In terms of energy-related headlines, General Electric has been absolutely stealing the show this week.
The Fairfield, Connecticut-based company this morning unveiled a new solar charging station (below), which will power electric vehicles parked at its facility in Plainville, CT. Earlier in the week, it announced the launch of FlexEfficiency 50, a gas-fired power plant designed largely to complement solar, wind and other renewable-energy technologies. And (also this week) the company made known its intention to buy FMC Tech, a smart grid start-up company based in Ireland.
Whew. As if that weren’t enough, GE’s global research director, Mark M. Little, came out to say yesterday that solar power may be cheaper than electricity generated using fossil fuels and nuclear reactors. Via Bloomberg:
“If we can get solar at 15 cents a kilowatt-hour or lower, which I’m hopeful that we will do, you’re going to have a lot of people that are going to want to have solar at home,” Little said yesterday
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The 2009 average U.S. retail rate per kilowatt-hour for electricity ranges from 6.1 cents in Wyoming to 18.1 cents in Connecticut, according to Energy Information Administration data released in April.
Already in some parts of the country, solar power is approaching cost parity with the prevailing residential retail rate for electricity. It seems the innovative folks at General Electric expect this trend to continue.
To learn more about GE’s FlexEfficiency 50 technology, see this interactive info-graphic.
Related reading:
- General Electric Plans Expanded Solar Offerings
- GE Unveils Energy Efficiency Plan for American Homes
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