OREANDA-NEWS.   GE (NYSE: GE) today announced the opening of its Global Wind Turbine Drivetrain Repair Innovation Lab at the site of GE’s Power Generation Repair Technology Center in Albany, N.Y. The center marks an investment in GE’s presence in the Capital Region and expansion of the local renewable energy team’s facilities.

The facility is equipped with advanced technologies to support fast development and innovation for repairs to the wind turbine’s gearbox and rotor, creating a lab environment to simulate and solve problems that previously had to be worked on more than 100 meters in the air and at remote sites.

Technical capabilities of the Innovation Lab include:

Rapid prototyping tools such as 3D printers and computer numerical control machines.
Robotic welding and advanced machining tools.
Repair of various gearbox models.
Turbine generator repair.
Andy Holt, general manager of global wind projects and services, said: “This is the first facility of its kind dedicated to developing repair technologies and capabilities that reduce the life cycle cost of wind turbines. Albany was an ideal location for the facility with its close proximity to GE’s renewable energy headquarters, the GE Energy Learning Center as well as the existing Repair Technologies Center. It is uniquely positioned for collaboration with the field, design engineering, training and product service teams.”

The Innovation Lab aligns GE with customer needs by helping reduce maintenance and operating costs. GE engineers will have the space and resources to rapidly prototype and develop new technologies to apply to field service repairs. The team will focus on innovative approaches while fully vetting tooling and processes, keeping in mind safety, cost and the ability to address multi-unit configurations. With proximity to GE’s renewable energy headquarters in Schenectady, the team at the Innovation Lab also will work closely with product engineering to improve serviceability.

GE has a long-standing presence in New York and is committed to its continued investment and growth across the state. Currently, GE has nearly 9,000 employees in New York, including more than 7,000 in the Capital Region. GE Power & Water announced the opening of the renewable energy headquarters in Schenectady, in February 2010, which marked a USD 45 million investment and more than 650 new jobs created. Over the last four years, GE has invested more than USD 400 million in the Capital Region including the opening of the GE Energy Storage Durathon battery manufacturing plant in Schenectady, GE Healthcare Digital X-Ray Detector Manufacturing Facility in Troy, and expansion and relocation of GE’s Licensing business in Albany.