GE All-in to Fight Climate Change, Urges Accelerated Replacement of Coal Power

In a white paper published on 15 December 2020, GE set out its position on climate change: global progress toward affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is not fast enough, and coal power needs to be replaced sooner rather than later.

GE's answer is "renewables + gas". Wind and solar are growing, but not quickly enough to meet the Paris Agreement goals, and lithium-ion batteries are unlikely to be cost-competitive for storage beyond roughly eight hours without a breakthrough. Gas power, GE argues, supplies the flexibility and reliability that a high-renewables grid still needs.

The paper calls for continued investment in wind, solar, batteries and gas, more R&D funding and incentives, and work on technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture. It also asks for policy that lowers carbon intensity, rewards flexibility and reliability, sets realistic year-over-year reduction goals and stays predictable.

For GE the paper marks a strategic shift: the company is stepping away from new coal projects, has joined a low-carbon research initiative and has committed to carbon-neutral operations by 2030.