Holidaymakers sipping a Coca Cola while sunning themselves on a Greek island this summer might not realise it, but they are part of a chain of innovation in the energy sector that is helping to reduce Europe’s carbon emissions.
Coca-Cola has used technology developed in the Austrian town of Jenbach, after which GE’s Jenbacher gas engine business is named, to significantly cut carbon emissions from its European bottling plants, helping the European Union to meet guidelines on environmental targets.
The Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company has been installing a total of 15 combined heat and power (CHP) plants at bottling facilities in 12 countries, featuring GE’s Jenbacher units, which are able to run on nearly any gaseous fuel source. They will generate electricity to meet the need for a reliable source of on-site power, while also capturing the by-product heat generated by the engine for heating purposes.
As well as making good business sense, the engines have a wider benefit. Thanks to the greater energy efficiency and lower emissions of CHP technology, each bottling plant utilising GE’s Jenbacher gas engines will be able to eliminate more than 40 percent of its annual carbon dioxide emissions.
CHP: The key to energy efficiency
The European Commission wants European Union countries to help the continent achieve a 20 percent reduction in emissions by 2020. Currently, the European Union generates 11 percent of its electricity using cogeneration, saving Europe an estimated 35m tons of oil equivalent a year.
Technology such as GE’s for gas engines is therefore vital if Europe – and the rest of the world – is to address its energy problems. Currently, two-thirds of all fuel is wasted globally. And the problem is likely to grow: global demand for energy is set to increase by 44 percent in the next 20 years. Growing at the same rate will be calls to cut greenhouse gases. The pressure for companies to reduce waste and drive energy efficiency will continue from all quarters.
Hence the importance of technology like combined heat and power. Also known as cogeneration, CHP is inherently more energy efficient than using separate power and heat generating sources, making it an effective anti-pollution strategy. That’s why from coal mines in the Ukraine to cow farms in the American countryside to luxury hotels in Singapore, businesses are using GE’s Jenbacher gas engines to power their facilities in one of the cleanest, most efficient ways possible.
Many recognise that renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind power will play an important role in meeting those needs. But, those technologies cannot do it alone. That means finding cleaner, more efficient ways of using fossil fuels.
A commitment to innovation
But being able to generate more energy and reduce harmful emissions from fossil fuels can only come with technological advances, and it is here that Jenbacher’s innovation comes into play. Beyond its ability to operate on natural gas at top efficiency, GE’s Jenbacher gas engine technology makes it possible to generate power while disposing of environmentally harmful gases (such as from landfill, agriculture, mining and chemical plants). The utilisation of these gases for power generation ensures the long-term economic viability of GE’s Jenbacher power systems, while continuing to set the environmental standard for energy production and waste management around the world. By enabling the use of a broad range of gases, GE’s gas engines will continue to reduce emissions and encourage efficient use of natural resources.
The recently-launched J920 provides top of its class electrical efficiency. Developed as part of ecomagination, GE’s commitment to build innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges, the engine can provide enough energy for 18,500 average European households. With an electrical efficiency of 48.7 percent, it prevents around 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions every year – the equivalent of removing 800 European cars from the roads. Coupled with a significant reduction in lifecycle costs and lower fuel consumption, the new engine is an important step in not only helping companies meet the competitive challenges of the global economy, but in giving added impetus to the march towards more efficient use of energy resources.
The development of the J920 is just one example of GE’s longstanding commitment to innovation – a concept that has guided the company from its earliest years, when Thomas Edison perfected the light bulb, to the revolutionary technology of today.
Three drivers of innovation
But innovation, by its very nature, cannot be static; so GE’s approach to innovation continues to evolve. The company’s recent Innovation Barometer – which polled 1,000 business leaders in a dozen countries – revealed three key changes to the way innovation is happening today, all of which chime with GE’s approach.
First, cooperation is vital: innovation is no longer about a single organisation’s success. Second, innovation is driven as much by smaller and medium-sized firms as larger ones. And third, to effect change, finding solutions that work at a local level is crucial. More than three quarters of respondents in the survey said innovation must be tailored to local market needs.
Jenbacher products therefore place GE at the forefront of this new paradigm. The company’s flex fuel enables distributed power generation to be provided in remote regions throughout the world, and the engines themselves are able to run on nearly limitless resources: biogas, landfill gas, steel gas, ethanol, methane. This refusal to subscribe to the ‘one-size-fits-all’ theory of innovation highlights how the Jenbacher team is applying its products to meet particular needs in particular segments, as it works closely with its customers to learn what issues they have and develop specific solutions.
An award winning technology
With a commitment to technology embedded in everything we do, GE’s Jenbacher gas engine business is delighted to have been named Best Carbon Markets Energy Efficiency Pioneer for Western Europe in the World Finance Carbon Awards 2011. These awards pay homage to companies from around the world which offer the pioneering methodologies and are making the investments required to achieve the significant reduction in carbon output that is needed to safeguard the environment.
It is only through constant innovation and technological excellence that the world will be able to address its energy needs in the years ahead. Such innovation will continue to be one of the defining features of both Jenbacher gas engines and GE Energy.
It is through technologies like gas engines that the world will be able to contain its carbon footprint, something that is vital if we are to protect the future of the environment in a sustainable, effective way.
Prady Iyyanki is CEO gas engines for GE Power & Water
