Current, powered by GE, is transforming how the world uses energy. This first-of-its-kind business offers holistic, software-enabled energy solutions to increase reliability, efficiency and profitability today and tomorrow.
Tianjin, China Deepens Commitment to Digital Infrastructure, Signs MOU with Current, powered by GE
Tianjin, China -- May 24, 2016 -- Tianjin, China is strengthening its commitment to digital infrastructure through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GE’s energy startup, Current, powered by GE. The MOU outlines the intent to explore digital solutions that extend opportunities and outcomes for the city, including a wider installation of Current’s intelligent LEDs and the creation of a digital incubation center within the central business district.Â
The proposed intelligent LED expansion follows a successful deployment of Current’s connected fixtures in the central business district late last year, which have allowed the city to broadcast critical messages or advertising on attached digital screens and quickly connect citizens to the Internet. The streetlights also reduce lighting-related energy use by more than 50 percent. The MOU aims to extend that deployment to a wider area and add sensors and software that connect to Predix, GE’s cloud platform for the Industrial Internet, to pull and analyze data driving additional outcomes, such as detecting real-time traffic patterns, pointing drivers to available parking spaces, or helping emergency responders react to situations before they arrive on scene.
To extend digital opportunities, the MOU also proposes a Current incubation center to facilitate ongoing innovation between city officials and Current teams and to serve as a demonstration area for businesses considering digital solutions, bringing additional investment to the region and further positioning Tianjin as a leader in progressive technology.
“The city of Tianjin, together with GE China, Current and our team at the Tianjin Innovative Finance Investment Co., understand the critical need to deploy sustainable, digital infrastructure that supports urban innovation,” says Li Bo, chairman of the board of Tianjin Innovative Finance Investment Co., Ltd, the city’s investment partner. “The intelligent LED deployment, the first of its kind in Asia, together with the digital incubation center, will propel benefits and outcomes for residents and position Tianjin a leader in forward-thinking technology.”Â
“We look forward to continued partnership with Tianjin and its partners in the deployment of open, digital infrastructure that can be used for a variety of outcomes,” says John Gordon, Current’s Chief Digital Officer. “As the first in Asia to install our intelligent LEDs, Tianjin has proven itself as a progressive leader in digital adoption that holds benefit for many across the community.”Â
About GEÂ
GE (NYSE:GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
Current, powered by GE, Joins Tridium IoT Ecosystem to Boost Building IQ
BOSTON, MA – May 16, 2016 – Current, powered by GE, today announced a significant expansion of its building automation ecosystem by forging a relationship with leading IoT solutions provider, Tridium. Under this agreement, Tridium’s IoT software platform, the Niagara Framework, will be used with Predix, GE’s secure, industrial-strength cloud environment, to capture and analyze the unique volume, velocity and variety of machine data generated across the commercial and industrial buildings.
With more than 500,000 installations globally, Tridium’s Niagara Framework enables the integration of diverse building automation systems and devices, regardless of manufacturer, communication standard or software.  Â
“Tridium’s Niagara Framework has changed the way the world operates and manages buildings,” said Maryrose Sylvester, President and CEO of Current. “This relationship will significantly expand our portfolio of building automation solutions, as well as enable Current customers and members of the Niagara Community to create and access open-sourced facility optimization tools. They will also have access to Current’s energy management microservices, which are designed to optimize commercial and industrial buildings.”
“We are excited to welcome Current into Tridium’s global ecosystem of IoT technology partners,” said Nino DiCosmo, president and general manager of Tridium. “The Niagara Community has grown into an extensive group of companies and technologies with thousands of Niagara-based applications, all focused on driving innovation in building automation. With the addition of Current to our ecosystem, we expect to continue the IoT evolution in the commercial facility landscape.”
This announcement comes on the heels of Current’s acquisition of Daintree Networks in April, which expands Current’s building automation platform and energy-as-a-service offerings to small- and medium-size facilities through the deployment of Daintree's open, standards-based wireless control systems.
About GE
GE (NYSE:GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
Current, powered by GE Grows Intelligent Environments App Catalog, Unlocks Digital Outcomes in Three Cities
Nine ecosystem partners and six new microservices enable immediate value for both commercial and municipal users from intelligent infrastructure
Cities in the U.S. and China deploy Current’s intelligent LEDs, driving innovation and economic development
Boston – April 25, 2016 – To accelerate digital outcomes and use cases for commercial, industrial and municipal users, Current, powered by GE (NYSE: GE), is adding 15 partners and microservices to its open Intelligent Environments ecosystem. The growth in the company’s app catalog and digital capabilities comes as Current deploys intelligent LED infrastructure in three cities – Tianjin, China; Schenectady, New York; and Cleveland – and on the heels of the company’s acquisition of Daintree Networks, an enterprise IoT provider of building controls solutions for small and medium commercial facilities.
