The GE Brief: April 18, 2022

Happy Birthday, GE

Over the past 130 years, GE has helped define and grow the aviation, healthcare, renewables and power industries and take the world into the future. What does that future look like now? It could have planes powered by sustainable aviation fuel and hybrid electric engines; precision diagnosis and treatments aided by cloud-enabled software and AI-powered medical devices; and floating wind turbines, power plants using hydrogen, and a digital grid that seamlessly integrates electricity from many sources while protecting itself and healing quickly after a storm. Last fall, GE announced it will create three independent, industry-leading companies focused on aviation, healthcare and energy over the next two years. This will enable them to realize their full potential, driving long-term growth and value for all stakeholders. GE Reports has?the story.

Industrial DNA

GE got into the aviation business because of its expertise in gas turbines. And aviation is now giving back, helping power engineers design efficient turbines for electricity generation. A new project in Taiwan, whose government aims to reach a 25% share of renewables in its power mix by 2025, is a case in point. This week, the Taiwan Power Company (TPC) ordered six of GE’s advanced “aeroderivative” turbines, which utilize jet engine technology and allow operators to ramp power production up and down in minutes. TPC’s 175-megawatt plant will use the turbines to help it manage power shortages, stabilize the grid and speed up the integration of renewables. Read about it?here.

The Future Of GE

Young engineers like Emma Renner will shape the future of GE. Last year the Cornell University graduate joined GE’s prestigious Edison Engineering Development Program, a multiyear rotation for engineers who have recently completed a master’s degree. Her work entails looking for ways to improve wind turbines, but Renner is also part of a team that is competing in a new Fox show, “Domino Masters,” where domino artists from around the country compete to create the most impressive domino topple. Renner says the contest is in many ways analogous to her engineering work. Whether the challenge is to tell an epic tale in domino tiles or power an airplane with something other than jet fuel, the process is the same, she says: “Let’s brainstorm a bunch of different out-of-the-box ways we can make that happen — and then let’s make it happen.” GE Reports has?her story.

Ground Control

This week was also the anniversary of the Apollo 13 moon mission, which had to return to Earth early after an oxygen tank started a fire in the service module. Few people know that the NASA administrator during the flight — and also during the first moon landing of Apollo 11 in July 1969 — was GE executive Tom Paine. On April 18, 1970, one day after the Apollo 13 crew splashed down in the Pacific, President Richard Nixon awarded the?Medal of Freedom?to the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team, including Paine.?Paine later returned to GE to run GE Power.?Read his story?here.

The 5 Coolest Things On Earth???

1.?A battery that?stores solar energy?for years.?

2.?Sensors that spread like?dandelion seeds.

3.?The common themes in?near-death?experiences.

4.?A “freeze-thaw” battery that could?hibernate renewable energy.

5.?Synthesizing molecules to?speed up drug discovery.?

?READ MORE HERE

?—?Quote Of The Day?—

“GE is exceptionally well positioned to create value today, all while staying true to our purpose of building a world that works.”

?—?Larry Culp,?GE chairman and CEO