GE is taking a 10 percent stake and investing $105 million in Pivotal, the spin-out from EMC and VMware. GE will work with Pivotal on research and development with the aim of helping customers develop data analytics offerings. GE says its investment aligns with its focus on the “Industrial Internet.” The move shows GE’s investments in developing its own software prowess. GE and… → Read More
Back in January, we reported that GE would be partnering up with healthtech startup incubator StartUp Health and selecting 13 consumer healthcare startups (originally 10) to participate in a three year program designed to nurture and accelerate their growth. After a two month screening process, today they’re announcing those 13 finalists. → Read More
Whenever a new platform launches these days, brands are instantly checking them out to see how they can “become a part of the conversation.” What that really means is how they can use a site like Twitter, or its new app Vine, to get your eyeballs, interact with you and, of course, sell you more stuff. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s commerce at its purest. The story… → Read More
General Electric built what is today a $219 billion multinational industrial behemoth by continuously investing in innovation, technology and computing. As the maker of airplane engines, trains, power plant turbines and medical equipment, GE’s business generally falls outside the virtual walls of the consumer Web. However, as the New York Times reports, GE has recently renewed its commitment to… → Read More
Back in early May, Quirky and GE announced a contest that had users pitching ideas for everyday objects that could be improved by adding software to the mix.
The eventual winner was — surprisingly enough — a smart milk jug that could tell users when their milk was going bad as well as when to buy some more. It may not have been the sort of project that most of us had expected, but Quirky… → Read More
For just about a week now, GE and product development network Quirky have been running an interesting contest — they’ve challenged people to come up with ways to improve everyday objects by making them “smarter with software”. Unlike the traditional Quirky production and development process though, the winning concept will be fashioned into an actual working device by the end of the month.
The… → Read More
Well, it looks like Coda Automotive — makers of the zero emissions all-electric Coda Sedan — and General Electric (a name that requires no introduction) have teamed up to sell the Coda Sedan and the GE WattStation Wall Mount EV Charger in the same retail outlets.
Many of us are already feeling that a shift toward electric vehicles is the responsible decision, but a change that big… → Read More
GE is announcing the establishment of a new Global Software Center to be headquartered San Francisco. The new center will employ approximately 400 software developers.
The company’s current software portfolio includes technologies that help businesses improve productivity and increase cost savings, specifically in terms of operating power plants, jet engines, electric vehicle charging stations… → Read More
GE has announced plans to spend $600 million on a new solar factory located in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. The factory, which begins operations in 2012, will be capable of producing enough solar panels per year to generate 400 megawatts of power, or enough energy to power 80,000 homes. When completed, the factory will be bigger than 11 football fields – soon to be the largest factory of… → Read More
General Electric Co. (GE) bought a minority stake in the California-based solar company eSolar this week. As a result of the deal, Paul Browning, President and CEO of Thermal Products for GE Energy, will join eSolar’s Board of Directors.
ESolar already had a licensing agreement with GE Energy, which granted it exclusive worldwide rights to eSolar’s modular technology for its Integrated Solar… → Read More
Google Inc.’s putting another $100 million into large-scale, renewable energy projects. The company’s director of green business operations, Rick Needham, revealed Monday in a post to the corporate blog:
[Google] invested approximately $100 million in the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm…currently under construction near windy Arlington, Ore. When completed in 2012 [the plant] will produce 845 MW of… → Read More
A New York-based clean tech startup, Ioxus, raised a $21 million investment from Energy Technology Ventures (a GE-NRG Energy-ConocoPhillips joint fund), Northwater Capital, Aster Capital and their previous backers Braemar Energy Ventures, the companies announced today.
Ioxus makes lithium-ion hybrid capacitors, and ultracapacitors, which are (often alongside other battery technology) used to… → Read More
Coulomb Technologies — a Campbell, Calif. company that makes electric vehicle charging stations, related apps and network technology — today revealed new features and certifications that should help the company grow its business in European markets, and prepare for the Nissan LEAF to hit the streets.
One new feature of the company’s ChargePoint network allows Coulomb’s charging stations to… → Read More
GE Energy this morning announced that it has acquired a stake of approximately 90 percent of Converteam, a France-based provider of electrification and automation equipment and systems, for approximately $3.2 billion.