“The next wave of innovation will be led by those who embrace digital infrastructure to drive new and meaningful outcomes,” says John Gordon, Chief Digital Officer, Current, powered by GE. “In terms of physical infrastructure, no other platform compares to the ubiquitous nature of lighting and the potential LEDs offer to the commercial and industrial world as the digital platform for industry. Deploying intelligent LEDs coupled with sensors, software and scalable access to GE’s Predix platform provides the foundation for that innovation.”
Intelligent Environments App Economy
To facilitate data-informed app and software development and outcomes at an enterprise and city level, Current is launching six microservices against its intelligent LEDs and GE’s Predix cloud platform. These architectures will drive data interactions relative to temperature, occupancy, ambient light sensing, pedestrian planning, parking, traffic and public safety.Â
At the same time, Current is bringing capabilities from the global app development community and trusted providers as add-ons to intelligent LED infrastructure. Customers will be able to pick and choose the capabilities they want in their solution to solve for unique challenges and bring their own app partners and developers to innovate solutions against Current’s Intelligent LEDs and Predix.
In addition to previously announced collaborations with AT&T, Capgemini, Intel, Qualcomm and Shotspotter, Current’s ecosystem of application vendors and system integrators now includes:Â
Intelligent Enterprises Partners
Eventboard: Better manage meeting rooms and forecast workspace needs with analytics of how rooms are used, plus real-time views of open rooms to save time searching.
Keonn: Retailers are able to improve the customer shopping experience in store, from increasing product availability, to making sure that customers find the products they are looking for.
Mowingo: Retailers and brands target shoppers with coupons, information and promotions via their mobile phones based on their activity and precise indoor location, down to a store's aisle.
Point Inside: Answers the two most fundamental questions in retail--Do you have it, and where can I find it--and directs shoppers to the products on their smartphones, leading to increased sales and new data to help retailers analyze shopper behavior and improve store operations.
Serraview: Businesses can visualize their space utilization to make better decisions on their real estate needs and provide just-in-time wayfinding tools to their employees.
Intelligent Cities Partners
BreezoMeter: By pairing Current’s microservices with BreezoMeter technology, cities gain intelligence around how traffic conditions impact the environment, giving planners actionable analytics to influence city mapping and climate-change initiatives.
CivicSmart: This solution enables cities to efficiently manage parking infrastructure to unlock the value of their streets and drive growth in core business districts.
Genetec: City, public safety and emergency responders have real-time views of what’s happening across town with live video feeds and analytics to help create safer, more secure environments.
INRIX: No more circling the block looking for parking or wasting time stuck in traffic. INRIX is the preferred provider of parking and traffic intelligence to leading automakers, transportation agencies and third-party apps. Customers include Audi, BMW, Lexus, Toyota, more than 60 U.S. Departments of Transportation, the U.K. Highways Agency and the Danish Road Directorate.
In addition to these collaborations, Current will host two upcoming hackathons to continue to deepen its Intelligent Environments app catalog. The first will tap into developers at the IoT World Conference and the second will be part of a virtual, public Hackathon starting May 16.
Intelligent Installations
In addition to the growth of its app catalog, Current is actively working with commercial, industrial and municipal customers across the world on intelligent infrastructure deployment.Â
Tianjin, China; Schenectady, New York; and Cleveland are the latest cities to install Current’s energy-saving, intelligent LED street lights armed with sensors, software and other digital-data capabilities as their core infrastructure for digital growth.
Tianjin, China, is the first city in Asia to partner with Current to install intelligent LEDs with intelligent capabilities in one of their central business districts. The intelligent street lights build on features such as security cameras, routers for free Wi-Fi or digital screens that allow the city to broadcast critical messages, such as traffic reports.
Schenectady, New York, will install Current’s intelligent streetlights downtown as part of its smart cities vision, which is designed to take advantage of new technology to improve the city’s economic development and quality of life, and will be part of a living lab that allows the city’s innovation team to study data to find new and innovative ways to service the city, its residents and its business community.Â
The City of Cleveland is in the process of installing several dozen intelligent LED fixtures downtown to explore parking optimization and pedestrian safety crossing in high-traffic areas, as well as other potential outcomes. The installation comes as the city is making updates to infrastructure across town in preparation for the RNC this summer.
