New batteries: from the lab to the marketplace
Today GE announced that we will be building a facility in New York’s Capital Region to manufacturing our sodium metal halide battery. You can find more information about the announcement at any of the following links….
GE Reports: New York Powers Up With New GE Battery Plant
Wall Street Journal: GE To Build $100 Million Battery Plant Near Albany
Business Week: GE Will Build an Advance Battery Plant
Albany Times Union: GE To Build $100 Million Battery Factory
New York Times: GE Announces NY Battery Factory
This is a terrific milestone for our scientists who have put their hearts and souls into bringing this technology to the doorstep of commercialization.
After the news conference this morning we took Governor Paterson and our guests on a tour of part of our advanced battery research laboratory. The media was also invited along to get some good footage of the Governor inspecting the advanced technology. Although it’s tough to condense all the years of development into a few minutes we tried to give some newsworthy highlights. We particularly focused on the battery cell technology, which is really the heart of the battery. We talked not only about the advanced materials of construction but also about the sophisticated modeling and accelerated testing that we do to improve and predict life performance. This included some CT and x-ray diffraction images of the battery that we use to inspect what happens both mechanically and chemically during electrochemical cycling. This capability showcases a GE strength in being able to draw from our expertise in healthcare technology to bring advances to battery technology.
Hopefully the announcement today has generated a lot of excitement about what GE is doing in the green technology space and what we are doing to help stimulate job creation in New York.
Good green stuff!