Sunday, May 1, 2011

GE Brief Review







Type

Public
Dow Jones Industrial Average Component



Traded as

NYSE: GE

Industry Conglomerate

Founded Schenectady, New York (1892)

Founder(s)

Thomas Edison
Elihu Thomson
Edwin J. Houston
Charles A. Coffin

Headquarters

3135 Easton Turnpike
Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.[1]

Area served Worldwide

Key people

Jeffrey R. Immelt (Chairman and CEO)
Jack Welch (Former Chairman and CEO 1981-2001)

Products

Appliances
Aviation
Consumer Electronics
Electrical distribution
Energy
Entertainment
Finance
Gas
Healthcare
Lighting
Locomotives
Oil
Software
Water
Weapons
Wind turbines

Revenue US$ 104.635 billion (2010)[2]

Operating income US$ 15.166 billion (2010)[2]

Net income US$ 12.163 billion (2010)[2]

Total assets US$ 751.216 billion (2010)[2]

Total equity US$ 124.198 billion (2010)[2]

Employees 287,000 (2010)[2]

Subsidiaries

GE Energy
GE Technology Infrastructure
GE Capital
NBCUniversal (49%)
GE Home & Business Solutions

Website GE.com


THOMAS EDISON & GE.




The year was 1876, America's centennial, and for most Americans, a time for looking backward with pride. For others like Thomas Edison it was a time to look forward to the possibilities that lay ahead. The electrical exhibits at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia marked the beginning of a productive new era of harnessing our imagination.
1876 was also the year that Thomas Alva Edison opened a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where he could explore the possibilities of the dynamo and other electrical devices that he had seen in the Exposition. Out of that laboratory was to come perhaps the greatest invention of the age - a successful incandescent electric lamp.


By 1890, Edison established the Edison General Electric Company by bringing his various businesses together.

During that period, a competitor emerged. The Thomson-Houston Company became a dominant electrical innovation company through a series of mergers led by Charles A. Coffin, a former shoe manufacturer from Lynn, Massachusetts.

As both businesses expanded, it had become increasingly difficult for either company to produce complete electrical installations relying solely on their own patents and technologies. In 1892, the two companies combined. They called the new organization the General Electric Company.

Several of Edison's early business offerings are still part of GE today, including lighting, transportation, industrial products, power transmission, and medical equipment. The first GE Appliances electric fans were produced at the Ft. Wayne electric works as early as the 1890s, while a full line of heating and cooking devices were developed in 1907. GE Aircraft Engines, the division's name only since 1987, actually began its story in 1917 when the U.S. government began its search for a company to develop the first airplane engine "booster" for the fledgling U.S. aviation industry. Thomas Edison's experiments with plastic filaments for light bulbs in 1893 led to the first GE Plastics department, created in 1930.

GE's leaders through the years have built a diverse portfolio of leading businesses; a stream of powerful company-wide initiatives that drives growth and reduces cost; financial strength and Controllership that allow it to capitalize on opportunities through numerous cycles; and a set of common values that allows it to face any environment with confidence.

The Schenectady Museum maintains an archive of historical GE information and photography in its Hall of History. For more information, contact:

Hall of Electrical History
15 Nott Terrace Heights
Schenectady, New York 12308

Saturday, January 1, 2011

HYDROPOWER AN INTRODUCTION

Introduction:-

Hydropower is energy extracted from moving water. However it is essentially another way of trapping the sun;s energy since it is the sun which drives the flow of water on the planet – the so called hydrologic cycle.

The main water reservoirs are of course the oceans and the sun’s energy warms the ocean water and the degree of warming depends on location. The warmer the water, the greater the degree of evaporation and the higher the concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere. This process has an enormous effect on the earth’s climate and for example is the main driving force behind hurricanes. As the water vapor laden air rises, it cools, the water condenses and clouds form. The clouds are blown onshore and over land. If conditions are right, perhaps as the air mass rises over a mountain range, the clouds cool sufficiently for the condensed water to reach the point where rain, or even snow is formed. This precipitation eventually makes its way back downhill to the ocean. On its way, some of it replenishes natural underground reservoirs, irrigates agricultural lands, and some of it is used to produce power.



Hydro Cycle
(Idaho National Engineering Laboratory)

More than 200 years ago, the Greeks used falling water to power grinding wheels and in the 1700’s it was used extensively in the industrial revolution to power mills and pumps. Nowadays, power is normally produced by using falling water to power electrical turbines. Since the availability of water is ultimately dependent on precipitation, water is normally stored behind dams to better control the availability of electricity.

Among the renewables, water is the second greatest source of electricity production and hydroelectric plants operate where suitable waterways are available. In the developed world at least, many of the best of these sites have already been developed.

Generating electricity using water has several advantages. The major advantage is that water is a source of cheap power and requires no imported fuel. In addition, because there is no fuel combustion, there is little air pollution in comparison with fossil fuel plants and limited thermal pollution compared with nuclear plants. However the building of dams, floods land, reduces the river’s flow downstream, which affects the habitats of the local plant, fish, and animal life, and is one reason this form of renewable power has so many opponents. Thus, like other energy sources, the use of water for generation has limitations, including environmental impacts.


