68 / 116
6 8
E L E CT R I C AL CONNE CT I ON
SUMME R 2 01 6
A conversation with Standards
Australia chief executive
Bronwyn Evans
D
r Bronwyn Evans joined Standards
Australia as CEO in October 2013.
Since then, Standards Australia
has put in place a new five-year strategic
plan and embarked on a substantial
transformation program.
Standards are not new to Bronwyn, who
started her career as an engineer in power
generation and construction and then
moved to a role as a project manager in the
electrical teamwith Standards Australia before
leaving to pursue a global career in healthcare
working with icons like GE Healthcare and
Cochlear Limited. Most recently, Bronwyn was
appointed to the governance group of ISO as
Vice President Finance from January 2017 for a
two year term.
What notable projects are currently
underway in the electrical sector?
Bronwyn Evans:
There is a lot happening
in the sector at the moment, with new
technologies and smart systems continually
being pushed by industry and government.
Our advancedmetering committee continues
to progress with their program of international
IEC adoptions; Part 1 of the invertor standard
series AS/NZS 4777, Installation Requirements,
will soon be coming online and will join Part
2 which covers the invertor requirements.
Our committee on renewable energy
power supply systems and equipment is
developing a new standard for the safety
of energy storage systems connected to
inverters (AS/NZS 5139). This project is still
in the early stages, however there has been
considerable industry interest. The AS/NZS
4755 series on demand response continues to
gather momentum and AS/NZS 2067 which
covers the installation rules for high voltage
installations was recently published. Lastly
the Wiring Rules just completed its public
commentingmilestone, receiving close to
2000 public comments.
Tell usmore about AS/NZS 5139 andwhat
kind of impact this might have.
BE:
As households look for ways to reduce
their energy bills, investing in a storage
system is becoming a viable option for
many. A storage system allows households
to consume and store energy at off-peak
periods, resulting in lower costs. It also enables
the storage and on-sale of energy from, say,
a solar array mounted on a roof. AS/NZS
5139 will provide this growing industry with
a set of rules for how these systems can be
installed andmaintained safely in households.
It’s critical that these rules are written as more
andmore of these systems come online.
What were some of themajor projects you
worked on in the electrical sector in your
time as a project manager?
BE:
When I was a project manager, I was
handed the AS/NZS 3008 series which is a
companion standard to the Wiring Rules.
AS/NZS 3008 sets out a method for cable
selection for designers and installers. It is
a key document for Australia’s local cable
manufacturing industries.
Long runs of copper cabling in electrical
installations contribute significantly to the
overall cost, and so AS/NZS 3008 provides
designers and installers with information on
how electrical cables can be selected based
on their intended application. It’s a useful
standard, and it is currently going through
a revision.
Howhas Standards Australia changed
since youwere a project manager?
BE:
Today the organisation is quite different
from the one I knew earlier in my career. We
have a stronger emphasis on engagement
across government and industry. Stakeholders
are involved in all that we do, upholding our
influential position domestically, regionally
and internationally. We work every day to
be simpler, faster and better. The biggest
example of this is our digital transformation
programwe commenced this year.
Tell us about this ‘digital transformation’.
BE:
It is a major project that aims to turn
Standards Australia into the digital standards
body needed for the future. We have worked
closely with stakeholders to recognise how
we can better develop and curate our content
for the good of both contributors and users.
Early stages of the project will include the
development of a central, searchable content
repository. Ultimately we want to be able to
connect digitally across the economy making
even more of a positive contribution to the
Australian economy.
Dr Bronwyn Evans joined Standards
Australia as CEO in October 2013.