Olympic countdown begins: 1,000 days to London 2012

The race to the London 2012 Olympic Games is officially on now that the 1,000-day countdown clock starting ticking on Saturday. Reaching the key milestone — which featured a dramatic fireworks display in London — means athletes and the teams constructing the Olympic Park are well underway with their preparations. And so, too, is GE, which will help the competitors stay on track by supplying medical imaging equipment — and will keep the games powered with Jenbacher engine technology.

On your mark! GE’s medical equipment will help diagnose athletes on-site so that they can receive expert medical care with less impact to their training or competition schedules.

GE is supplying the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games medical equipment, worth more than $7.3 million. It includes a healthymagination-validated CT scanner, an MR scanner, ultrasound machines, an electrocardiogram machine and an x-ray machine. The equipment will likely be located in the Olympic Park, the sailing venue in Weymouth & Portland and the rowing venue at Eton College Rowing Centre.

Additionally, GE Energy is helping London 2012 achieve its goal of minimizing the environmental impact of the Games by providing its ecomagination-certified Jenbacher cogeneration technology to power two natural gas and biomass-fueled energy centers at the Games. In particular, it will help the Olympic Delivery Authority reach its target of a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions through the use of renewable and alternative energy sources compared to traditional heating, cooling and power generation equipment. They’ll not only provide heating and cooling systems for the Games, but will continue to benefit the local community for generations to come.

Bulking up: The first energy center, seen above, is being built in the Stratford City development area and will feature two of GE Energy’s Jenbacher 3.3-MW natural gas cogeneration modules. The second plant on the Western end of the Olympic Park will be fitted with one 3.3-MW GE Energy Jenbacher module to help generate the thermal power needed for the Aquatics Centre swimming pools and other venues. It will also generate electrical and thermal power for competition sites, homes and other buildings in the area.

* Read “Hey baby! GE donates $8M for UK maternal hospital“ on GE Reports
* Read about Jenbachers powering greenhouses
* Learn how many cows, pigs or sheep it takes to power 900 homes
* Learn more about ecomagination
* Read about our biogas technology