GE Energy has shipped its 10,000th 1.5-megawatt wind turbine. The unit was shipped to FPL Energy for the Ashtabula Wind Energy Center located in North Dakota.

GE's 1.5-megawatt machines have been installed in 19 countries and have accumulated more than 130 million operating hours, producing more than 78,000 gigawatt-hours of cleaner, wind-generated electricity.

The company said GE's fleet of 10,000 1.5-megawatt machines can power more than five million homes and produce more than 50 million megawatt-hours annually.

Since entering the wind business in 2002, GE has continued to advance the performance and reliability of the 1.5-megawatt wind turbine through GE-designed technology including pitch systems, blades and gearboxes; improved component robustness; and better diagnostic capabilities and controls. The result is continuous improvement in overall fleet availability to a level over 98 percent for units commissioned since 2007.

Victor Abate, vice president-renewables for GE Energy, said, "Since 2002, we have invested more than $800 million to drive reliable and efficient wind turbine technology. Continuing this investment is part of our overall commitment to wind power, which will be an integral part of the world energy mix throughout the 21st century."