The GE Brief: January 19, 2021
Once upon a time, in 1991, the renewable energy company Ørsted built a wind farm off the coast of Denmark that used 11 turbines to generate 5 megawatts. That project was a milestone — it was the world’s first offshore wind farm — but a new Ørsted project illustrates just how far wind energy has come in 30 years: The company is set to install a wind farm 15 miles off the coast of New Jersey that will generate 1,100 MW, setting the Garden State well on its way to achieving its goal of 7,500 MW of offshore wind energy by 2035. Ocean Wind, as the Ørsted project is called, will rely on GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X turbines to do so. This week GE announced it had finalized supply and service contracts for Ocean Wind, which will be able to power the equivalent of up to half a million New Jersey homes.
Forecast off the Atlantic: Ocean Wind is the latest example of GE Renewable Energy’s growing offshore wind portfolio in the United States. The company supplied the country’s first offshore wind farm — the 30-MW Block Island project, off Rhode Island — and last month was selected as the preferred turbine supplier for Vineyard Wind, an 800-MW utility-scale installation off Massachusetts. “We appreciate the continued confidence that Ørsted has shown in our Haliade-X turbine,” said John Lavelle, president and CEO of Offshore Wind for GE Renewable Energy. “We are also excited to be a part of New Jersey’s inaugural offshore wind project and look forward to a long partnership with both Ørsted and New Jersey.”
Cool fact: One spin of the Haliade-X 13 MW can generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of a U.S. household for a day.
Learn more here.
The Haliade-X might be racking up milestones, but it’s not the only turbine experiencing head-turning success. GE Renewable Energy’s 2 MW onshore wind platform just surpassed an important goal itself, logging a combined 20 gigawatts of installed capacity since its introduction in 2015, with turbines in 10 countries around the world and 23 American states. What does 20 GW look like? It’s the equivalent of displacing 120 million tons of carbon dioxide in five years, and enough to power the equivalent of 12.9 million homes worldwide.
Spin cycles: One reason for this achievement involves innovation. The latest turbines from GE’s 2-MW family come with larger rotors, taller towers to capture faster, steadier winds, and digital controls for remote monitoring. The 2-MW platform also offers 98% global availability, meaning its turbines are able to operate reliably for customers when they need them to. “We simply brought in technology where it made sense and focused on quality and execution with an underlying lean approach,” said Kellan Dickens, who manages the platform’s product line. “Along the way we’ve continued to listen to our customers, and in turn, have grown strong relationships with them. The fruit from all of this has been one of the most successful turbine platforms in our history.”
Read more here.
BUILDING A WORLD THAT WORKS — FOR EVERYONE
Mike Barber, GE’s chief diversity officer, observed in a post on LinkedIn on Monday — Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S. — that “making progress on tough issues is at the heart of GE’s new Purpose: Rising to the challenge of building a world that works.” To contribute to that progress, and in honor of King’s birthday, the GE Foundation announced a series of contributions to organizations nurturing the next generation of leaders from underrepresented communities: the National Society of Black Engineers, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.
An investment in the future: Reflecting GE Chairman and CEO Larry Culp’s belief that education is the most important driver of economic inclusion, the contributions will go toward scholarships and leadership development and mentoring programs to help high school students from diverse backgrounds pursue higher education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The GE Foundation is also supporting two innovative development programs with the National Minority Supplier Development Council that will help prepare minority business enterprises for contract opportunities with the U.S. government and corporations. “Today’s announcement is just the beginning of this important journey,” Barber wrote. “I am eager to roll up my sleeves and work with the GE Foundation and these partners to make meaningful progress.”
Learn more about today’s announcements, and about GE’s work to end injustice and inequality, here.
1. Big Gains In The Membranes
A collaboration between scientists at the University of Texas at Austin and Penn State has yielded a big advance in water desalination technology.
2. Going Viral
Researchers at MIT enlisted computer modeling to develop a new way to predict how viruses will mutate.
3. Red Hot Solar Power
Scientists in Germany and Sweden found that a sprinkle of capsaicin — the stuff that gives chili peppers their spice — can boost the efficiency of perovskite solar cells.
Read more here about this week’s Coolest Things on Earth.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Partnering with GE to supply our largest U.S. project speaks to the confidence we have in the Haliade-X turbine’s revolutionary technology. Bringing GE’s renewable energy expertise to the Garden State bodes well for the future of the industry and for New Jersey.”
— David Hardy, CEO of Ørsted Offshore North America
Quote: GE Reports. Images: GE Renewable Energy.