Our Commitment

Introduction

Global View

• Global View

  Source: UN, 2004

  We face serious challenges as our earth struggles to keep up with the demands we place on it.
  
  Oil and gas reserves are low, people lack clean water, and energy prices are soaring. Population growth, urbanization trends, climate changes and water availability factor in to the relationship between consumption and environmental impact.

• Population Growth

  Source: UN, 2004

  Developing countries are growing at an unprecedented rate - and population growth is driving basic human needs, including access to energy and clean water. This increased demand on our natural resources will have serious environmental consequences.

• Uncontrolled Urbanization

  Source: UN, 2005

  Urban sprawl is a demanding force. It strains energy supply, requires more infrastructure and consumes land, all while damaging the environment. Urban sprawl directly affects the quality of life of people living in and around cities.

• Climate Change

  Fluctuations in CO2 and temperature over the last 300,000 years as inferred from Antarctic ice-core records. Source: Abstracted with permission from Fig 1B from Fedorov et al., Science 312:1485 (9 Jun 2006)

  As concerns build over greenhouse gas emissions and changes in our weather and geography, the policy landscape is being transformed as well. Companies now face serious climate regulations as we look to a low-carbon energy future.

• Drinking Water Supply

  Source: UN, 2003

  Population growth and urbanization, as well as industrial and agricultural growth, are creating demands for fresh water that will exceed the sustainable supply. Already, more than 1 billion people across the globe lack clean water.

Four Commitments

• Double Investments in Clean R&D

  

  GE is growing its research in cleaner technologies from US$ 900 million in 2006 to US$ 1.5 billion in 2010. Discover how GE is strengthening its ability to solve the tough problems of tomorrow.

  GE is investing in tomorrow's energy technologies - from renewables to hydrogen to the next generation of nuclear power. The company's ability to meet its ecomagination goals will require the full capability of the technologies GE has today and the creation of new ones that expand GE's ability to solve tough problems tomorrow.

  
  

  GE is well-funded across its four Global Research Centers (located in Shanghai, Munich, Bangalore and Schenectady) and across each of GE's six businesses, enabling the company to explore continuous improvement of existing products while searching for the next big breakthrough.

  
  

  While each business pursues R&D specific to its industry and product portfolios, the Global Research Centers are developing a broad technology portfolio to help customers and society meet a range of energy and environmental challenges.

  
  

  Some of the eco-technologies GE is working on are detailed below.

  
  

  Renewable energy initiatives

  
  

  GE is exploring a number of research programs to promote the development of renewable sources of energy, including the following:

  
  

  Wind energy

  Researchers are exploring more sophisticated wind turbines to better maximize wind capture and better integrate large-scale wind parks into the electric grid.

  
  

  Photovoltaics

  GE is investigating how to use photovoltaics to generate power from sunlight more cost-effectively. GE already manufactures solar electric power systems, including building and roof integrated tile systems, which can help reduce monthly energy costs by up to 60 percent.

  
  

  Biofuels

  Recognizing the benefits and availability of alternative fuels, GE continues to develop new technologies that enable its power-generation engine and turbine products to burn a wide variety of biofuels and make them more fuel flexible.

  
  

  Geothermal and waste heat

  GE is exploring ways to cost-effectively generate electricity from lower-temperature heat sources, including from waste heat in many industrial processes, and from geothermal energy stored in the earth's crust.

  
  

  Hydrogen energy

  GE researchers are leading the way to create technologies that provide the production, distribution and storage solutions needed to build a hydrogen infrastructure and utilize this more environmentally friendly carbon-free fuel for transportation and other purposes.

  
  

  Cleaner coal

  GE is working on the next phase of power generation to convert coal into a cleaner-burning fuel. By incorporating new technologies to improve the existing Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) system, researchers can increase process efficiency while reducing capital costs and atmospheric emissions.

  
  

  Transportation initiatives

  GE researchers are exploring new technologies to bring the Evolution™ Series locomotive platform to even higher standards for emissions reductions and fuel efficiency. In aviation, GE researchers have developed new technologies for the GEnx engine, delivering 15 percent better specific fuel consumption and 57 percent fewer NOx emissions than other engines in its class.

