Dr.-Ing. Hermann Koch, RCM Technologies Partner

After my doctoral work on high voltage power equipment, my business career started in 1991 at Siemens Energy Division and lasted 30 years until my retirement in 2020. During these three decades at Siemens my path started with high voltage switchgear sales and project management followed by gas insulated switchgear (GIS) product development and worldwide, sales and promotion of new design technology for transmission system operators. Finally, I was responsible for research and development of gas insulated technology using alternative gas mixtures with product implementation and project execution of new high voltage technologies for gas insulated transmission lines (GIL). This includes worldwide first installations of 300 kV at Geneva Airport in Switzerland and 550 kV at Sai Noi Substation in Bangkok, Thailand. Projects followed in Germany, China, India, USA, UK and Austria, only to mention the most relevant.

Technical standards development activities in national and international standardization associations such as IEC, IEEE, CENELEC, SAC in China and German DKE were key functions to create a worldwide marked for high voltage gas insulated switchgear and transmission lines. In leading positions as technical committee secretary in IEC SC 17C and CENELEC TC 17, I oversaw and guided the work on international standards for GIS and GIL. As voting member at the IEEE Standards Association (SA) board and as voting board member of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, my contributions influence management and strategic directions of these organizations. As chairman of the IEEE PES Substations Committee my contributions and ideas got content of many IEEE standards. Today I’m working group chairman of the IEEE Substations GIS Subcommittee for the revision of the GIL standard.

Now as a part of the team at RCM Technologies, Inc. I serve as an Advisor and Partner in projects in America and the expansion of RCM Europe, headquartered in Frankfurt/Eschborn Germany with the goal to offer the best solutions for our clients.

In Germany, my contributions to standardization were linked to leading roles as chairman of high voltage switchgear related to the German National Committee DKE to be representative for Germany at international standardization activities of IEC and CENELEC. Today I’m active in IEC TC 122 working groups on Ultra High Voltage Switchgear technology of 1100 kV rated voltages and above and in IEC TC 17 working groups for direct current gas insulated switchgear (DC GIS). In IEEE I’m active as vice chairperson of the Technical Activity Board (TAB) in the Committee of Standards (CoS) and voting member of the Local Technical Activities Committee representing Region 8 which is Europe and North Asia. 

For decades I contributed to leading technical organizations international CIGRE, T&D Europe and NERC USA with my experiences and knowledge in high voltage gas insulated systems. In national organizations of VDE ETG in Germany in leading function as chairman and working group member on technical publications on implementing new high voltage switchgear and transmission lines to the power transmission network. At CIGRE and IEEE conferences I presented technical papers and publications worldwide to share the technical developments. For T&D Europe and as a member of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) as IEEE PES representative, I contributed with papers and technical discussions to the development of the electric transmission system and the requirements for the transfer to renewable power generation to maintain reliability and efficiency.

My publications until today to topics of gas insulated switchgear and transmission lines, electric power network development and the development of new technologies summed up to more than 150 papers. The latest one will be presented at the CIGRE Session 2024 in Paris on Microgrids.

My innovative contributions to the high voltage technology are documented in more than 50 patent rights related to new high voltage insulation systems using gas mixtures, to mechanical elastic bending of aluminum pipe for GIL laid in a tunnel or directly buried in the ground, offshore laying methods for long distance and high power connections to offshore wind platforms or to protect gas insulated switchgear from disturbances of electro-magnetic fields, only to mention the most significant areas.

I invite market leading utilities and energy companies who are looking to make a difference to join us in building a better future…and explore how we can achieve great things together.

Now, I enjoy contributing with my wide range of experiences in high voltage technologies and my connections to experts in this field worldwide. Deep relationships have been built during my active years at Siemens and with all the activities in national and international standardization. Now as a part of the team at RCM Technologies, Inc. I serve as an Advisor and Partner in projects in America and the expansion of RCM Europe, headquartered in Frankfurt/Eschborn Germany with the goal to offer the best solutions for our clients.

I invite market leading utilities and energy companies who are looking to make a difference to join us in building a better future for all involved. Let’s connect at RCM Energy Services and explore how we can achieve great things together.