Goodbye Coal
Australia’s Manildra Group will replace coal-fired boilers at one of its power plants with two efficient turbines from GE that will burn natural gas. The turbines will help reduce the agribusiness’s annual energy costs, produce both power and steam more efficiently and cut its carbon emissions by as much as 40%. “Manildra was relying on coal burners to produce energy and steam as part of their distillation process,” says Sam Maresh, president of GE Australia. “And today there are more efficient ways of generating steam and power.” Find out more here. This is just the latest example of GE technology helping customers phase out coal, switch to natural gas and also bring more renewables online along the way. Read more here.
Carbon Cutters
Countries and companies have been looking for ways to cut carbon, and the aviation industry, which contributes about 2% of global carbon emissions, is no different. As one of the world’s largest makers of aircraft engines, GE Aviation has been working on advanced technologies and materials that can help cut fuel consumption and even enable hybrid electric design. All GE engines can run on approved sustainable aviation fuel today, and the company is developing software that can help airlines fly smarter and manage their carbon emissions. Many of these topics came up for discussion during the new season of GE Gas Power’s popular “Cutting Carbon” podcast. The host, Jeffrey Goldmeer, interviewed Arjan Hegeman, GE Aviation’s general manager for advanced technologies. Find out more here.
International Women In Engineering Day
Today is International Women in Engineering Day, and we wanted to tell you about a place that channels its spirit. In Bangalore, India, GE Healthcare subsidiary Wipro GE recently opened a factory that is seeking “to increase female candidates during the recruitment process.” When we visited in early March, some 35 women were working on medical imaging machines that will help doctors treat patients in India and around the world; that number is expected to reach 100 within the next two to three years. “I grew up with two sisters, and our father was always very clear to us: Study, get a job, stand on your own legs, and the rest will take care of itself,” says factory manager Shuba Nagesh. GE Reports has the story here — and check out the video below.
Helping Ukrainian Refugees
For GE employees in Central and Eastern Europe, signs of the war in Ukraine are all around them. More than 3 million Ukrainians have entered Poland since the war began, and 1.2 million have registered with the Polish government, according to the U.N. There are more than 780,000 Ukrainians in Germany and nearly 375,000 in the Czech Republic, by the U.N.’s latest figures. In total, as of June 16, more than 5 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe. GE workers all across the continent are helping, and they are also receiving backing from the global team. The GE Foundation will match charitable donations made to support the people of Ukraine. GE also covered the transportation costs to ship 14 tons of goods from Elbląg, Poland, to Ternopil, in western Ukraine, which has hosted up to 25,000 people from central and eastern Ukraine, where the fighting has been most intense. Find out more here.
In Bangalore, India, GE Healthcare subsidiary Wipro GE has built a brand-new factory that’s made a special effort to hire women.
The 5 Coolest Things On Earth ?
1. A tiny aerial robot that lights up when it flies.
2. A wind turbine with flexible blades.
3. Generating hydrogen from water with only sunlight.
4. A coin-size supercapacitor that can suck CO2 from the air.
5. AI that can identify speech differences in children with autism.
— Quote Of The Day —
“GE Aviation has a robust pipeline of breakthrough technologies to help achieve our ambitious decarbonization goals for aircraft engines.”
— Arjan Hegeman, GE Aviation’s general manager for advanced technologies
Quote: GE Reports. Video: GE Reports. Images: Manildra Group, CFM International, Wipro GE, Getty Images.