  
  

  Solid oxide fuel cells

  GE is designing distributed energy generation systems that will provide more cost effective grid solutions using hybrid power generation. Because solid oxide fuel cells can provide a continuous flow of power and operate at high temperatures, they will be able to greatly enhance energy efficiency in smaller power plants.

  
  

  Energy efficiency initiatives

  
  

  Looking 10 years ahead and beyond, GE researchers are working to commercialize organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting applications that will provide customers with an entirely different way to light homes and businesses. These applications will be mercury-free and deliver dramatically improved levels of efficiency.

  
  

  Water use and purification initiatives

  
  

  Scientists are investigating new membrane materials and innovative "advanced" separation technologies to further treat and improve the performance of on-site wastewater reuse and recycling for the industrial, agriculture and municipal sectors.

  
  
  
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• Increase Revenues from Ecomagination Products

  GE will grow revenues from products that provide significant environmental performance advantages to customers - to at least US$ 20 billion in 2010. Learn about GE's exciting ecomagination products.

  

  GE's ecomagination commitment is founded on a solid business strategy - to increase revenues for GE by providing solutions for customers that help improve their operating performance and environmental impact. GE is excited by its significant wins with the ecomagination products already in market, and looks forward to the gains that will be added once new products become certified. These gains are a central element of GE's decision to launch ecomagination - to increase shareowner returns.

  
  

  Ecomagination-certified products

  To ensure that product introduction is met with the highest degree of integrity, GE employs a rigorous qualification process to effectively certify new products for ecomagination. GE's process began with establishing a clear standard for ecomagination products based on two criteria. Ecomagination offerings are products or services that do the following:

  1. Improve customers' operating performance or value proposition

  2. Significantly and measurably improve customers' environmental performance

  
  

  Using this standard as a foundation, GE then created a process to evaluate individual product performance. The outcome of this process is the Ecomagination Product Review (EPR) scorecard, which quantifies the product's environmental impacts and benefits relative to other products. To ensure the accuracy of the scorecard, GE worked with GreenOrder to provide independent, quantitative environmental analysis and verification of GE's product claims.

  
  

  Our ecomagination-certified products include:

  
  

  Water

  
  

  Desalination

  GE's installed desalination platforms reclaim more than 2 billion gallons of water a day for a range of purposes—equivalent to the water required daily by more than 150 million people, or half the United States.

  
  

  Aviation

  
  

  GEnx

  The GEnx aircraft engine uses an innovative Twin Annular Pre-Swirl (TAPS) technology to burn fuel more cleanly, while its composite fan blade and case design decrease weight and increase fuel efficiency.

  
  

  GE90-115B

  The GE90-115B engine is the most powerful commercial aircraft engine ever built, yet it also ranks as one of the quietest.

  
  

  CFM56-3 upgrade

  The upgrade for the CFM56-3 aircraft engine achieves engine compressor efficiency enhancements through a 3-D aero design yielding a 1.6 percent reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

  
  

  Marine

  
  

  LM2500+ marine engine

  The LM2500+ marine engine weighs about 76 percent less than a comparable diesel engine, occupies roughly 80 percent of the space and reduces emissions of nitrogen oxide and particulates by 62 percent and sulfur dioxide by 93 percent on a typical trans-Atlantic cruise.

  
  

  Rail

  
  

  Evolution™ Series locomotive

  In the U.S., GE's Evolution™ Series locomotive uses a new GEVO 12-cylinder diesel engine that produces the same power as its 16-cylinder predecessor while using less fuel and generating up to 40 percent less nitrous oxide and particulate matter emissions.

  
  

  Hybrid locomotive

  GE's hybrid locomotive is designed to capture and store the energy dissipated when braking a 207-ton locomotive, then use that energy to produce more horsepower and reduce emissions when compared to the freight locomotives operating today.

  
  

  China Mainline Evolution

  The 16-cylinder engine powering the China Mainline locomotive reduces emissions by 40 percent while improving fuel efficiency.

  
  

  Energy

  
  

  Wind turbines

  GE's global installed base of wind turbines provides enough energy to power 1.5 million U.S. homes - reducing the amount of electricity needed from fuel-powered generation sources and preventing annual greenhouse gas emissions of 11.4 million tons.

  
  

  Cleaner coal

  GE's Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology converts coal into a cleaner burning fuel that can be burned in a gas turbine to generate electricity.

