GE unveils European wind energy future

BRUSSELS, March 25 (UPI) -- General Electric announced Thursday it was investing roughly $453 million to expand wind energy facilities in four European countries.

Expansions plans for GE in Europe include the use of the company's next-generation 4-megawatt turbine for offshore deployment. The new turbine features a drive train system that eliminates the need for a gear box and is the largest wind turbine in GE's fleet.

Ferdinando Beccalli-Falco, president and chief executive of GE International, said the investments would help his company tap the huge wind energy potential in offshore Europe.

"Offshore wind will play a vital role in meeting the growing global demand for cleaner, renewable energy and has a bright future here in Europe," he said.

GE points to studies that show that if all offshore wind farms planned for Europe are completed, the European Union could avoid more than 200 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

The projects could also meet up to 10 percent of the EU's electricity needs, moving Europe closer to its goal of getting 20 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2020.

The four projects in the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and Germany could enter operations as early as 2016.