scope:

This part of the IEC 62257 series introduces the entire series regarding off-grid renewable energy and hybrid products and systems most commonly used for rural applications and access to electricity.

This Part 100 document provides a guide for facilitating the reading and the use of the IEC 62257 series for setting up off-grid electrification in developing countries or in developed countries, the only difference being the level of service and the needed quantity of energy that the customer can afford.

This Part 100 document introduces the series. It focuses on the planned document organization and numbering structure, including a description of each topic and subtopic grouping. It contains a brief overview of the project management and tendering process. It also contains a brief overview of the concept of "access to electricity" and some of the types of renewable energy off-grid and hybrid systems. This document has several examples of case studies for various user groups, to assist them in utilizing the updated series. Additionally, it contains an informative Annex A to assist users of prior versions of the IEC 62257-x series in locating content within the updated IEC 62257-xxx series.

This document outlines the organization of documents within the updated IEC 62257-xxx series published in 2022 and later, including utilization of a new 3-digit part numbering scheme, grouped into topics and subtopics.

This series is anticipated to be of interest to the following renewable energy off-grid and hybrid system stakeholders:

• manufacturers

• testing and certification labs

• equipment distributors, importers, and bulk buyers

• government regulators, inspection, certification, safety, customs and trade agencies

• agencies developing regional-level solar lantern / kit programs

• agencies developing RFQs (Request for Quotations) for systems

• system designers, engineers, project implementers, contractors, supervisors

• installers of small PV and storage

• installers of small wind systems

• installers of large hybrid systems with multiple users

• system owners, residents, operators, maintenance personnel.

The document part numbers to be assigned within this updated IEC 62257-xxx series will be grouped into topics as follows:

• Parts -1xx: Introduction and project management

• Parts -2xx: System design and installation

• Parts -3xx: Energy system components

• Parts -4xx: User equipment and appliances

• Parts -5xx: Stand-alone products and packaged kits.

To assist users in navigating the documents within the revised IEC 62257 series, this introductory -100 document presents how the documents will be further organized into the following subtopics.