The GE Brief: January 11, 2022
The Road Ahead
On Monday, GE Chairman and CEO Larry Culp published a note to employees that outlines the company’s priorities. “For GE in 2022, our destination is clear,” he wrote. “We are on a path to become three stronger, more focused companies positioned to lead in the important high-growth sectors of aviation, healthcare and energy.” GE Reports has the highlights here.
Where The Wind Blows
Pattern Energy Group said this week it has turned on Western Spirit Wind, a constellation of four wind farms in New Mexico that are capable of producing a total of 1,050 megawatts (MW) of renewable power, enough to meet the electricity needs of more than 590,000 U.S. homes. The gigantic wind project uses 377 GE wind turbines ranging from 2.3 to 2.8 MW in size. The turbines use various tower heights to optimize the amount of wind they capture at each of the four installations. “This project literally changed the map of our state’s energy landscape, allowing New Mexico to help power our nation with clean electrons,” said U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich. Find out about Western Spirit Wind here.
Flying Into The Future
In December, United Airlines became the first carrier to operate a passenger flight using only sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in one of its engines. This is a big deal. By switching from petroleum to SAF — when you take into consideration the entire life cycle of the fuel — the aviation industry could reduce its carbon contribution from fuel by up to 80%, according to the Air Transport Action Group and the International Air Transport Association.
It took engineers from GE Aviation and United less than a year to move the idea from a single PowerPoint slide to reality. GE Reports has the story here.
The 5 Coolest Things On Earth ?
1. An inexpensive COVID-19 vaccine for the world.
2. New research illuminates dark matter.
3. Robots speed up evolution in the lab.
4. Scientists in Europe and the U.K. say hedgehogs may be responsible for the MRSA superbug.
5. Open-source software that can help figure out fundamental properties of metals and other solid materials.
— Quote Of The Day —
“Stopping climate change and achieving environmental sustainability is imperative, it’s possible, and I plan to do everything I can to help.”
— Jeff Shaknaitis, senior engineer for customer technical programs at GE Aviation
Quote: GE Reports. Images: Getty Images, Pattern Energy, United Airlines.