GE

Better Inspections Are Key To The Future Of Natural Gas

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As a cleaner and more versatile energy source than traditional fossil fuels, natural gas is primed to become one of the world’s most commonly used resources. But for natural gas to realize its promise, attention must be paid to the aging infrastructure that supports it – the complex maze of millions of miles of pipeline, above and underground.

We can’t simply build new pipelines in one fell swoop. Instead, we need to use advanced inspection technology to assess pipeline integrity and prioritize infrastructure projects, helping to spread out costs. The industry should take advantage of early-warning systems that use sophisticated inspection technologies to detect the formation of minor integrity issues, like corrosion or erosion, before they compromise the system. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 27, 2011 at 6:00 AM

GE Prides Itself On Diversification And Evolution

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Though GE is over 100 years old, it prides itself on keeping pace with innovation.

At a September 20 investor meeting, GE executives reviewed the company’s performance over the last few years and assessed where it is going. The company has a strong international portfolio and GE Power & Water is now generating 25% of the world’s electrical generation according to Steve Bolze, GE Senior Vice President and GE Power & Water President and CEO. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 22, 2011 at 3:00 PM

GE Adds To FlexGas Innovations

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In the time it takes to brew coffee, GE promises it can fire up its newest gas turbine and power a small city or university.

Within five minutes, GE’s new FlexAero LM 6000-PH can be ready to produce power to the grid, demonstrating flexibility if wind or solar energy is being used. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 15, 2011 at 3:15 PM

The Simple Complexity Of Energy Infrastructure

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Growing consensus that infrastructure investment might be a solution for a host of US problems, most centrally widespread unemployment, is raising the profile of firms that specialize in the sector.

Black & Veatch is a big player in infrastructure, ranging across consulting, design and building for projects that include energy plays like electricity and oil and gas, smart grid projects, water and public sector work. The firm is at the center of the latest hot area in the economy, working with giants like Siemens and GE to serve the country’s highest-profile companies and municipalities. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 12, 2011 at 12:45 PM

The Possibility Of Clean Gas

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With renewables ever more popular, the hottest new business may be flexible gas plants that can accommodate intermittent power generation.

An engine provider for both marine vessels and power plants, Finnish company Wärtsilä is busy expanding its flexible, fast-start gas-fired generation business in North America. On August 18, the company announced the commissioning of a new Modesta, California 49.6 MW natural gas plant, that uses six 20-cylinder 34SG Wärtsilä engines that can ramp up to full power within five minutes of being turned on and reach optimum efficiency within another five minutes. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 1, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Isolating Rotten Solar Panels

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What if solar panels could be smart panels?

In this video, CEO of SolarEdge Technologies, Guy Sella explains the technology that his Israel-based company invented to optimize electrical generation of solar photovolatic panels. By attaching a digital appliance to each solar panel and connecting each one of those devices to a software system, the technology can track inefficiencies in panels and detect rotten apples. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 19, 2011 at 6:00 AM

From Washington To Istanbul

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Energy markets are becoming increasingly international as companies in developed economies look overseas for potential innovation testing beds. Meanwhile, up and coming countries may be vying just as much for the valuable opportunities to leverage technology and jobs investment from abroad.

With 8% economic growth in 2010 alone, and double digit growth in the first half of 2011–much of it in the manufacturing sector–Turkey’s electrical grid is stretched thin, members of the US Embassy in Turkey’s commercial service division told AOL Energy. To meet the projected 6-8% future increase in electricity demand, the Turkish government is planning to install smart grid projects and partner that with 30% clean generation capacity by 2023, said the embassy’s Energy Business Leader Serdar Cetinkaya. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 17, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Electrifying Communication In A New Energy Era

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A world where a single utility operates without competition is a thing of the past. Customers in some markets can now pick from dozens of energy providers or even choose to source electricity from renewables like solar or wind power. They can also decide to abandon “dead-tree-format” billing and receive their invoices via mobile applications on their latest smart phone or tablet device.

What all of this adds up to is a growing consumer expectation of choice and convenience. In this environment, energy companies–in a battle for survival of the fittest–will need to raise their communications game in order to connect with customers where and when they want. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 15, 2011 at 6:00 AM

High On Pond Scum

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Two weeks ago, a Gulfstream G-450 loaded with journalists and executives from Honeywell’s energy division, UOP, departed from Morristown, New Jersey and touched down at Le Bourget Airport after an “utterly unremarkable” flight.

The purpose of the flight, which retraced Charles Lindbergh’s historic 1927 pond crossing, was to prove for the Paris Air Show the viability of the fuel that held them aloft: 50-50 blend of jet fuel and a biofuel derived from camelina, a seed plant. The blend saved 5.5 metric tons of carbon emissions for the flight compared to straight jet fuel, according to the company. (A 747 crossed the Atlantic several days later on a similar biofuel blend.) Keep reading →

 /  Published July 14, 2011 at 2:30 PM

AOL On AOL: Energy Use Right Here At Home

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With all of AOL Energy’s reporting on energy policy and regulation across the country and even the world, we have not forgotten to look at what we’re doing right here at home.

AOL has been busy implementing various energy savings programs since its very inception. According to AOL’s very own energy guru Brenda Rian, this was initially because data centers, filled with computers that host every word and program featured on AOL, easily gobble up megawatts of energy (This is mostly because the computers must be constantly cooled to prevent overheating). Keep reading →

 /  Published July 13, 2011 at 11:50 AM
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