IEC Committee- Projects

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Project 1- Clean Nuclear Energy Transition

 

This project proposes to contribute to test, standardize deploy, and grid integrate of a Westinghouse eVinci Micro Nuclear Reactor (5MWe, 15MWth) in collaboration with Penn State University PIMA/FRONTIER Team and/or the Nano Kronos microreactor (15MWe, 45MWth) in collaboration with Illinois Urbana Champaign University as a pilot to demonstrate decarbonized, resilient energy generation.

The proposed initiative would bring together a coalition of IEEE societies, the PIMA/FRONTIER Team at Pennsylvania State University and the Team at Illinois Indiana-Champaign , to address technical, social, regulatory, and ethical goals.

The objective is to help establishing a global template and standards framework for deploying safe and socially accepted micro reactors for community, remote-region and extreme weather disaster applications.

 

Project 2- A Resilient Infrastructure for Extreme Weather’s Induced Disasters (Smart Shelter)

 

In the face of increasing natural and climate-change-induced disasters, vulnerable populations—particularly women and under-represented groups—bear a disproportionate burden. From unequal access to resources and disaster relief to increased risks of displacement, violence, and economic instability, these communities face unique challenges that demand urgent global attention.
This project aims to collaboratively develop, alongside architects, engineers, social scientists and more a lightweight and rapidly deployable modular infrastructure shelter that is energy-centric, smart, inclusive, and sustainable. Incorporating the latest innovations in design, materials, electronics, communication, and energy systems, the shelter would: Provide protection to vulnerable groups during extreme weather events
Ensure reliable access to clean energy, water, and safety resources
Prioritize accessibility for people with disabilities, address poverty conditions, respect cultural diversity Operate effectively in off-grid or unreliable power regions Use advanced energy solutions such as micro-reactors and solar + storage systems

Objective: modular shelter prototype with intelligent energy and features

 

Project 3- Tsunamis and Earthquakes Early-Warning System

 

Remote Island’s Tsunamis and Earthquakes Early-Warning System 

The picture shows wooden Gulgul slit gongs used in the late 19th-early 20th Century by the Madurese people in East Java, Indonesia, to warn of natural disasters.

Motivation and Background

Indonesia, with its vast archipelago and tectonic location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is among the most vulnerable countries to tsunamis and earthquakes. Remote islands and coastal communities sometimes lack timely alerts due to limited infrastructures and logistical challenges.

The Tsunami project proposes a Collaboration among IEEE Societies, the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics,  the GHE NGO and the University of Osaka, to design and implement a cost-effective, resilient, and community-centered early-warning prototype system combining seabed sensors, in-land detectors, solar powered and storage data collection and transmission center, solar-powered buoys, or fiber optics links, and satellite communication links. This approach aims to ensure that even the most isolated communities receive actionable warnings in time to save lives and minimize disaster impacts.

Objectives

  • Deploy a prototype hybrid sensor network (seabed pressure sensors, seismic in-land detectors, and buoy or fiber optics data collection systems together with ocean water monitors).

  • Use solar-powered and storage data collection and transmission center, solar-powered fiber optic data collection with Starlink-like satellite communication for real-time data transmission.

  • Develop a community-based alert mechanism, and local women’s cooperatives trained to maintain the systems.

  • Enable integration with national and regional disaster management agencies.

  • Build a scalable model that can be replicated in other vulnerable island locations.

  • Add other environmental detectors to monitor the state of the local ecosystems.

Proposed Involvement

The project brings together expertise from across IEEE societies, the GHE NGO, Osaka University and the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics ensuring both technical excellence and humanitarian impact.

 
 

Pilot Project 4 Wildfires Prediction, Mitigation and Control

🔥Wildfire Risk, Mitigation, and Control Factors: Wildfires are driven by a combination of climate, human, and natural factors, which together influence ignition, spread, and intensity. Understanding these drivers is essential not only for prediction, but also for effective mitigation and control strategies.

🌡️Climate Factors: Rising global temperatures and prolonged drought conditions are creating increasingly dry and flammable environments, significantly raising the likelihood of wildfire ignition. In addition, changing and often chaotic weather patterns—particularly strong winds such as the Santa Ana winds in California—can accelerate fire spread over large areas in a short time.

🌡️Mitigation and control efforts in this domain include improved climate-informed risk modelling, early warning systems, fuel management (e.g., controlled burns), and adaptive land management practices.

🌡️Human Factors: Human activity remains the dominant cause of wildfires, accounting for approximately 85–90% of ignitions. Expanding development in the urban–wildland interface increases both the likelihood of ignition and the vulnerability of communities. Infrastructure failures, such as sparks from downed power lines during high winds, also represent a significant risk.
Mitigation strategies include public awareness campaigns, stricter regulations, improved infrastructure resilience (e.g., underground or insulated power lines), and better land-use planning. Control efforts focus on rapid detection, coordinated emergency response, and protection of populated areas.

⚡Natural Factors: Natural causes such as lightning strikes remain a common ignition source, particularly in remote regions. Additionally, topography plays a critical role in fire behaviour, as fires tend to spread more rapidly uphill due to heat transfer and preheating of vegetation.
Mitigation and control approaches include enhanced monitoring of lightning-prone areas, deployment of remote sensing technologies, and strategic firefighting techniques adapted to terrain conditions.

🌍We will look at all the possible technologies to mitigate wildfires in particular in remote regions in collaboration with the local populations.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————