General Electric to Invest $1 Billion a Year in Renewable Projects

General Electric Co.’s Energy Financial Services has invested about $10 billion in 17 gigawatts of renewable power since 2006, when the unit was formed.  Now, GE has announced the unit plans to invest more than $1 billion a year in clean energy projects, such as wind and solar.

EFS Chief Executive Officer David Nason told Bloomberg News that renewable power is EFS’s fastest-growing energy market.  “We see renewable energy providing very significant returns going forward,” Nason said.  “We have a robust pipeline in the U.S. for the next couple of years.”

While GE’s core business is oil and gas infrastructure, the company is looking to invest in solar and wind because these forms of energy employ GE equipment such as wind turbines and power inverters.  GE owns part of the 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight solar farm, which is being built using GE power inverters.  Wind farms under construction or completed across the U.S. and in other countries like Ireland use more than 4,400 GE wind turbines.

General Electric to Invest $1 Billion a Year in Renewable Projects