GE launches new gas turbine to complement wind power

US conglomerate General Electric has launched a new gas turbine it says will complement renewable energy. The firm claims to have made $11bn worth of purchases to strengthen its natural gas division.The new turbine will be able to respond quickly to changing weather patterns affecting wind and solar power. But with its sales of wind turbines falling, the product is also part of a push by the US firm to exploit rising interest in cheap gas. The firm claims the new turbine will be able to turn on and off far faster than other high-efficiency gas turbines - about twice the current average. It invested $500m developing the technology. But while experts say the claims are impressive, they warn products like this are likely to be expensive - so companies will want to use them, and so burn gas, more of the time. "This is more a base load machine. People investing in this will want to squeeze the last kilowatt out of it," says Nick Cumpsty, emeritus professor of mechanical engineering at Imperial College, London.
----------BBC