GE acquires stake in solar-thermal maker

BURBANK, Calif. — General Electric Co., the largest U.S. wind-turbine maker, has completed a $20 million purchase of a minority stake in ESolar Inc. in a bid to develop power plants that use both natural gas and solar-thermal energy.

Yesterday’s announcement by ESolar, a solar-thermal products maker based in Burbank, Calif., did not disclose the size of the stake. GE has the option to invest up to $20 million more in a year and a half, Caitlin Cieslik-Miskimen, a spokesman for ESolar, said.