Tackling the challenge of Powering Everyone, one step at a time

There are more than a billion people in the world today that don’t have access to electricity. An additional two billion lack reliable access to power. Think about that.

For nearly half the planet, reliable electricity is still little more than an aspiration, a hope, a dream. How can this be possible in 2016? How can there still be so many people at such a disadvantage in our “modern world”? It is an utterly staggering fact to comprehend.

For 125 years, GE has been working on ways to bring more power to more people. Since we completed our acquisition of Alstom’s power and grid businesses in 2015, we have grown our capabilities, expanded our offerings and increased the number of countries where we do business. GE Power’s mission of “Powering Everyone” is built on the promise to find new ways to bring electricity to those without it through new technologies, new energy systems and a concerted effort to tackle this challenge together.  

An international team electrifies an ancient Himalayan village     

The passion and collaboration needed to make our mission a reality was epitomized through a recent challenge undertaken by GE Power employees in partnership with the Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE). Covered by GE Reports, this expedition team climbed 12,000 feet into the Himalayan mountains in Northern India to the isolated village of Rakuru and built a solar-powered micro-grid for the 700-year-old village that is home to around 70 villagers. With the completion of this sustainable system, Rakuru’s centuries of darkness are now behind them.

Our commitment as GE Power 

For the seven billion people on the planet who need power every day, we must invest in and build new technologies that will deliver a ready source of power – and in a way, that supports COP 21 goals. Faced with such tremendous demand, how can we meet the fundamental need for more power? As the story of Rakuru demonstrates, we need two things above all else from across the international community:  innovation and ingenuity.

Today, innovation is rapidly becoming synonymous with digital intelligence. Data allows us to seamlessly integrate micro-grids, perform preventive maintenance on power facilities to increase output and reduce the vulnerability of power generation systems. By building intelligent energy infrastructure, we drive substantial economic benefits as utilities and energy companies gain the ability to monitor, manage and provide access to power at scale and at speed. More efficient production means more power delivered at lower operating costs.

To give power to everyone, we need to do what Google has done for access to information. We need to drive the digitization of the power industry and so enable the re-engineering of the electricity value network in a way that drives opportunity. We can power everyone, through innovation, ingenuity, grit and determination - from the remote village of Rakuru to the bustling streets of Manhattan.

This is where the digital meets the industrial. This is where the power of data translates into more power. This is how we deliver power that is affordable, reliable and sustainable. And not just for some, but for all.

A question for all of us

There is too much at stake to leave this challenge unsolved for another decade. Without change, developing markets will fast become energy-constrained economies and the “Internet of Things” will become the “Internet of Missing Things.”

Let’s ask ourselves: what are the interdependencies between power and prosperity we see? How can rethinking our energy infrastructure unlock new prosperity and vitality in our communities and economies? What’s possible for us, as a global community, if we apply our collective innovation and ingenuity to solving this problem?

The story of Rakuru demonstrates that to achieve this type of impact we all must share the mission of providing sustainable, affordable, accessible and reliable power to all. “Powering Everyone” leads to empowering everyone. Even if we must do it one village at a time.