The Winds of Change

The
Winds
of
Change
Fresh
Ideas
for a
New
World
T
he largest retail purchase of windgenerated power in the country is going
on at the University of Pennsylvania —
and it’s made possible by GE.
The University purchases 5% — or 20
million kilowatt hours — of its annual
energy needs from two wind farms in
southwest Pennsylvania. The 1.5-megawatt,
210-foot-tall turbines were manufactured
by GE Wind.
“In 1997, some countries agreed to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mike
Coleman, the University’s director of central
services. “By purchasing wind power, we
are leading the way to a cleaner and more
sustainable energy future.”
Wind spins the 110-foot-long fiberglass
turbine blades, which power a generator
to make electricity. The electricity is placed
into the power grid and distributed by
Community Energy, Inc., in Wayne, PA.
While GE’s wind power business is new,
GE has been the leader in developing highefficiency power systems that use less fuel
and generate fewer emissions.
GE’s H System turbine is
designed to be the first gas turbine
combined cycle system capable of
achieving 60% thermal efficiency.
GE’s latest breakthrough is the H SystemTM,
designed to be the first gas turbine combined
cycle system capable of achieving 60%
thermal efficiency. The first H System has
been installed at the Baglan Bay Power
Station in South Wales and is expected to
enter commercial operation in 2003.
The new Baglan Bay plant will have far
greater output than the oil-fired plant
currently operating at the site, but will
produce far lower emissions per MWh —
64% less carbon dioxide emissions, 88%
less nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and
99% less sulfur dioxide emissions.
GE’s Dry Low NOx combustion systems,
which have already been applied to GE’s fleet
of advanced F technology gas turbines, and
an innovative cooling system enable the
H System to offer increased fuel efficiency
while meeting today’s strict environmental
requirements.
It is estimated that during the more than
seven million hours the F technology gas
turbines have been in operation, over
100,000 metric tons of NOx emissions
have been prevented.
More consumers are reducing their energy costs —
and protecting the environment — by choosing GE’s
ENERGY STAR® appliances and lighting products.
“Customers want products that use less energy and
are environmentally friendly,” said Richard Weinberg,
national merchandise manager for appliances at
Nationwide, a national buying group for appliance
retailers. “GE has shown its leadership in developing
these products and bringing them to market.”
GE now offers more than 230
ENERGY STAR appliance and
lighting products — the largest
line of energy-efficient products
in the U.S. So extensive is
GE’s product line that the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency named GE Lighting
a 2002 Partner of the Year.
What are the benefits? GE’s ENERGY STAR Profile
Harmony Clothes Care System uses up to 40% less
water than a traditional top load machine and 47%
less energy. GE’s Profile ArcticaTM refrigerators require
only as much energy as a 75-watt light bulb.
By using less energy, these products reduce
pollution. During the product life of one
GE Harmony clothes washer, a consumer
prevents 3.28 metric tons of carbon equivalent
(MTCE) emissions. MTCE is the standard for
measuring emissions from power plants.
In lighting, GE’s compact fluorescent lamps
sold in 2001 will reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by 3.78 million metric tons during
their product lives.*
*Based on average U.S. carbon dioxide emissions of .0007 metric tons per kilowatt hour of electricity generated.
Officials at the RETHMANN-Plano plastics
recycling facility in Lünen,
Germany, wanted to
reduce the amount of
wastewater discharged
into one of Germany’s
most polluted rivers. If
they could find a way to
reclaim the water used
to wash plastic pellets,
they could dramatically
decrease the plant’s
environmental impact.
• Conserved nearly 22 billion gallons of
water (enough for nearly 377,000 people
over a two-year period)
consider it all part of a
day’s work — where saving
natural resources, reducing
landfill waste and lowering
clients’ costs are the focus.
• Decreased air emissions by nearly
4 million tons
There are countless success
stories around the world:
• Reduced energy usage by more than
5 trillion BTUs (enough power to provide
the total energy needs for more than
49,000 U.S. households for a year)
• At a BMW plant in
South Africa, GE Betz
re-engineered a water
pressure system to
conserve 121.2 million
gallons of water a year.
