General Electric proposes fastest pathway to low carbon future

In the global race to carbon neutrality in the next 30 years, countries and companies are seeking optimal energy mixes to stay resilient and General Electric is crafting a master plan for its future.

Building on its commitment to carbon neutrality in its operations by 2030 and having announced intention to exit the new-build coal power market, GE has shared its position that the accelerated and strategic deployment of both renewable energy and gas power can make substantial progress in combating climate change in the near term while securing a path to a lower-carbon emitting world in the future.

In a newly published paper expanding on its decades-long commitment to decarbonisation titled “Accelerated Growth of Renewables and Gas Power Can Rapidly Change the Trajectory on Climate Change”, GE said neither power source will be sufficient alone; however, deployed in tandem, they can provide decarbonisation at the pace and scale needed to help achieve substantial climate goals.

In addition, the paper outlines multiple technical pathways for gas power to achieve a lower-carbon generating footprint through the use of low and zero-carbon fuels – including hydrogen – as well as carbon capture utilisation and sequestration (CCUS) technologies.

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“Addressing climate change is an urgent global priority and one that we think we can do a better job of accelerating progress on – starting now – not decades from now,” said Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Gas Power.

“We believe there are critical and meaningful roles for both gas power and renewable sources of energy to play, advancing global progress faster today with coal-to-gas switching while continuing to develop multiple pathways for low-to-zero carbon gas technologies in the future,” Strazik said.

To help meet urgent climate goals while at the same time increasing power demand across the globe, the report details the merits of gas-fired generation as a complement to support and accelerate renewable energy penetration:

Gas is reliable, inexpensive, and does not require a lot of land; the ideal complement to renewable energy. While renewable power is variable, gas power is dispatchable, dependable and flexible, available as much as 90 percent of the time.

The near-term impact of coal-to-gas switching represents a fast and effective win for emissions reduction in many regions around the world.

For example, since 2007, power sector CO2 emissions in the United States have dropped by about one third while total electricity generation has remained fairly constant. The CO2 emissions reduction attributed to coal-to-gas switching was greater than that from any other fuel source.

The position paper provides technology and market overviews of several sources of power generation including renewables, gas, coal and nuclear as well as technology breakthroughs needed to make battery storage more cost-competitive.

“With more than 125 years of experience across the electricity industry, GE is well-positioned alongside our customers to continue to lead the way and drive the future of energy,” said Vic Abate, GE senior vice president and chief technology officer and former CEO of both GE’s Gas Power and Renewables businesses.

GE Renewable Energy is continuing to invest in technology innovations that are driving down the cost of renewable energy, a key driver of the industry’s continued growth as noted in the whitepaper. The company recently announced that its Haliade-X offshore wind turbine, the most powerful turbine in operation today, will be upgraded to 13 megawatts (MW) as part of the first two phases of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the United Kingdom.

GE’s gas turbine portfolio is built on an 80-year gas turbine technology heritage that is unparalleled in the power generation industry and GE’s HA gas turbine – the world’s most efficient gas turbine and fastest-growing fleet – has established several industry-firsts and secured two world records.