Current, powered by GE Acquires Daintree Networks to Transform Buildings from Idle to Intelligent
Combined offering brings benefits of building automation systems to world’s small- to mid-sized buildings, delivering energy cost savings of up to 60%, while reducing environmental footprint.
The acquisition will deliver an open, standards-based wireless, enterprise IoT solution for energy management and intelligent environment applications.
BOSTON, MA – April 21, 2016 – Today Current, powered by GE (NYSE: GE), announced the acquisition of Daintree Networks, an Industrial Internet provider of building controls solutions for commercial facilities. This acquisition will enable Current to expand its building automation platform and its energy-as-a-service offering to small- and medium-size facilities through the deployment of Daintree’s open, standards-based wireless control systems.
Today, 90 percent of the world’s small- to mid-sized buildings do not have building automation systems. Integrating Daintree Networks’ open-standard networked wireless control solution, ControlScope, into Current’s building automation portfolio addresses that problem. The joint solution links data from lighting and HVAC systems directly to Predix, GE’s Industrial Internet software platform – allowing customers to analyze their energy consumption and identify data patterns to increase efficiency and reduce power levels. Fortune 500 and mid-size enterprises across North America, including Universal Music Group, the Salk Institute, and National Bank of Arizona use Daintree technology to manage over one million lights, thermostats, and sensors in office, retail and industrial locations, delivering monthly lighting and HVAC energy cost savings of up to 60%.
“By combining Daintree’s open-standard control and sensing technology with GE’s Predix platform, Current’s building automation platform and its energy-as-a-service offerings, we’ll deliver the industry’s first next-generation, scalable cloud-based energy management and facilities optimization platform for every building type and size,” said Maryrose Sylvester, President and CEO of Current, powered by GE. “Our combined strengths will help customers, big or small, achieve a reduced carbon footprint and increased energy savings, and provide a solution for ecosystem partners to grow.”
This acquisition brings to Current an extensive ecosystem of value-added resellers, system integrators and device partners with long-standing experience in helping enterprises deploy and optimize ControlScope in commercial, retail and industrial environments. Built to established open protocol standards, Daintree’s ControlScope technology can be deployed wirelessly and securely in almost any enterprise and ensure interoperability between products offered by multiple device vendors.
The acquisition comes just six months after the formation of Current, a first-of-its-kind energy start-up within GE that integrates GE's LED and onsite power businesses with GE’s industrial strength Predix platform to deliver the most cost effective energy management platform required by customers today and in the future.  GE’s Predix platform is open, flexible, and securely connects multiple third party devices and assets to the Industrial Internet.
“Daintree has been in the enterprise IoT space for a long time, so we are excited to join Current in bringing customers an enhanced lighting and energy management solution that can be applied to a wide range of buildings including grocery stores, neighborhood banks and office environments,” says Derek Proudian, CEO of Daintree Networks. “Through this integration, we will help our customers achieve the promise of the Industrial Internet: greater control, lower maintenance costs and increased operational efficiencies.”
Upon completion of the acquisition, Current will integrate Daintree’s employees in California, Australia and Massachusetts into its structure.
About GE
GE (NYSE:GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
About Daintree Networks, Inc.
Daintree Networks® leads the market in smart building control, sensing, and Enterprise Internet of Things™ (E-IoT™) applications. ControlScope®, the company’s open networked wireless solution for lighting and building control, monitoring, and optimization, reduces energy and operating costs, improves the occupant experience, increases business productivity and scales to manage a large portfolio of buildings. Leveraging an open system architecture and an expanding ecosystem of certified lighting, building, and software partners, ControlScope also serves as a platform for best-of-breed applications such as facility and asset management, space planning, and more. Daintree is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. More information is available at daintree.net
Simon Property Group and Current, powered by GE, Collaborate on Mall of the Future
Boston, MA. – April 19, 2016 – Simon Property Group, a global leader in retail real estate, and Current, powered by GE, are partnering on the next generation of efficient, intelligent malls. To advance its sustainability goals and improve the shopping experience, Simon is installing a variety of solutions from Current’s efficient-energy portfolio, including intelligent LEDs, electric vehicle charging stations and demand response systems to shift and optimize electricity use. These solutions are projected to save Simon 50-75% in energy costs in the applications where they’re installed.
Deployments will soon begin at The Westchester in White Plains, New York as well as Castleton Square near Simon’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana where Simon and Current are collaborating on an intelligent parking lot. Here, data gathered from sensors is analyzed by GE’s industrial strength Predix platform to help Simon take a smarter approach to parking lot management.
