•Technology Advances Wind to Mainstream Power Source
•Advanced Logistics Network Drives GE’s Project Execution Excellence
•Global Services and Data Monitoring Help Ensure Reliability and Availability of Wind
GE (NYSE: GE) celebrates its 20,000th wind turbine installation in conjunction with its 10-year anniversary in the wind industry. Altogether, GE’s 20,000-turbine fleet has the capacity to power the cities of Hong Kong and London for an entire year.
“We couldn’t have achieved this milestone without our development partners,” said Vic Abate, vice president of renewable energy for GE. “Together, we have advanced wind to its current status as a relevant, reliable, competitive source of energy.”
In the U.S. and Europe, 40 percent of new power generation installations over the last four years have been wind. GE achieved its 10,000th turbine milestone in November 2008, its 15,000th in February 2011 and in 2012 celebrates its 20,000th installation.
“We congratulate GE on this impressive achievement,” said Jim Shield, Invenergy's executive vice president and chief development officer. “Our longstanding association has resulted in the installation of more than 2,000 GE wind turbines at Invenergy projects across the United States. As America’s largest independent wind power generation company, we look forward to a continued, successful relationship with GE in the years to come.”
“Congratulations to GE on reaching this milestone. From our vantage point, it appears to be the culmination of working with customers, driving down prices, continuously advancing technology and then backing it all up with responsive service,” said David Boyce, chief executive officer of Wind Capital Group. “I would expect that winning combination to serve them well into the future.”
"EDF Renewable Energy has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with GE for nearly a decade. During this time we have put into service more than 1,500 wind turbine generators representing over 2 gigawatts of capacity,” said Tristan Grimbert, president and chief executive officer of EDF Renewable Energy. “Our partnership is built on a shared goal of delivering exceptional wind projects. We congratulate GE on reaching this milestone."
The path to 20,000 turbines
Since its inception in 2002, GE’s renewables business has led the global advancement of wind energy through lowered costs and increased reliability. During the past decade, technology has driven wind’s availability from 85 percent to 98.5 percent and a 3x reduction in the cost of electricity.
This year, GE will install more than 3,000 wind turbines around the world. The company’s extensive manufacturing, sourcing and logistics network have proven essential to delivering to tight timelines and schedules. Projects range from single turbine installations on farms in the Midwest to multi-megawatt projects on the West Coast, each requiring special attention for successful delivery.
“As a company who will be operating with more than 840 GE turbines as the backbone of our fleet by the end of 2012, we’re proud to be a part of this significant milestone in wind development,” said Steve Trenholm, CEO, E.ON Climate & Renewables (EC&R) North America. “Partnering with GE has allowed us to provide clean, affordable homegrown energy among our 18 wind farms from New York to West Texas.”
“Based on nearly a decade of experience, we know we can count on GE wind turbines for safe, reliable, environmentally-friendly power generation. Today, we are adding 218 megawatts of GE turbines to our fleet at projects in rural Massachusetts and California’s Tehachapi region. GE Wind is an excellent organization that provides an excellent product and customer service,” said Kevin Devlin, vice president of Commercial Operations for Iberdrola Renewables.
"GE has become an integral part of Edison Mission Energy's wind energy portfolio in recent years, with 300 megawatts now deployed at three of our projects, including our newest wind farm dedicated just last month in Nebraska," said Oded J. Rhone, vice president Wind Development at Edison Mission Energy.
“GE was chosen as the turbine supplier for CEZ’s Fantanele/Cogealac wind farms because of its proven technology and experienced implementation team,” said Ondrej Safar, project manager for CEZ Romania. “The 2.5-megawatt turbines powering our wind farms offer the efficiency, reliability and output that enable our success.”
Advanced analytics: the future of wind
With 20,000 GE wind turbines operating worldwide, data analytics are critical to optimizing wind power and maximizing investment in the technology.
GE’s PulsePOINT advanced monitoring and diagnostic software is analogous to predictive health for a human being. It works to identify problems on the turbine before causing downtime or major failures. Thereby, this achieves optimal energy production through increased turbine reliability and availability.
GE’s wind services business, which provides PulsePOINT, helps customers get the most out of their wind projects. The company more than doubled its investment in services research and development in 2010 and 2011 while developing its world-class portfolio. GE’s service solutions combine the company’s advanced technology, global resources and service facilities with a network of skilled, highly trained local technicians. Data from GE’s installed base is monitored from Schenectady, N.Y., and Salzbergen, Germany, providing GE and its customers with valuable intelligence that is helping to drive the long-term competitiveness of wind.