General Electric – Qianen Huang – 2025

Summary

GE Aerospace (Suzhou) primarily engages in the manufacturing of aircraft engine components. This project in order to find low-carbon and sustainable plans to save energy. This initiative identified and developed high-impact energy conservation projects to enhance GE Aerospace’s energy efficiency, including spanning renewable energy generation, compressed air leak repair, machining process optimization, data visualization, and energy management policy.

Goals

GE Aerospace (Suzhou) set an absolute carbon emissions reduction target of 2% by 2025 from a 2024 baseline under the 30% plant-wide work increasing situation. The Energy Treasure Hunt created a structured program to plan and implement energy projects on a continuing basis. Specific objectives included analyzing factory energy consumption patterns, identifying inefficiencies in electricity and compressed air systems, evaluating and proposing energy-saving projects, and establishing a structured energy management system. The project also aimed to enhance data visibility and accountability through digital tools and policy development, ensuring long-term sustainability gains and operational resilience.

Solutions

Core projects were identified and developed to address energy inefficiencies:
1. Solar PV System: Full deployment of rooftop solar panels to generate clean energy, already producing 210, 604.52 kWh from January to July
2025.
2. Compressed Air Leak Repair: Regular inspection and repair of compressed air pipelines using acoustic imaging technology, which can save 10, 828.21 kWh/year.
3. Horizontal Machining Center Optimization: Installation of Hall current sensors and data loggers to monitor and optimize energy use on high-consumption equipment, saving 10, 750.32 kWh/year through parameter adjustments.
4. ECEMC Platform Enhancement: Upgrading the microgrid energy management system with Tableau-based visualization tools to enable real-time data tracking and reduce manual reporting effort, saving 192 labor hours annually.
5. EHSMS Energy Responsibility System: Developing a targeted energy and water use accountability framework to institutionalize energy-saving practices across the facility.

Potential Impact

The combined implementation of these projects is expected to deliver substantial environmental, financial, and operational benefits. Annually, the solar PV system alone is projected to save 341, 491.05 kWh. Together with other initiatives, total carbon emissions are estimated to decrease by 242.52 metric tons per year’equivalent to 50 round-trip flights between Beijing and Shanghai. Operationally, the enhanced data platform and accountability system will improve energy transparency, support informed decision-making, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. These efforts not only contribute to GE’s climate goals but also promote environmental justice by reducing the plant’s ecological footprint and supporting broader community health.