GE targets telecoms looking to boost power plant efficiency

GE Energy has released a new portfolio of systems aimed at telecoms seeking to cut their energy use and expenses.

The Retrofit Power Systems are designed to help carriers cost-effectively meet their sustainability goals by reducing telecom power consumption and cooling costs.

“While the promise of reducing energy loss by 50-plus percent and utility bills by 15-20 percent is very enticing, the thought of having to replace the entire power system is not,” said Dan Ludwick, general manager of GE Energy’s Telecom Energy Systems business. The new Retrofit Power Systems (RPS), he added, make it possible to upgrade technology on legacy telecom DC power plants without having to replace basic infrastructure.

Energy efficiency improvements at telecom power plants often require the entire power system to be replaced. GE Energy says its Retrofit Power Systems enable upgrades while preserving existing cabling and distribution investments. RPS configurations are available to retrofit deployed telecom energy systems from AT&T, Delta, Emerson, Lineage Power, Lorain, Lucent, PECO II and Tyco Electronics.

GE also offers the option of leasing equipment through GE Capital rather than having to finance the improvements upfront.

Telecom power plants convert electricity from commercial grid alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). According to GE, the Retrofit Power Systems enable 97 percent efficiency during the AC-DC conversion process, which can save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Information technology and telecommunications facilities in the US currently account for some 120 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually — around 3 percent of the nation’s electricity use.