TURIN 2006: GE illuminates Olympic city for Xmas

By Christmas, the Turin old town centre will have a new illumination system for the Olympics. The new technological solutions will make it possible to save over 235,000kw/h of energy a year.

The operation, carried out thanks to a collaboration between General Electric and Aem Torino, will concern 1,400 lights in Piazza Castello -, where the medals ceremonies will take place – Piazzetta Reale, Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Carlo Felice, Via Roma and Via Po. General Electric will supply Aem Torino, which has managed the city’s public lighting system since 1986, with 1,100 light bulbs of between 100 and 250 watts free of charge – CMH Constant color and ceramic burner, currently considered the best technological solutions on the market. It will also provide 300 ‘electronic reactors’ that will make it possible to reduce energy consumption in a major way.

“The collaboration between General Electric and Aem Torino will make it possible to improve the efficiency of some of the systems in the centre of the city, improving quality and limiting consumption, so it can only be a source of satisfaction,” says City of Turin Public Lighting Councillor Roberto Tricarico.

“For a group whose founder was the inventor Thomas Edison, it is truly an honour to put our best technologies at the disposal of Aem Torino to shed light on the streets and squares of Turin,” says Giuseppe Recchi, the president of GE in Italy. “Our financial and technological commitment to the city and the Games is important and total, and we think it will always be remembered with pride.”

“The cooperation with GE will lead to the renewal of a significant number of public lighting systems in some of the most important streets and squares of the old town centre of Turin over the next few weeks, making it possible reduce consumption a great deal” says Aem Torino Director General Roberto Garbati.