In one use case, Simon successfully used sensors in Current’s intelligent LEDs to measure the effectiveness of its snow removal efforts. Simon projects that better monitoring and analysis could save more than 20% in annual snow removal costs and that intelligent LEDs could unlock additional future outcomes, including directing shoppers to vacant parking spaces, highlighting unusual traffic patterns or congestion and alerting facility teams to disabled vehicles.
“Improving our energy footprint is a significant part of our sustainability journey, and in addition to efficient solutions, we’re investing in intelligent infrastructure to continue to enhance our operations and the shopping experience for our customers,” says Timothy Earnest, Executive Vice President of Management, Simon Property Group. “Collaborating with Current will help us achieve energy-efficiency gains across our more than 200 centers while we also explore future opportunities to apply these technologies in a variety of ways.”
“Having already reduced energy consumption across our portfolio by 32 percent since 2003, Simon has committed to shaving an additional 5-10% off of our energy usage by2020,” adds Mona Benisi, Senior Director of Sustainability for Simon. “Other sustainability initiatives include adding EV charging stations to all of our malls, also by 2020, and improving water efficiency 20 percent by 2025.”
The company has been working with GE on efficient LED deployments across its properties and will use findings from these latest deployments to expand installations with Current across other sites.
“We are always inspired by how innovative customers use our intelligent infrastructure to digitize their environments and solve unique problems,” says John Gordon, Chief Digital Officer, Current, powered by GE. “The team at Simon realizes they can make huge gains in efficiencies today while building a digital backbone that will pay dividends for their operations, tenants and customers into the future.”
About GE
GE (NYSE:GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
About Simon
Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and an S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE: SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit simon.com.
Current, powered by GE is pleased to announce the winners of the 33rd annual GE Edison Awards. The competition recognizes excellence in professional lighting designs that use Current LED lighting products and controls. Entries are judged on functional excellence; architectural compatibility; effective use of GE LED products and techniques; appropriate color, form and texture revelation; energy efficiency; and cost effectiveness.
Winners were announced at an exclusive event at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego on April 25, 2016. The winners are:
This LEED® Gold certified project – comprised of 99 percent LED lighting – reveals a softly glowing building, conveying a unified single-tenant presence throughout the 450,000 square-foot mixed office building.
More than 6,000 GE Tetra® LED PowerGrid modules and 1,000 linear feet of Tetra® LED Contour now flow continuously through the building, creating a strong visual connection that can be seen from exterior and interior views.
Photography: Richard Bryant, Arcaid Images
Award of Excellence: Sayn Foundry - Licht Kunst Licht AG
Bendrof, Germany
Built in 1830 near the Rhine River as an iron cathedral, the Sayner HĂĽtte became a prototype of great architecture within European industrialization. Licht Kunst Licht AG carefully integrated fully controllable, RGB, warm and cool colored LED luminaires into the heritage-protected structures in this restoration.
The lighting uses a combination of GE Infusion™ LED 21W and 46W Modules in 2700K and 4000K, including adjustable spotlights equipped with snoots to give precise light distribution.
The precise and thoughtful illumination allows the Sayner HĂĽtte glow from the inside, hinting its former utilization while significantly improving lighting efficiency and longevity.
Photography: Johannes Roloff, LichtKunstLichtAG
Award of Excellence & Environmental Design: S.J. Quinney Law School Library - Spectrum Engineers, Inc.
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
The S.J. Quinney Law School Library at the University of Utah is filled with important legal books and resources, which need to be lit in an energy efficient manner. The state of-the-art center needed library lighting that fit an energy-efficient and effective design strategy for the building.
GE Albeo™ ALC Series LED Linear luminaires in 4000K are suspended in continuous rows between the tall and narrow stacks, achieving a modern look that efficiently illuminates the important tomes beneath.
Along with daylight dimming and time clock controls, occupancy sensors attached to the end of each tandem row of luminaires achieved an additional 30% reduction in energy use.
Photography by: Heather L. King, Spectrum Engineers
Award of Merit: Hotel Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine - Licht Kunst Licht AG
Valladolid, Spain
A former monastery from the 12th century has been converted into a Relais & Château five-star hotel and spa - situated in the heart of the world famous wine region Ribero del Duero in central Spain.
Where monks used to pray in silence, custom illumination sensitively using LED technology provides guests a place of calm, well-being and relaxation.Â
Dimmable GE 6W LED PAR lamps in 2700 K with 35° beam spread are used in wall-mounted luminaires. GE 6W LED candle lamps compliment decorative pendants. Other GE LED replacement lamps are used in multiple elements of the lighting design to compliment the historical architecture.
