GE Energy Expands Suite of Services for the Wind Industry
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Customer Portal, WindBOOST(TM) Control System Among Newest Offerings
Windpower 2009
Booth 4148
CHICAGO, ILL.-May 5, 2009-GE Energy announced today it is expanding its services portfolio for the U.S. wind industry. GE's experience and expertise will help customers maximize energy production and optimize wind turbine performance throughout the life of their wind farms. GE Energy offers the broadest suite of services in the industry ranging from operations and maintenance to advanced diagnostics.
"GE is dedicated to providing our customers with a wide spectrum of services to operate their wind farms for maximum efficiency," said Victor Abate, vice president, renewables for GE Energy. "We can customize our service offerings to meet our customers' changing needs, from partnering with our customers through joint agreements, to providing comprehensive coverage over the life of the wind turbine backed by the world class technology of the turbine OEM.
"GE service offerings being highlighted at Windpower 2009 "illustrate how we continue to invest in our services platform, across all product lines. We are investing more than $20 million in R&D focused solely on services," said Abate. "Our core focus is to leverage technology to respond quickly and efficiently, helping our customers increase productivity and improve their competitive positions in today's demanding energy industry."
Among the service tools being showcased are:
o My Wind Manager Customer Portal. GE is expanding the owner's service experience by introducing a Web-based owner's portal, designed to put key information at customers' fingertips to help them manage their wind farms more efficiently. This easy-to-access Web portal into GE's services portfolio is a one-stop, online solution providing customers with a single GE point of contact for key wind farm applications. With a logon ID, the portal will provide site as well as turbine-specific information and establishes a stronger communications channel between GE and its customers.
The initial release of the customer portal will provide access to an online parts catalog, which is a search and picture driven application that supports the parts ordering process. It also will provide easy and fast access to information about upgrades, technical information including TIL's, special parts offers and product updates. Future site updates will continue to expand the functionality of the portal.
o Modular Service Concept. In response to customer requests for more flexible operation and maintenance and service solutions, GE has introduced a modular concept. The service modules enable customers to choose from fixed and variable work scopes to customize service coverage to meet their specific requirements. From tech support to comprehensive coverage with industry-leading availability guarantees, and a wide range of advanced wind services, GE can meet the customer's service needs. Additional aspects of the modular service include:
Parts Support. Availability of wind turbine parts is critical to reliable wind farm operations. GE has staffed a 7x24 parts fulfillment center in Schenectady, N.Y. that features new online ordering tools. This facility, combined with a GE parts warehouse and operation center in Memphis, Tenn., can provide both managed inventory support as well as critical overnight parts delivery, when needed.
Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics. GE Energy's customer support and remote monitoring centers in Schenectady, N.Y. and Salzbergen, Germany, provide monitoring and diagnostic services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The mission of these centers is to increase equipment availability, reduce downtime and operational costs and maximize asset durability through GE proprietary remote troubleshooting and state-of-the-art engineering support.
A feature of GE's booth (# 4148) at Windpower 2009 is a fully functioning renewables operations center that demonstrates how GE monitors, troubleshoots and remotely operates wind turbines, helping customers maximize energy production. The station is connected directly to operating wind farms, giving booth visitors a window into real-time site operations.
o Upgrades. Based on experience gained from an installed base of more than 12,000 wind turbines, GE continues to develop next generation upgrades to maximize revenues. Upgrades are focused on improved reliability and availability as well as greater output. Two of the newest upgrades include:
WindBOOST(TM) control system is a software upgrade that can increase the output of GE's 1.5-megawatt wind turbine to 1.6 megawatts, resulting in increased revenue for wind farm operators.
Condition Based Maintenance. Based on more than 50 years of experience of GE's OC Bently Nevada team, GE is able to offer proven vibration monitoring and analysis technology that allows early detection of drive train issues, enabling customers to take proactive inspection and repair measures to manage and solve these issues while minimizing cost and maximizing fleet availability.
o Regional Service Centers. To support growing wind fleets, GE has opened regional service centers such as the facility in Sweetwater, Texas, where specialized teams of wind technicians work in coordination with GE remote monitoring and diagnostics and technical support organizations to optimize the performance of wind turbine power plants in the area.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2008 revenue of $29.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE's corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.
About GE
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work.
For more information contact:
Milissa Rocker
GE Energy
t: +1 518 385 2381
e: milissa.rocker@ge.com
Ken Darling
Masto Public Relations
t: +1 518 786 6488
e: kenneth.darling@ge.com
Howard Masto
Masto Public Relations
t: + 1 518 786 6488
e: howard.masto@ge.com