In two years, GE Betz has:
• Saved 2.7 million tons of solid waste from
The German engineers
landfills (enough waste to fill a line of
turned to GE Betz. “We
• In Medicine Hat, Alberta,
tractor trailers from New York to Miami)
knew we needed to find a
Canada, a municipal power
solution, but couldn’t do it
plant saved 109,600
on our own,” said Plant Engineer Ruediger
megawatts of power over a five-year period
Bromm. “Within just a few months, we cut our
after GE Betz introduced programs to extend
wastewater disposal to the Emscher River by
the life and improve the efficiency of boilers
more than half — from 49.7 million gallons
and other equipment.
per year to 22.1 million gallons. At the same
time, we saved $175,000 (U.S.).”
• In Brazil, the Companhia Siderurgica
de Tubarao steel mill is using 42.2 million
Building on that success, GE Betz and RETHgallons less water every year and sending
MANN-Plano officials are now working to
38.6 fewer tons of solid waste to landfills,
implement the same process at its two other
following a GE Betz overhaul of some of its
facilities. GE Betz engineers and scientists
systems.
Where Next? Hydrogen Cars, Lighted Wallpaper
Imagine a day when our primary source
of energy isn’t coal, oil or natural gas, but
hydrogen. Imagine wallpaper that lights
up your living room.
carbon and nitrogen, so a gas-separation
and purification process is required. In
addition, hydrogen is a very light gas,
making distribution and storage difficult.
These and other discoveries are being
pursued every day at GE’s Global
Research Center in Upstate New York.
Developing hydrogen technologies is a
perfect extension of the research being
conducted at GE Global Research. “We’re
placing our bets on a hydrogen economy.
It is evolving right now and there are
some technical challenges, but it will
come. And GE will be leading the way,”
said Susan Townsend, GE Global
Research’s Hydrogen Energy Advanced
Technology Program Leader.
Here, GE scientists are developing
advanced technologies to produce,
store, distribute and use hydrogen to
power homes, businesses, even vehicles
with clean, emission-free hydrogen.
Hydrogen — a colorless, odorless gas in
abundance on Earth — has three times
the energy per kilogram of gasoline or
natural gas. It burns cleanly to produce
water as a by-product, virtually eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and smog
produced by carbon-based technologies.
Technical challenges exist because
hydrogen is found only in compounds
with other elements, such as oxygen,
Another potential breakthrough at GE
Global Research is an innovative lighting
technology that could make solid state
lighting a reality, thus cutting electricity
use in the U.S. 10% — a $5 billion
savings — by 2020. Imagine paper thin
sheets of plastic, using organic light
emitting diodes to generate light, that
could be placed on walls, ceilings or
furniture.
A $50 Million Vote of Confidence in Alternative Energy
GE has partnered with ExxonMobil, Schlumberger and others to fund
an unprecedented energy research project at Stanford University.
The Global Climate and Energy Program will evaluate and develop
alternative and next-generation energy technologies, including
advanced transportation systems, hydrogen and biomass fuels,
bioengineering, combustion, power storage, and renewable energy
sources such as wind and solar.
The wind turbines located on Frances and Lewis Collins’ farm in Mill Run, PA, were manufactured by GE Wind.
Wind power is a cleaner, more sustainable source of energy than carbon-based technologies.
Visit our businesses on the Web for more information:
For GE’s Energy Star appliances and lighting products,
visit www.geconsumerproducts.com
For GE’s wind power, visit www.gewind.com
For GE’s power turbines and combustion systems,
visit www.gepower.com
For GE’s research programs, visit www.crd.ge.com
For GE’s water treatment systems, visit www.gebetz.com
For information about GE’s businesses, visit www.ge.com
Printed on recycled paper.
