GE Global Research Selected as Key Center to Help Drive U.S. Path to Energy Independence

Only corporate R&D facility chosen among 46 designated by the U.S. DOE as
"Energy Frontier Research Centers"
NISKAYUNA, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
GE Global Research, the technology development arm for the General Electric
Company (NYSE: GE), announced today that it has been selected by the U.S.
Department of Energy as one of 46 new multi-million-dollar Energy Frontier
Research Centers (EFRCs) being established across the country. The focus of GE`s
EFRC will be on advanced energy storage technologies and the pursuit of a zero
carbon emissions solution for both transportation and stationary power
applications.

The EFRCs were formed to pursue advanced scientific research on energy to help
the nation become more energy independent. Of the 46 EFRCs selected, 31 are led
by universities, 12 by DOE National Laboratories and two by nonprofit
organizations. GE Global Research has the distinction of being the only
corporate research laboratory chosen to lead an EFRC.

"As global energy demand grows over this century, there is an urgent need to
reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and imported oil and curtail greenhouse
gas emissions," said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. "Meeting this challenge
will require significant scientific advances. These Centers will mobilize the
enormous talents and skills of our nation`s scientific workforce in pursuit of
the breakthroughs that are essential to make alternative and renewable energy
truly viable as large-scale replacements for fossil fuels."

The 46 EFRCs will be funded at $2-5 million per year each for a planned initial
five-year period. They were selected from a pool of some 260 applications that
were received in response to a solicitation issued by the U.S. Department of
Energy Office of Science in 2008. Selection was based on a rigorous merit review
process utilizing outside panels composed of scientific experts.

"With GE Global Research`s designation as an EFRC and last week`s announcement
of a new battery manufacturing facility for the Capital Region, we will create a
thriving technology hub for advanced energy storage solutions in New York`s Tech
Valley corridor," said Mark Little, Senior Vice President and Director, GE
Global Research. "As we seek to hybridize the transportation sector, increase
the amount of energy we get from renewable power and build the future Smart
Grid, energy storage will be a critical part of all these endeavors. The EFRC at
GE Global Research greatly complement the already significant, ongoing research
programs in advanced battery and energy storage technologies."

GE researchers are key drivers of GE`s ecomagination initiative, which
represents the company`s commitment to developing and deploying innovative green
technology and product solutions in big infrastructure areas such as energy. As
part of this initiative, GE has committed to doubling its level of investment in
clean technologies and products from $700 million in 2005 to more than $1.5
billion by 2010.

GE Global Research Center has a comprehensive sustainable energy technology
portfolio, which includes major research activities in wind, solar, biofuels,
carbon capture, energy efficiency, the Smart Grid and advanced battery and
energy storage technologies. GE researchers are driving new technology
advancements related to advanced batteries and energy storage that will redefine
how we transport and power the world.

In transportation, GE technologists are developing new battery and energy
storage devices that are more reliable, economical and achieve the level of
performance necessary to enable the widespread hybridization of the
transportation sector. In energy, cost-effective battery and energy storage
technology could help to enable much higher penetrations of renewable energy
resources.

Last Tuesday, GE announced plans to open a new, $100 million state-of-the-art
battery manufacturing plant in Upstate New York that will serve as the main
manufacturing facility for GE`s newly formed battery business. It will be
located in the Capital Region and create 350 new manufacturing jobs at GE and
thousands more in the supply chain. The new plant will produce batteries for
hybrid locomotives and other industries, including mining, telecommunications
and utility.

"If successful, the proposed research will lead to technology development of
viable high-density, zero-carbon emissions energy storage systems for mobile and
stationary applications," said Dr. Grigorii Soloveichik, Director of GE`s EFRC.
"GE`s EFRC includes planned collaborations with scientists at Yale University,
Stanford University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and will be a
perfect training ground for a new generation of electrochemists and energy
scientists."

EFRC researchers will take advantage of new capabilities in nanotechnology,
high-intensity light sources, neutron scattering sources, supercomputing, and
other advanced instrumentation, much of it developed with DOE Office of Science
support over the past decade, in an effort to lay the scientific groundwork for
fundamental advances in solar energy, biofuels, transportation, energy
efficiency, electricity storage and transmission, clean coal and carbon capture
and sequestration, and nuclear energy.

About GE Global Research

GE Global Research is one of the world's most diversified industrial research
labs, providing innovative technology for all of GE's businesses. Global
Research has been the cornerstone of GE technology for more than 100 years,
developing breakthrough innovations in areas such as medical imaging, energy
generation technology, jet engines and lighting. GE Global Research is
headquartered in Niskayuna, New York and has facilities in Bangalore, India,
Shanghai, China and Munich, Germany. Visit GE Global Research at
www.ge.com/research.

GE
Todd Alhart, 518-387-7914
alhart@research.ge.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009