INSIDE HQ 1

GOING FOR

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hen the organisers of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced

they would be the greenest Games ever, GE, one of its global sponsors, knew it had work to do in London.

The massive conglomerate, ranked in the top 10 US companies by size and, with roots as a technology innovator stretching back to the days of founder Thomas Edison, had plenty of know- how to bring to bear on London 2012 projects. GE, with revenues of £5bn in the UK alone last year, has well- established capabilities in energy effi ciency, smart grids and renewable energy generation.

For London 2012, it has delivered

an effi cient gas engine paired with an advanced combined heat and power (CHP) facility at the Olympics site; its own smart meter technology in the Athletes’ Village; and electric car chargers for the organisers’ fl eet of 200 electric BMWs. An unrelated pre-Olympics project will

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GREEN

see GE and EDF Energy revamp the lighting for Tower Bridge by using new LED technology, making it brighter while cutting energy use by 40 per cent. As GE’s work on London 2012 developed, it saw an increasing range of opportunities to build on its activities in the cleantech arena and to develop them from the UK.

It opted to build a specialist team out of the London 2012 activities and the UK is now the base and testing ground for a raft of innovations and initiatives with global potential for the GE group.

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The UK is becoming a key base for GE to develolop global cleantech markets following its involvement in London 2012, reports Andrew Stone

nt

“The Olympics has been a catalyst and what we evolved it into has become quite exciting,” says Tony Gale, GE’s general manager for London 2012 & cities infrastructure. “We’ve got to know the stakeholders that look at London’s and the UK’s energy problems and they’ve started to come to us for solutions. “We’ve grown and developed the team and are working in three additional areas – Crossrail, NHS facilities and the London Thames Gateway, one of the largest redevelopment programmes in Western Europe.”

IMAGE: LONDON 2012