Photography by: Marcus Ebener
Award of Merit: Charlotte Douglas International Airport Parking Deck - Hartranft Lighting Design, LLC
Charlotte, NC, USA
Artfully lighted wayfinding concepts, ceilings, and underlighted stairwells with GE Tetra® LED Contour provide strong contrast to the familiar blue backlighting of the exterior skin.Â
GE Tetra® LED PowerGrid modules within large metal ribbons evenly illuminate layers of white and colored lenses.Â
The result is a project that is true to the overall design of the airport campus, and stands well on its own unique design.
 Photography: Architectural Image Group
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Award of Merit: 1 Hotel Central Park – Focus Lighting
New York, NY, USA
The 1 Hotel Central Park lighting design focuses on minimizing energy use, employing layers of LEDs to capture the beauty found in the hotel’s reclaimed materials and live agricultural elements.
GE LED MR16 lamps were used in downlights in the bar and GE 7W LED MR16 lamps were used for all of the hotel’s accents.
The design is 24% below the maximum allowable energy usage, a level at which the hotel can speak proudly of limiting its energy footprint.
Photography by: Ryan Fischer, Focus Lighting
Special Citation, Exterior Lighting Creativity: Casa Naranja - Arq. Pablo Pizarro Diseño de Iluminación & AFT Arquitectos
CĂłrdoba, Argentina
Tarjeta Naranja opened a new home to the company headquarters in August 2015.
The colorful façade becomes an icon at night, as the colors of the sunscreen become alive, and the projectors can be programmed to change every day.Â
Efficient, energy saving lighting was mandatory and a majority of lighting fixtures use GE LED lamps, including the GE 7W LED Energy Smart MR16 lamp in 3000 K.
Photography by: Arq. Gonzalo Viramonte
Special Citation, Creative Use of Architecture and Light: Solo West Office Tower – Lichtwerke
Frankfurt, Germany
This ten-story office building underwent a complete renovation that earned LEED® Gold certification for sustainable construction.Â
The height of the two-story lobby is exaggerated by a wall composed of vertical lamellae. Luminaires using the GE LED Infusion™ Modules are set in between the ceiling and the lamellae illuminate the wall elements from above.
The 3000 K light sources, GE Infusion™ M2000 Modules, remain invisible so the walls appear to glow.
GE Puts Solar to Work, Shaving $70 Million in Energy and Operating Expenses with Current, powered by GE
·        18 GE sites install solar solutions from GE’s energy startup, saving an average of 10% in energy use
·        Solution will generate 614 million kilowatt hours of energy over 20 years, enough to power more than 55,000 homes
Boston, MA. –April 6, 2016 – GE is putting solar solutions from its energy startup Current, powered by GE, to work across 18 GE sites in 12 states and Puerto Rico. The installations will deliver roughly $70 million in energy and operating savings over the solutions’ 20-year lifespan and offset energy usage an average of 10% across the sites.
The locations across GE businesses use solar ground-mounts, rooftop panels or carports, including the largest solar carport in New York state in Schenectady.
Collectively, the installations will produce more than 614 million kilowatt hours of energy over their 20 year lifespan, enough to power more than 55,000 homes and offset emissions equivalent to removing 89,000 cars from the road.
“The cost to implement solar has dropped 60% since 2010,” says Erik Schiemann, General Manager, Solar, Current, powered by GE. “Couple that with solar’s significant energy returns, and it’s hard to justify not investing in solar. At Current, we’re giving our customers a holistic, distributed energy solution and a new way to reduce, produce, optimize and shift their energy usage. We believe so strongly in the value of this model that we are putting it to work at our own sites across the country.”
Sites receiving the solar installations are expected to include:
·        California: Power site in Bakersfield
·        Connecticut: Corporate site in Bridgeport
·        Delaware: Aviation site in Newark
·        Massachusetts: Aviation site in Lynn; Energy Connections site in Foxboro; Healthcare site in Marlborough; Oil & Gas site in Billerica
·        Nevada: Oil & Gas site in Minden; Transportation site in Las Vegas
·        New Hampshire: Aviation site in Hooksett
·        New York: Power site in Schenectady; Healthcare site in North Greenbush
·        North Carolina: Current site in Hendersonville
·        Ohio: Oil & Gas site in Twinsburg
·        South Carolina: Healthcare site in Florence
·        Vermont: Aviation site in Rutland
·        Wisconsin: Healthcare site in Waukesha
·        Puerto Rico: Energy Connections site in Arecibo
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a new solar project is installed every two minutes. There is now more than 22,700 megawatts of cumulative solar electric capacity operating in the U.S.
The installations at the GE sites are underway at several sites and will continue at the remainder throughout the year.
About GE
GE (NYSE:GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com