  
  

  H System™ turbine

  As one of the most advanced gas turbine combined cycle systems in the world, the 7H reduces annual carbon dioxide emissions by 73,000 tons compared to a typical gas turbine combined cycle plant.

  
  

  Solar photovoltaics

  GE's solar technology continues to grow in popularity. It enables people to harness the sun's energy to generate their own power and realize savings of up to 60 percent on their monthly energy costs.

  
  

  Jenbacher coal mine methane, landfill gas and biogas engines

  Power generation using methane-based fuels is an excellent way to manage a gas with 23 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

  
  

  LMS100

  The LMS100 is the most efficient simple-cycle gas turbine available today.

  
  

  Consumer & industrial

  
  

  Compact fluorescent lighting

  GE makes more than 50 models of compact fluorescent bulbs. Of all the screw-in CFLs GE sold in 2005, 99 percent were ENERGY STAR®-qualified, producing energy savings of up to 75 percent.

  
  

  T8 & T5 fluorescent lamps

  When combined with Ultramax electronic ballasts, T8 and T5 fluorescent lamps are over 40 percent more efficient than the traditional T12 fluorescent lamps found in many buildings today.

  
  

  ENERGY STAR®-qualified front-load washers

  The GE front-load washer exceeds 2004 ENERGY STAR® guidelines by 28 percent and already meets 2007 energy standards. The washer saves up to 23 gallons of water per load, or 61 percent of the water used by a typical washer. In fact, the front-load washer can pay for itself in water and energy savings over the course of its life.

  
  

  ENERGY STAR®-qualified water dispensers

  GE ENERGY STAR®-qualified water dispensers save up to 25 percent of the energy required to power a non-ENERGY STAR® model.

  
  

  ENERGY STAR®-qualified refrigerators

  GE ENERGY STAR®-qualified refrigerators use at least 15 percent less energy than federal standards currently require.

  
  

  XUSDD ULTRA® motor

  When compared to most existing industrial motors, the GE X$D ULTRA® uses significantly less energy, which means fewer carbon dioxide emissions. It meets or exceeds NEMA Premium® standards and is manufactured with vibration levels substantially lower than NEMA and IEEE 841 standards. On average, the X$D ULTRA® motor operates 40 percent cooler than NEMA class B insulation standards.

  
  

  Halogen HIR™ lamps

  GE Halogen HIR™ lamps consume up to 28 percent less energy than standard halogen lamps of the same lumen output.

  
  

  Diamond Precise® lamps

  Compared to the standard 50-watt halogen PAR20 and incandescent R20 lamps, GE's Diamond Precise® lamps reduce energy consumption by 58 percent.

  
  
  
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• Reduce Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions

  GE is committed to improving the energy efficiency of its operations and reducing company greenhouse gas emissions. Read about GE's 1-30-30 plan and its power-saving technologies.

  

  One of GE's four pledges under ecomagination is to improve the energy efficiency of its operations and reduce the company's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GE's plan to achieve this is called 1-30-30.

  
  

  The "1" reflects the percentage by which GE will reduce its absolute GHG emissions worldwide by 2012 - a big goal given that GHG emissions would otherwise have grown substantially based upon current business growth projections. GE also committed to reduce the intensity of its GHG emissions 30 percent by 2008 and improve energy efficiency 30 percent by the end of 2012. Improving energy efficiency also means big energy savings for GE, of course - another way ecomagination is rewarding investors.

  
  

  By making a public commitment and then tracking the results, GE is leading by example, demonstrating how one company can make a difference.

  
  

  Greenhouse gas reductions + energy efficiency = big savings

  In the first quarter of each year, GE collects initial GHG inventory data for the previous year from approximately 550 of its locations around the world. Following this initial phase the company goes through an extensive quality control/quality assurance process to identify any errors in the data. Upon completion of this process the results are published on GE's Web site, along with an extensive discussion of the company's methodology. For more information, visit GE's most recent global GHG inventory results.

