Building the Games: Explore the GE technology behind the 2012 London Olympics.
Every two years, the Olympic Games bring the world together. There is no other event like it. Athletes stake their careers and organizers their reputations. It’s a high-wire act where every bit of support counts.
GE has been a quiet force behind the Games since 2006. From Turin to London, the company has worked closely with host countries, cities and organizing committees, supplying high-tech medical scanners and monitoring systems to treat thousands of athletes, engines and turbines to generate megawatts of electricity for Olympic venues, and efficient lighting to illuminate landmarks, streets, and stadiums.
London is no exception. Digital imaging equipment from GE Healthcare will help doctors at the Olympic Polyclinic quickly diagnose aches, strains, and sprains suffered on the field. The machines will help athletes and their coaches gather critical health information, and make smarter decisions before the next heat or game.
GE Energy installed three Jenbacher engines at Olympic energy centers in London’s Stratford City and Kings Yard. The engines will generate 10 megawatts of eco-friendly electricity, enough to power the equivalent of 24,000 U.K. homes. After the games, the Jenbachers, which are part of GE’s ecomagination portfolio, will remain in London. They will generate power for local residents and neighboring communities for the next 40 years. Since the engines are more efficient than conventional power plants, they will reduce London’s carbon footprint by 13,000 tons of CO2.
But electricity is more than just raw power generation. Staging the Olympic Games is like attaching another town to the host city, and peak electricity demand can stress the grid. GE Digital Energy’s Uninterruptible Power Supply systems will make sure that electricity stays on.
Outside the stadiums, GE will supply 120 electric vehicle charging stations for a fleet of zero-emission electric vehicles zipping around London during the Games.
The total value of GE’s Olympic projects has now exceeded $1 billion. Jeff Immelt, GE chairman and CEO, called hosting the Games a “transformational opportunity for every city.” He said that GE would work with the International Olympic Committee and the organizers of future games in Russia, Brazil and Korea to “deliver advanced infrastructure solutions to help create a sustainable Olympic legacy for future generations.”