Historical Growth

The generation of hydroelectric power increased by 366 billion kilowatthours between 1992 and 2001, or at an average annual rate of 1.7 percent.


Source: International Energy Agency

Canada, Brazil, China, the United States, and Russia, were the five largest producers of hydroelectric power in 2001. Their combined hydroelectric power generation accounted for 48 percent of the world total. Canada led the world with 328 billion kilowatthours or 3.4 quadrillion Btu, Brazil ranked second with 266 billion kilowatthours or 2.8 quadrillion Btu and China was third with 263 billion kilowatthours or 2.7 quadrillion Btu. The United States was fourth with 209 billion kilowatthours or 2.1 quadrillion Btu, followed by Russia with 174 billion kilowatthours or 1.8 quadrillion Btu. This is mirrired by the installed generating capacity figures shown below



Installed Generating Capacity
Source: International Energy Agency

The Future

The general consensus appears to be that hydropower will not grow as rapidly as other renewable energy sources because of the concerns over its environmental impacts.

The US DOE (AEA 2004) projects no growth in hydroelectric power generation within the USA, but rather a steady state at 309,000 GWh compared to its peak of 354 GWh in 1997 and 308 GWh in 2003.

However more than 60 %of the increase in world primary energy demand, between 2000 and 2030, will come from developing countries especially in Asia. More than a quarter of the world ’s population has no access to electricity and, although the number of people without power supplies will fall in the coming decades, a projected 1.4 billion people will still be without electricity in 2030. (IEA 2002). To extend electricity supplies to the energy poor and give them better access to other forms of modern energy, stronger government policies and coordinated international action will be essential. Renewable energy will play a growing role in the world’s primary energy mix. Hydropower has long been a major source of electricity production. Its share in global primary energy will hold steady, but its share of electricity generation will fall.

This has to be set in the context however of a rapidly growing energy demand, so losing ground does not necessarily mean standing still. A study by the Utility Data Institute, USA, predicts that a world total of 695 GW of new electricity capacity will come on line in the next ten years from all sources, 22 per cent of which will be hydropower. The world’s total technical feasible hydro potential is estimated at 14,000 TWh/year, of which about 8000 TWh/year is currently considered economically feasible for development. About 700 GW (or about 2600 TWh/year) is already in operation, with a further 108 GW under construction. Most of the remaining potential is in Africa, Asia and Latin America. A number of countries, such as China India, Iran and Turkey, are undertaking large-scale hydro development programmes, and there are projects under con-struction in about 80 countries. According to the recent world surveys, conducted for the Hydropower & Dams World Atlas & Industry Guide, a number of countries see hydropower as the key to their future economic development: Examples are Sudan, Rwanda, Mali, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Myanmar, Bhutan, Cambodia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Costa Rica, and Guyana.

References and Useful Links

Green Directory: http://www.greenjobs.com/Public/GreenDirectory/green_directory.htm
British Hydropower Assoc: http://www.british-hydro.org/
Canadian Hydropower Assoc: http://www.canhydropower.org
Guidelines for Hydropower: http://www.eeca.govt.nz/programmes/renewable/whatarethey/hydro.aspx
How stuff works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant.htm
Hydropower and the World's Energy Future, November 2000: http://www.ieahydro.org/Bur-Recl-web/Hydrofut.pdf
IEA Hydro: http://www.ieahydro.org/
INEEL Hydropower program: http://hydropower.inel.gov/
International Center for Hydropower: http://www.ntnu.no/ich/
International Hydropower Association: http://www.hydropower.org/
National Hydropower Association: http://www.hydro.org/
National Renewable Energy Laboratory:http://www.nrel.gov/programs/wind_hydro.html
REPPCrest Hydro: http://solstice.crest.org/hydro/
US Bureau of Reclamation: http://www.usbr.gov/power/edu/edu.htm
US DOE Hydropower: http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/hydropower.html
US Hydropower Council for International Development: http://www.us-hydropower.org/
Wisconsin Valley: http://www.wvic.com/hydro-facts.htm
Word Energy Council: http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/publications/reports/ser/hydro/hydro.asp

Hydro Power Generation History and Future


Introduction
Hydropower is energy extracted from moving water. However it is essentially another way of trapping the sun;s energy since it is the sun which drives the flow of water on the planet – the so called hydrologic cycle.


Hydro Cycle:- 
The main water reservoirs are of course the oceans and the sun’s energy warms the ocean water and the degree of warming depends on location. The warmer the water, the greater the degree of evaporation and the higher the concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere. This process has an enormous effect on the earth’s climate and for example is the main driving force behind hurricanes. As the water vapor laden air rises, it cools, the water condenses and clouds form. The clouds are blown onshore and over land. If conditions are right, perhaps as the air mass rises over a mountain range, the clouds cool sufficiently for the condensed water to reach the point where rain, or even snow is formed. This precipitation eventually makes its way back downhill to the ocean. On its way, some of it replenishes natural underground reservoirs, irrigates agricultural lands, and some of it is used to produce power.

