| ALBANY, N.Y. — July 14, 2009 — Stringent performance guidelines introduced when the United Kingdom energy industry was liberalized in 1990 have made Britain’s electricity network one of the world’s most reliable, and more than 80% of the U.K. grid is controlled by GE smart grid technology to help ensure these reliability targets are met. The U.K. success story can serve as a best practice across the globe on how to develop workable reliability improvement initiatives. Since 2001, U.K. utilities have been subject to significant fines for extended outages, failure to meet reliability targets, reliability reporting issues and substandard customer service and phone support performance. They also receive rewards for meeting target performance. In response to these regulations, utilities upgraded distribution management
and outage
management processes—redesigning how they monitor network performance and
manage load Today, the large majority of U.K. energy services companies use GE’s ENMAC System. With ENMAC, utilities have real-time knowledge about grid assets, power demand and performance. The system automates procedures to keep the power flowing efficiently and helps identify potential problems before they occur. ENMAC also speeds outage recovery by helping to reroute power around problem areas and by dispatching crews more efficiently. At the transmission level, where incentives have also been put into place, reliability levels have equated to approximately 99.99983%, according to the U.K. government.1 As environmental, economic and capacity concerns change the way governments, regulators, utilities and consumers view electricity, other nations considering new reliability regulations are looking closely at the U.K. model. “Utilities face a daunting combination of challenges in the coming years,” said Keith Redfearn, general manager of GE Energy’s transmission and distribution business in Europe. “Regulations are mandating tougher performance standards at a time when utilities are confronted with aging infrastructure, everincreasing energy demand and the need to integrate renewable generation sources. GE is designing smart grid solutions to help utilities fill all those gaps, while improving their performance.” The latest version of ENMAC is integrated with GE’s outage management system, called PowerOn, which interfaces with customer service and reporting systems, so utilities can give consumers realtime updates on outage recovery timeframes and system status. More than 70 utilities around the world have already upgraded their network management to GE smart grid technology. Through industry collaborations, GE will deliver one of the broadest portfolio offerings in the industry to modernize electrical systems, from the power plant to the consumer. From smarter appliances to technologies for plug-in hybrid vehicles, to providing renewable technologies and smart meters, GE has the breadth and knowledge needed to increase energy productivity all the way up and down the lines. 1 UK Dept. for Business, Innovation, and Skills. Energy Markets Outlook. Chapter 4: “Electricity.” http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file49421.pdf. December 2008. About GE EnergyGE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2008 revenue of $29.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE’s corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. About GEGE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, contact:Allison Eckelkamp Gina DeRossi or Howard Masto |
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