Converteam’s senior management will retain the remaining stake in the company, but GE has agreed to purchase their shares over the next two to five years for a price that it… → Read More
As electronics become more advanced, we approach a point where normal materials like copper simply cannot take the heat. For computing to get any faster, better cooling solutions will be needed — we’ve known this for a while. GE recently announced that their scientists at the GE Global Research Center have discovered a new thermal material that is a major science breakthrough. → Read More
On Friday, President Obama appointed General Electric’s chief executive, Jeff Immelt — an advocate for carbon cap-and-trade — chairman of his panel of outside economic advisors, the newly branded Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
GE is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of clean energy and related technologies. The company makes everything from large wind turbines, to electric… → Read More
Consumer and business uptake of cloud computing, mobile internet voice, video and real-time data are increasing energy demand dramatically among data centers, telecom and IT service providers. Anticipating the trend will continue for quite some time, General Electric (GE) today announced its plan to acquire Lineage Power Holdings from Los Angeles private equity firm, Gores Group, for $520… → Read More
At a conference held by General Electric (GE) this morning in New York, chief executive Jeff Immelt revealed his company’s plans to invest $45 million in twelve digital energy, or smart-grid related companies— the first of several investments planned through the company’s Ecomagination business competition.
The newly funded entities include: ClimateWell, Consert, FMC-Tech, Ltd., The Fu… → Read More
Today, General Electric (GE) offered details about its committment to encourage the widespread adoption of all-electric vehicles. The company plans to walk the walk with a purchase of 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015, including an order for 12,000 Chevy Volt vehicles in 2011 from General Motors (GM), a GE business partner.
Within the next three years, GE expects to generate up to $500 million in… → Read More
One of the most annoying things about fluorescent bulbs (including their new and improved little brothers, the CFLs) is the way they take a little time to get to full brightness. It differs from bulb to bulb, but you always end up cursing it inwardly, as it always keeps you in suspense of when that slight flicker will end.
Well, GE has solved that problem, at least kind of, by putting a tiny… → Read More
It looks like the future may be paved with solar panels after all.
In early August, we told you about an out-of-the-box green tech company, named Solar Roadways, that had the audacious plan to replace America’s asphalt roads with textured, glass solar panels that could collect energy, distribute it and simultaneously serve up LED-powered signs (see video below).
Sounds like a pipe dream… → Read More
General Electric (GE) — one of the world’s largest, corporate cleantech investors and acquirers of cleantech companies — today announced its acquisition of Opal Software, which designs software and provides engineering services that help electricity, gas and water utilities run their operations and networks faster, and more productively.
Opal’s specialty is in data migration and SCADA… → Read More
Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco today, Scott Cook, the founder and chairman of Intuit, and Beth Comstock, the chief of marketing and vice president of General Electric (GE) traded notes on innovation, investing and acquisitions.
Intuit’s best-known products include Turbo Tax, Quickbooks and Quicken, software that helps consumers, the owners of small and medium sized businesses and… → Read More
In venture capital, there are three people who rule Silicon Valley: John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins, Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital, and Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures. All three will be speaking at Disrupt. (There are still a few tickets left). We’ve already mentioned Doerr and Moritz, and now we are pleased to announce that Khosla will be completing the triumvirate.
Khosla, of course, was… → Read More
Disruption happens. If you are a startup, you try to be the disruptor. But what if you are an established company with billions of dollars in revenue? Then you try to create a culture of innovation that rides the wave of change before it leaves your company behind. The trick is to know when to catch that wave. Next week at TechCrunch Disrupt, Intuit founder Scott Cook and GE’s senior vice… → Read More
In an effort to push the limits of home energy efficiency, General Electric is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy on a $5 million project to connect homes in the Western U.S. to its energy management system, LED lights, appliances and solar panels.
The purpose of the project is to research home energy efficiency and test new tracking systems. GE thinks participants will be able to save… → Read More
China may overtake Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy this year. On its heels is India, and countries such as Brazil and Russia are not far behind. What does this mean for entrepreneurs? That, increasingly, the big opportunities lie outside the U.S. Most people aren’t aware of another advantage in emerging markets: you can freely leverage the wealth of proven intellectual… → Read More
Terra-Gen Power announced closing $1.2 billion in construction financing and wind turbine orders. The company will build four wind power projects for the Alta Wind Energy Center in Kern County, California, for which Vestas-American Wind Technology will provide 190 turbines with a capacity of 570 megawatts. This is the largest number of wind turbines ever ordered for a single site in the U.S.
The… → Read More
Given the limited range in fully electric cars, charging points are going to be an important part of the infrastructure in the future. GE has hired a designer to create the “WattStation”, a charger designed to top up your new electric car in four to eight hours. → Read More
While home energy management options have been around for a while, this is the first time someone like GE has come out with a product to help you manage your home energy usage. → Read More
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