Embedded Software in the Energy Industry
Embedded systems play a vital role across all phases of the energy sector, from exploration and generation to distribution. The quality and safety requirements for these systems vary depending on the specific application, especially for safety-critical systems. However, the potential costs of software failure in this industry are severe, potentially leading to equipment damage, hazardous leaks, significant financial losses, and even loss of life.
To mitigate these risks, the energy sector is increasingly adopting international safety standards to enhance software quality. Industry leaders are prioritizing improvements in safety-critical software to ensure the reliability and safety of their operations, protecting both assets and human life.
Key Standards for Energy Software Quality
The energy sector relies on a range of safety standards for applications in power generation—including carbon fuels, renewables, and nuclear power—as well as power distribution and metering. One widely applicable standard is IEC 61508, which governs the use of programmable devices in safety-critical systems. This standard is essential for ensuring the safe operation of systems where software failure could lead to significant risks.
In the nuclear power industry, the most stringent safety standards apply. IEC 61226 classifies instrumentation and control functions into safety categories A, B, or C, based on their importance to safety. For functions in categories B or C, IEC 62138 provides guidelines, while IEC 60880 covers the most critical category A functions.
Both IEC 61508 and IEC 60880 require adherence to coding standards such as MISRA and CERT, which ensure secure, high-quality software development practices in safety-critical systems.
IEC 60880
Nuclear power plants – Software aspects for computer-based systems performing category A functions
IEC 61508
Functional Safety of Electrical/ Electronic/ Programmable Electronic Safety-related Systems
MISRA C/C++
Guidelines for the use of the C/C++ languages in critical systems
CERT C/C++
Secure Coding Standard
QA Systems Testing Tools
QA Systems enables organisations to accelerate safety standards compliance with automated static analysis and software testing tools:
STATIC ANALYSIS
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