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Arc flashes — which are electrical discharges that can explode from one high voltage source to a nearby conductor — can reach temperatures as high as 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The bright fireballs that erupt not only melt metals and damage circuits, they cause more than 2,000 people a year to be admitted to burn centers with severe arc flash burns — and can kill at distances of 10 feet, according to the National Fire Protection Association. That’s why every millisecond counts when trying to stop one — and GE’s new breakthrough technology called Arc Vault, which was unveiled this week, is now the industry’s fastest, containing a blast in a flash: just 8 milliseconds. The 30-second clip below shows just how deadly an arc flash can be.

Lately ILCs — or “industrial loan companies” — have been in the news, finding themselves unnecessarily drawn into debates about reforms that are needed in the wake of the global financial crisis. Well-known companies such as Toyota, Harley-Davidson, John Deere — and GE — all have ILCs, which are state-chartered banks that can be owned by non-financial firms and provide important credit to customers. Proponents of ILCs note that they are regulated by their respective states and the FDIC and that they perform vital lending to small and medium-sized businesses — the backbone of the economy. Critics charge that they have the potential to generate risks because their parent companies are not regulated in the same way that the parent companies of banks are.

Contributor Vivek Kemp is GE’s Reporter at Large

Today, GE’s Global Research Centers in Niskayuna, NY; Munich; Bangalore and Shanghai are kicking off their annual “TECHfest” celebrations in which hundreds of the company’s top scientists give their R&D colleagues a sneak peak into their latest discoveries. To mark the big day, GE Reports is launching the first installment of our new GE Genius Series, which spotlights GE employees who are driving innovation that will change our world and our lives. Our first GE Genius, Radislav Potyrailo, is a chemist and lead scientist at GE’s Chemical and Biological Sensing Laboratory in upstate New York. It was his team that discovered the chemical sensing properties in the nanostructures of butterfly wings — properties he hopes will lead to sensors that change color when they come in contact with airborne pathogens. Radislav, who has received over 50 US patents, also leads a team that is developing battery-free RFID sensors, which identify and track objects using radio waves.

Last summer, GE Capital announced it was the lead lender in a $112 million loan used to finance Pratt Industries USA’s new Shreveport, Louisiana recycled containerboard mill. Fast-forward to the mill’s grand opening ceremony this morning with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and the financing has generated a ripple effect of good news for the town, the state and the environment. The bottom line? That little noticed loan has helped Pratt create approximately 150 jobs. While that alone would be reason to cheer given the toughest economy in decades, it’s estimated that Pratt’s total investment of $150 million stimulated another $227 million in economic output during construction of the mill, and that it will stimulate another $134 million in output annually.

As part of its push into the expanding offshore wind sector, GE Energy announced today that it’s completed the acquisition of ScanWind, the maker of an advanced turbine drive train technology that eliminates the need for gearboxes. It’s a critical advantage to have in the offshore wind industry, where reliability is parmount due to harsh environments and the high maintenance costs that result when the only way to service turbines is by boat.