD actively contributes to the working group.
TÜV NORD is convening the working group for development of the 2nd edition of IECRE OD-501-2 intended for the main gearbox.
TÜV NORD machinery team is part of the working group for delevopement of the 1st edition for IECRE OD-501-8 intended for wind turbine structural components.
An IEC Publicly Available Specification (PAS) is a temporary pre-standard document published by the IEC to address urgent market needs in rapidly evolving technologies.
IEC PAS 61400-60 is currently in the final phase of editorial revisions prior to publication. The PAS will establish technical requirements for the validation of computational models. It is expected to be followed by additional sub-standards covering technical requirements for specific applications, such as power performance measurements and load measurements. The publication of this PAS will mark the beginning of a new phase in model validation within the wind energy industry.
The Amendment to IEC 61400-1 Edition 4 was published at the end of 2025. It not only provides clarification on several existing provisions of Edition 4, but also includes additional guidance on topics such as load comparison and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).