GE WIND ENABLES THE LARGEST RETAIL PURCHASE OF WIND-GENERATED POWER IN THE COUNTRY *** LARGEST LINE OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOME APPLIANCES AND LIGHTING
PRODUCTS IN THE U.S. *** FORMER U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY CALLS GE’S H SYSTEM TURBINE THE “FOUR MINUTE MILE” OF POWER TECHNOLOGY *** WATER TECHNOLOGY
SYSTEMS HAVE CONSERVED NEARLY 22 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER (ENOUGH FOR NEARLY 377,000 PEOPLE FOR TWO YEARS) *** MORE INGENUITY ON THE WAY
Cleaner and Quieter Aircraft Engines
GE’s engines are among the cleanest in the industry, already meeting new regulatory
emissions requirements that go into effect in 2004. The GE90, GE’s newest engine,
is also fuel efficient, burning 30% less fuel for each pound of thrust than previousgeneration engines. In addition, the engine has the lowest noise levels in its class.
Compared to our competitors’ planes, GE90-powered 777s — the quietest jumbo jet
liners in commercial aviation — are able to land twice as frequently at night at
Heathrow, the airport with the world’s toughest night-time noise requirements.
GE Harvests, Rebuilds
Outdated Equipment
Safer Turbines for Fish
As a partner with the U.S. Department of Energy, GE is
designing and building turbines with fewer, more widely
spaced blades that rotate at slower speeds — helping
increase the survival rate of the fish that pass through
the turbines by as much as 50%. We’re also
reducing the use of oil needed to keep
hydro turbines running — minimizing
the risk of accidental spills into adjacent
waterbodies.
Replacing Paint,
Reducing Emissions
It’s called the “Smart Car,” it’s taking
Europe by storm and its brightly colored
exterior comes not from pollutionproducing paint, but from a revolutionary
GE Plastics’ product. GE’s molded color
plastics and polymer films eliminate the
need for painting cars and other motor
vehicles — reducing the emissions that
result from paint fumes and resulting
in lighter, more energy-efficient
transportation.
What’s old is becoming new again at GE
Medical Systems’ Renewable Resources
business in Milwaukee, WI. Here, outdated
diagnostic imaging equipment is collected
from hospitals and health clinics and rebuilt into
newer models. Last year, 16 million pounds of
material were reclaimed. Based on this success,
GE is developing a similar program at its Global
Parts and Repair Solutions facility in Evry,
France.
GE’s ‘Evolution’ Reduces Emissions 40%
GE Transportation Systems has engineered the lowest-emitting line of diesel-electric
locomotives produced in the world today — locomotives that reduce emissions 40% from
current models and are more fuel efficient. The “Evolution Series” 4,400-horsepower,
12-cylinder GEVO diesel engine, which produces the same horsepower as a 16-cylinder
engine, enabled GE to meet new federal emissions guidelines two years ahead of schedule.
Cruising with Less Pollution and Smoke
GE’s gas turbines are making a splash in the cruise industry. By combining the gas
turbines’ design characteristics with cleaner fuel, the turbines have dramatically
lowered emissions and reduced smoke from cruise ships. This enables the ships to
travel to environmentally-sensitive areas such as Alaska. In addition, these reliable
systems that incorporate gas turbines create less noise and vibration than
comparable diesel-electric units, enhancing the comfort of those aboard.
Helping Homeowners Control Utility Costs
Energy conservation is a valuable tool of GE’s Simon 3 wireless home security
system. With the optional Dialog digital radio frequency thermostat, Simon 3
users can set and maintain low and high temperature limits in their home or
business and control those settings remotely by telephone. This matches their
energy use to their personal schedule, while also protecting their safety and
their belongings.
‘Cleanest Locomotive Ever Made’
The new “Evolution Series” locomotives have earned the
praise of U.S. Environmental Protection Administrator
Christine Whitman (right), who said at a recent unveiling in
Erie, PA, “We’re here for an important purpose — the launch
of the cleanest diesel-powered locomotive ever made — a
real technological and environmental accomplishment of
which GE should be proud. Our railroads are an important
and efficient means of transportation and with the help of
industry leaders, such as GE, it can also become one of the
cleanest as well.”