GE Wind Energy is a key player in the energy industry, utilizing wind, water, and solar power in their solutions. With over 49,000 GE wind turbines installed worldwide, the company has genuinely marked its place with high-quality wind turbines.
Aside from developing turbines, they also branched out in manufacturing the specific parts needed for their machines. This promotes GE Wind Energy’s standards for their brand since they wanted to ensure quality, limiting the need for outsourcing their production and raising the bar for other competitors in the field.
GE Wind Energy is one of the significant contributors to wind turbines worldwide. If you wish to know more about this company, continue reading this article!
What Is GE Wind Energy?
GE Wind Energy is one of the branches of GE Renewable Energy, a wind turbine manufacturer and a subsidiary of General Electric. This company creates and sells different wind turbines to customers around the globe.
GE Wind Energy has installed more than 400 GW of renewable energy, 25% hydropower, and 49,000 wind turbines globally. They have also equipped 90% of utilities with their grid solutions. In line with this, they became the fourth world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer after Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, and Goldwind, marking their name as one of the industry’s leaders.
One of GE’s significant services is Digital solutions. It uses one software platform to provide integrated expert recommendations, data-driven wind energy analytics insights, and advanced field services. It also collects wind energy data and converts it to valuable information to reduce cost, lower risk, and raise revenue.
This wind power company has proved its excellence and experience in the long run. However, how did it start, and what is its purpose?
History
James G.P. Dehlsen created the entity in 1980 as a developer, not a manufacturer. At that time, it was called Zond. In 1997, Enron acquired the entity and the manufacturer Tacke Windtechnik in Germany.
While gas turbine sales decreased in 2002, General Electric acquired Enron Wind, the only US wind turbine manufacturer that survived its parent’s bankruptcy proceedings. A year later, General Electric doubled its annual revenue to $1.2B as it increased support for the Wind Division.
General Electric had an essential patent for a variable-speed system by acquiring Zond. It had a significant impact on the North American market. Enron continued creating Tacke Windtechnik’s 1MW and 1.5MW wind turbines.
Then, General Electric expanded its production in Germany. It acquired ScanWind in 2009 and Wind Tower Systems LLC in 2011.
In 2015, General Electric developed its wind portfolio and included the 6MW Haliade offshore turbine. It became possible after acquiring Alstom Wind. Eventually, GE added Blade Dynamics Ltd. and LM Wind Power.
Purpose
GE Wind Energy mainly aims to convert the earth’s most abundant resources to provide power to the world. Sunlight, wind, and water are harnessed to produce clean, sustainable electricity.
Aside from that, GE Wind Energy also strives to maintain its innovative spirit and entrepreneurial mindset to develop its growth in this industry. It aspires to continuously create energy products, digital services, and grid solutions.
Locations
GE Wind Energy has different locations, including China, the USA, Brazil, Spain, and Germany. Still and all, they provide services worldwide.
GE Wind Energy’s Products
GE Renewable Energy offers many services, such as hydro, grid, hybrid, and hydrogen solutions. However, its wind energy products are the best leading. These wind energy products include onshore and offshore wind turbines, which are as follows:
GE Offshore Wind Turbines
GE Wind Energy aspires to provide offshore wind farm solutions. They developed leading offshore wind turbines ranging from 6MW to 14MW in 2022. These turbines have high-quality performance, efficiency, reliability, and availability.
GE Offshore Wind Turbines also have advanced farm technology that runs wind turbines smoothly. Its Digital Wind Farm also allows them to be more innovative and connected.
Here are the offshore wind turbines from GE Wind Energy:
Haliade X Offshore Wind Turbine
Halide X is the first 14MW and the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine. Its Rotterdam prototype site is also the only 12+MW offshore wind turbine platform functioning for over two years.
Haliade X can produce more power at low wind speeds. The New York Times described this machine as “a monster wind turbine that upended the industry.” The turbine has a 220-meter rotor diameter made of 107-meter-long blades.
Haliade 150-6 MW Offshore Wind Turbine
The Halide 150-6MW turbine can provide wind power to 5,000 homes. It features a 150-meter rotor diameter, 6MW of clean wind energy, and 462MW of proven installed offshore wind power. This turbine currently powers over 10,000 European homes in Germany and Rhode Island.
GE Onshore Wind Turbines
GE Renewable Energy has installed 49,000 onshore wind turbines in more than 35 countries. They have a 62GW total installed capacity with high reliability and efficiency. Equipped with digital infrastructure, they aim to improve performance and cost.
The Cypress Onshore Wind Turbine Platform is General Electric’s most powerful onshore wind turbine. They enhanced its initial rating from 4.8MW to 6.1MW.
Cypress can power up to 5,800 European homes. It has 158 and 164-meter rotor diameters and different hub heights. Transporting it is also uncomplicated with its single or double-joint blades.
GE’s other onshore wind turbine platforms are:
GE Wind Turbines’ Blade Technology
GE wind turbines can have various parts, but their blades’ reliability plays a central role in energy and electricity production. Fortunately, LM Wind Power’s technology developed blades that adapt to varying temperatures, wind conditions, and humidity.
Since 1978, LM Wind Power has created 228,000 wind turbine blades. They can assure its quality because they usually test the blades to their limits. They also balance the blade design and aerodynamics to decide blade length.
As time passes, LM Wind Power innovates and improves its blade qualities to provide customers with the most reliable wind turbine blades.
Conclusion
Producing electricity can be complicated with the lack of energy resources. Thankfully, General Electric has established GE Wind Energy. This company has already converted much renewable energy using turbines, generating wind electricity for remote communities and the world’s economies.
Through GE Wind Energy’s scale — passion, courage, resourcefulness, and diversity — their team has delivered the best services to their customers worldwide. They developed leading wind turbines and other solutions to sustain people’s energy needs.
Nonetheless, GE Wind Energy still aims to obtain new information, study, and innovate to produce more enhanced GE wind turbines for the future that awaits everyone.