General Electric Vernova makes first wind turbine - NEWS10 ABC
General Electric Vernova makes first wind turbine
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. ( NEWS10) -New strides towards renewable energy are being made right here in the Capital Region. General Electric Vernova announced that their first onshore wind turbine is built, and ready to ship. NEWS10 looked into how the local production of these powerhouses is electrifying the economy.
GE Vernova is looking toward renewable energy for the future as its first wind turbine is about to be shipped from its historic location in Schenectady. Apart of a fifty million dollar investment, the one million square foot building is being renovated to fit this massive hardware.
The plant manager of building 273, Brian Carlson, explained what goes into this innovative technology. “We have a long legacy of steam turbines and generators for GE. Being able to bring in a whole new product line is really exciting.”
Carlson, a third-generation GE employee, is looking forward to leading his plant in a new, greener direction. “I’m just excited as the factory guy that they picked my factory to get to build it in. It’s definitely an enabler to make us competitive and bring this work into the U.S.”
The new turbines are quite the sight, measuring out to about a football field in length. Carlson said the plan is to make two hundred of them a year, hiring two hundred workers for highly-skilled manufacturing positions.
“We work closely with our union leadership to bring in the best folks. We do a lot of training. We can do these things safely and with quality. Get them out on time and on budget.”
The first turbine is being delivered in pieces to Wyoming. Vernova is hoping to have New York customers and sources of raw materials in the orders to come.
“We’re obviously going to be going away from burning coal and some of the old technologies. More and more carbon capture, onshore and offshore wind turbines and solar in the renewable space.”
GE Vernova is still looking for around 100 more employees to build these turbines. The hiring wave will begin in early 2024. A link to the entry-level position can be found here.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: wind
Decades of government support for the development of wind energy has resulted in lower costs and a rapidly growing share of electricity generated by wind turbines. Wind in 2019 accounted for 7.3 percent of electrical generation, surpassing for the first time hydropower at 7.0 percent.