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Spotlight on: GE Energy

Q & A with Steve Oswald, Power Generation Account Manager for GE Energy

Tell us a little bit about your company.
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, we serve customers in more than 100 countries and employ more than 300,000 people worldwide.

Our GE Energy business unit is focused on serving the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With 60,000 global employees and 2008 revenues of US$38.6 billion, we are one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. One of our major areas of focus is power generation from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biogas and other alternative fuels, as well as cleaner coal technology.

We have also commenced a global initiative that we call ecomagination. This is our business strategy to help meet customers' demand for products that improve their bottom line and reduce their impact on the environment. Ecomagination also reflects our commitment to invest in a future that creates innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

Our commitments include:

  • Grow Revenues - strive to increase revenues from independently-certified ecomagination products to US$25B in 2010 . Revenues were $17B in 2008.
  • Invest in R&D - expand investments in cleaner technologies to US$1.5B per annum by 2010. Our Cleantech R&D was $1.4B in 2008.
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions - reduce by 1% vs. 2004 baseline. Absolute emissions were down 13% from 2004 to 2008, and emissions intensity down 41%.
  • Reduce Water Use & Improve Water Reuse - reduce water usage by 20% by 2012. We are on track to meet this.

We have operated in Australia for over 100 years (GE's involvement in Australia dates back to 1902 when we installed the electric motors to open the Pyrmont Bridge over Darling Harbour in Sydney - a leading innovation of its time, and still the world's oldest surviving electrically-operated swing-span bridge) and we employ over 6000 people. Our 2008 revenues in Australia and NZ were US$6.8B making the region the fourth-highest in GE revenues outside the US.

Why did you decide to join the Clean Energy Council?
It is essential that participants in the clean energy and energy efficiency sectors have a united, strong and effective voice in the formulation of public policy and in the raising of public awareness. The Clean Energy Council provides this voice. It's also a good forum to keep up to date with developments in the broader industry and to access industry research.

What opportunities do you see for your company in the clean energy area?
At a global level, electricity consumption is forecast to more than double between now and 2030, and this growth will need to come predominately from clean energy sources. GE’s expertise in each of these technologies, means we are uniquely placed to help meet the growing global demand for renewable energy.

Energy efficiency also has a role to play in a sustainable future, and we are actively developing and commercialising technology that uses energy more efficiently such as our Smart Grid solutions.
This grid management technology enables more efficient delivery of energy, integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity grid and demand side management through time-of-use metering and information management. We also manufacture some of the world's most efficient lighting and electrical distribution systems.

One of the challenges in Australia is the uncertainty around the form and timing of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is delaying the major investment decisions that are required for the broader energy industry to reduce carbon intensity.

Which person in the renewable energy or environmental space would you most like to have around for dinner and why?
I would nominate Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC - I could not think of someone with a more difficult or fascinating job.