Hydrologic Cycle
Idaho National Engineering Laboratory:
More than 200 years ago, the Greeks used falling water to power grinding wheels and in the 1700’s it was used extensively in the industrial revolution to power mills and pumps. Nowadays, power is normally produced by using falling water to power electrical turbines. Since the availability of water is ultimately dependent on precipitation, water is normally stored behind dams to better control the availability of electricity.

Among the renewables, water is the second greatest source of electricity production and hydroelectric plants operate where suitable waterways are available. In the developed world at least, many of the best of these sites have already been developed.

Generating electricity using water has several advantages. The major advantage is that water is a source of cheap power and requires no imported fuel. In addition, because there is no fuel combustion, there is little air pollution in comparison with fossil fuel plants and limited thermal pollution compared with nuclear plants. However the building of dams, floods land, reduces the river’s flow downstream, which affects the habitats of the local plant, fish, and animal life, and is one reason this form of renewable power has so many opponents. Thus, like other energy sources, the use of water for generation has limitations, including environmental impacts. 

Historical Growth
The generation of hydroelectric power increased by 366 billion kilowatthours between 1992 and 2001, or at an average annual rate of 1.7 percent.


Source: International Energy Agency

Canada, Brazil, China, the United States, and Russia, were the five largest producers of hydroelectric power in 2001. Their combined hydroelectric power generation accounted for 48 percent of the world total. Canada led the world with 328 billion kilowatthours or 3.4 quadrillion Btu, Brazil ranked second with 266 billion kilowatthours or 2.8 quadrillion Btu and China was third with 263 billion kilowatthours or 2.7 quadrillion Btu. The United States was fourth with 209 billion kilowatthours or 2.1 quadrillion Btu, followed by Russia with 174 billion kilowatthours or 1.8 quadrillion Btu. This is mirrired by the installed generating capacity figures shown below

Installed Generating Capacity
Source: International Energy Agency

The Future:

The general consensus appears to be that hydropower will not grow as rapidly as other renewable energy sources because of the concerns over its environmental impacts.

The US DOE (AEA 2004) projects no growth in hydroelectric power generation within the USA, but rather a steady state at 309,000 GWh compared to its peak of 354 GWh in 1997 and 308 GWh in 2003.

However more than 60 %of the increase in world primary energy demand, between 2000 and 2030, will come from developing countries especially in Asia. More than a quarter of the world ’s population has no access to electricity and, although the number of people without power supplies will fall in the coming decades, a projected 1.4 billion people will still be without electricity in 2030. (IEA 2002). To extend electricity supplies to the energy poor and give them better access to other forms of modern energy, stronger government policies and coordinated international action will be essential. Renewable energy will play a growing role in the world’s primary energy mix. Hydropower has long been a major source of electricity production. Its share in global primary energy will hold steady, but its share of electricity generation will fall.

This has to be set in the context however of a rapidly growing energy demand, so losing ground does not necessarily mean standing still. A study by the Utility Data Institute, USA, predicts that a world total of 695 GW of new electricity capacity will come on line in the next ten years from all sources, 22 per cent of which will be hydropower. The world’s total technical feasible hydro potential is estimated at 14,000 TWh/year, of which about 8000 TWh/year is currently considered economically feasible for development. About 700 GW (or about 2600 TWh/year) is already in operation, with a further 108 GW under construction. Most of the remaining potential is in Africa, Asia and Latin America. A number of countries, such as China India, Iran and Turkey, are undertaking large-scale hydro development programmes, and there are projects under con-struction in about 80 countries. According to the recent world surveys, conducted for the Hydropower & Dams World Atlas & Industry Guide, a number of countries see hydropower as the key to their future economic development: Examples are Sudan, Rwanda, Mali, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Myanmar, Bhutan, Cambodia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Costa Rica, and Guyana.

References and Useful Links

Green Directory: http://www.greenjobs.com/Public/GreenDirectory/green_directory.htm
British Hydropower Assoc: http://www.british-hydro.org/
Canadian Hydropower Assoc: http://www.canhydropower.org
Guidelines for Hydropower: http://www.eeca.govt.nz/programmes/renewable/whatarethey/hydro.aspx
How stuff works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant.htm
Hydropower and the World's Energy Future, November 2000: http://www.ieahydro.org/Bur-Recl-web/Hydrofut.pdf
IEA Hydro: http://www.ieahydro.org/
INEEL Hydropower program: http://hydropower.inel.gov/
International Center for Hydropower: http://www.ntnu.no/ich/
International Hydropower Association: http://www.hydropower.org/
National Hydropower Association: http://www.hydro.org/
National Renewable Energy Laboratory:http://www.nrel.gov/programs/wind_hydro.html
REPPCrest Hydro: http://solstice.crest.org/hydro/
US Bureau of Reclamation: http://www.usbr.gov/power/edu/edu.htm
US DOE Hydropower: http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/hydropower.html
US Hydropower Council for International Development: http://www.us-hydropower.org/
Wisconsin Valley: http://www.wvic.com/hydro-facts.htm
Word Energy Council: http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/publications/reports/ser/hydro/hydro.asp