CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

SCHENECTADY -- GE Energy in Schenectady was handed two pieces of bad news recently related to its wind energy businesses.

A company owned by energy mogul T. Boone Pickens decided to cut a wind turbine order in half, and federal regulators ruled that Japanese competitor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. did not violate General Electric Co. patents on wind turbines, opening the door for Mitsubishi to compete with GE on wind farm projects.

The patent decision was made by the U.S. International Trade Commission, which ended an investigation into whether Mitsubishi has infringed on GE patents for wind turbine technology. The commission had the power to bar the import of the Mitsubishi turbines.

Although GE assembles its wind turbines in other areas of the country, its wind business is based at its Schenectady campus, where it has a turbine monitoring and service center.

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