OREANDA-NEWS. June 15, 2015. GE’s Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) today announced that Prominent Growers Association, a leading commercial tomato greenhouse growers collective in the Netherlands, will serve as a pilot customer to showcase how GE’s next-generation, myPlant* 2.0, an asset performance management solution, can increase the performance and efficiency of on-site cogeneration plants.

The new software is powered by Predix*, GE’s Industrial Internet asset performance management platform. Its introduction illustrates the growing use of digital communications solutions that can help industrial operators remotely monitor their power generation equipment performance and condition.

Prominent consists of 26 members with 36 sprawling, high-tech greenhouse facilities that supply 20 percent of the country’s vine tomatoes. To meet their on-site power, heating, CO2 and artificial lighting needs, Prominent’s members utilize combined heat and power (CHP) systems that produce a total of more than 150 megawatts (MW). A majority of this power (up to 131 MW) is supplied by 50 of GE’s Jenbacher gas engine CHP systems.

Prominent is again expanding its years-long greenhouse technology collaboration with GE to demonstrate the myPlant 2.0 solution’s ability to increase gas engine CHP performance and reliability on the 50 Jenbacher units installed at the 36 high-tech greenhouse facilities.

“We are excited to once again work with GE to deploy new technologies that make our greenhouse cogeneration plants run more reliably and efficiently to improve growing conditions and lower our operating costs,” said Ferdi van Elswijk, energy manager for Prominent Growers Association in the Netherlands. “GE’s myPlant software will offer us greater real-time visibility of the performance and condition of our Jenbacher cogeneration systems to ensure their availability, drive greater outcomes and be more competitive.”

If Prominent’s myPlant 2.0 solution detects an anomaly in one of its cogeneration units, GE’s Quick Response Center (QRC) in the Netherlands then reviews data trends and engine messages and systematically validates the probable root cause of the issue. The QRC may then deploy field service experts to perform corrective actions to the equipment. However, in 50 percent of cases, engines can be reset remotely, eliminating travel time and expenses.

“Prominent has a long pioneering history with us in deploying GE’s advanced CHP and CO2 fertilization technologies to its members to improve their competitive position in Europe’s horticultural sector,” said Margherita Adragna, general manager-services for GE’s Distributed Power Europe—GE Power & Water. “Once again, Prominent is leading the way by being one of the first customers to install GE’s next-generation myPlant 2.0 solution to enhance the growers’ ability to monitor the performance and condition of their CHP plants.”

GE and Prominent expect key benefits, which will include enhancing the performance and operation of Prominent’s Jenbacher gas engine fleet, including the performance of the engines’ emission control systems; extending engine oil life; allowing variable power to maintain heat and CO2; and more efficiently aligning gas consumption.

The initiative is the first project following Prominent’s renewal of its multiyear service agreement with GE’s Distributed Power business in December 2014.

GE’s Distributed Power operates a center of excellence (CoE) for all commercial greenhouse applications in the Netherlands, where GE developed its pioneering CO2 fertilization system for commercial greenhouses. This system captures CO2 from engine exhaust and recycles the greenhouse gas as a fertilizer, enabling growers to boost their crop production. GE’s QRC operation in the Netherlands is co-located with the greenhouse applications CoE.

GE announced its myPlant 2.0 Beta release on June 9 during the POWER-GEN Europe 2015 trade conference, which is being held this week at the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre. For more information about GE’s Distributed Power offerings, please visit GE’s Booth #2G6.

About GE’s Distributed Power Business

GE Power & Water’s Distributed Power business is a leading provider of power equipment, engines and services focused on power generation at or near the point of use. Distributed Power’s product portfolio includes highly efficient industrial reciprocating engines and aeroderivative gas turbines that generate 100 kW to 116 MW of power for numerous industries globally. In addition, Distributed Power offers life cycle services and support for more than 38,000 distributed power products worldwide to help customers meet their business challenges—anywhere and anytime.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Distributed Power employs about 5,000 people around the world.

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