  
  

  In light of the substantial growth that GE anticipates between 2004 and 2012, the company recognizes that its 1 percent absolute GHG reduction goal presents a challenge. To ensure GE meets its goals, the company has taken a number of actions, including:

  
  

  » Forming an internal cross-business, cross-functional team to develop program details and requirements and to identify and drive implementation of best practices and deployment of GE technology

  » Setting goals for GE businesses' reduction plans

  » Involving top management in the development of business plans for meeting reduction targets

  » Launching a company-wide communication campaign to engage all employees and locations in this effort

  
  

  Energy-saving alternatives: Re-lamping

  After recommending lighting retrofits to customers as a way to cut energy spending, GE took its own advice. So began a two-year plan to retrofit lighting at 148 of GE's industrial and manufacturing warehouses worldwide - an effort that could cut annual lighting energy costs at each facility an average of 50 percent. On average, each facility will reduce annual energy consumption by about 1.4 million kWh and realize approximately US$ 86,000 in energy-cost savings each year. On a larger scale, the retrofitting will reduce yearly enterprise-wide energy consumption by an estimated 210.5 million kWh and save GE Industrial US$ 12.8 million in energy costs every year. GE Industrial expects to produce 155,700 fewer metric tons of CO2 annually as a result of the improvement - the equivalent of planting more than 45,000 acres or 70 square miles of trees.

  
  

  While GE works to meet energy challenges at home, it is also applying re-lamping efforts to promote business growth. A number of GE customers are converting their facilities with the new energy-saving lighting systems. Limited Brands has worked closely with GE to introduce the most energy efficient lighting products in Limited Brands' stores. For example, they replaced 75-watt halogen lamps with GE's 55-watt alternative that delivers the same quality and quantity of light - reducing their energy consumption by 26 percent. In another project, Limited recently replaced 135-watt incandescent lamps with 32-watt compact fluorescents, saving 103 watts per socket. Between the two projects, more than 400,000 sockets are being converted, which has a major impact on both Limited's bottom line and the environment.

  
  

  Calculate the energy savings you'll gain by re-lamping your lighting system.

  
  
  
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• Keep the Public Informed

  This Web site is just one way GE publicly reports its progress in meeting its goals. Discover all the ways GE regularly engages stakeholders on its ecomagination commitments.

  

  True transparency cannot exist solely as one-way communication or issuing documents. Its clarity comes from the give-and-take between interested parties - a free exchange of information, ideas, comments and constructive criticism. As part of GE's overall corporate effort to improve transparency, the company now issues an annual Citizenship report to track environmental and social responsibility goals, and expands on its Ecomagination commitment in a separate Ecomagination report.

  
  

  External measurements are also an important indicator of GE's progress. In the past few years, GE has been selected for several credible, socially responsible investment (SRI) indices, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), KLD Global Climate 100 Index and Innovest Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World index.

  
  

  The engagement process

  To ensure that ecomagination research, innovation and customer demands are met, Jeff Immelt appointed Lorraine Bolsinger as vice president of ecomagination. She manages the entire program across GE, uniting marketing and sales with environment, health and safety leaders to meet the goals of the initiative, and of the company.

  
  

  Bolsinger also spearheads GE's commitment to keep the public informed by liaising with customers, government officials and non-governmental organizations around the world to address the interests of GE and the communities where it operates.

  
  

  In addition to this outreach, GE utilizes several vehicles to engage the public, including its Web site, special engagements and conferences, stakeholder events, and "dreaming sessions" with customers on issues that will affect specific industries over the next 10 years.

  
  

  Global events

  GE participates in dozens of global forums as part of its commitment to keep the public informed. Past examples include the Clinton Global Initiative and the Business for Social Responsibility Annual Conference.

  
  

  Customer dreaming sessions

  GE's approach to working with customers in new ways began with a series of "dreaming sessions," first held in 2005, as a more formal way to involve customers in helping to shape its strategy.

  
  

  Ecomagination Advisory Council

  One of the ways that GE hopes to increase its engagement with the public is through the Ecomagination Advisory Council. The council will be comprised of a board of six to eight industry thought leaders with expertise in energy and the environment. The council will meet at least once per year at GE's Global Research Center in New York and will focus on giving GE guidance on its technology research and investments. Council members will be asked to participate in quarterly conference calls, provide new ideas on ecomagination, help generate or review white papers for distribution to key stakeholders and participate in GE-sponsored events and other forums that engage the public.

  
  

  Ecomagination Web site

  The GE ecomagination Web site provides a forum for the latest information on ecomagination progress, advertising and products. This Web site is available in several languages and welcomes your feedback. Click here to share your thoughts on the ecomagination Web site.

  
  
  
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