Electronic Specifier Design Magazine, August 2024
At 11.24pm on Friday, 26th July, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games commenced, highlighted by the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron. And, for the first time in Olympic history, the flame shone without fuel – instead it was powered entirely by renewable electricity produced in France.
This event was brought to life by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, who created a display that combined innovation and tradition.
The honour of lighting the cauldron was given to two iconic French athletes, Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner. After a final Group Relay featuring legends of French and global sports, Pérec and Riner crossed the great water basin of the Jardin des Tuileries to ignite a cauldron unlike any seen before in Olympic history.
Mathieu Lehanneur's creation took the form of a giant ring of fire surmounted by a balloon. For the first time in Olympic history, the flame shone without fuel, thanks to EDF. The flame was a combination of a cloud of mist and beams of light, powered entirely by renewable electricity. This innovative approach ensured the flame was both visible and warm, a technical feat that involved 40 LED spotlights and 200 high-pressure misting nozzles. EDF's engineering ensured the flow of electricity and water 60 metres above the ground when the cauldron was in flight.
Read more in the August issue!
Paige West, Managing Editor
