Paris 2024 Olympics: Greenest Games Ever?

Many of the world’s best athletes currently compete in the largest and most expensive sporting event on the planet: the Olympic Games. The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently underway and will conclude on Sunday, August 11. However, it doesn’t seem too big the first modern Olympics event held in 1896 in Athens both in terms of infrastructure, scale and variety of events and, more importantly, budget. In the second half of the 20th century, both the costs of hosting and the revenue generated by the Olympic Games exploded, sparking controversy over the burdens the host countries bore.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, in the past 50 years, no Olympics have come in under budget, some of which have left their host cities in debt. For example, the 2014 Winter Olympics held in the Russian city of Sochi were the most expensive in modern history at $28.9 billion, good for a 289% overrun. Experts estimate that the debt and maintenance costs of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games will be cost Russian taxpayers nearly $1 billion a year for the foreseeable future.

However, the Paris Olympics could end up making history as the first modern Olympics to not only stay on budget, but also turn a profit. According to one Analysis by S&P Global RatingsParis budgeted about $8 billion for the 2024 Olympics when it won its bid in 2017, and has since increased the budget by several billion dollars. These costs are split relatively equally between operating expenses and new infrastructure. An independent study promoted by the IOC concluded that the Paris Games would generate between $7.3 billion and $12.1 billion for the city and the surrounding Île de France region between 2018 and 2034. If the final cost stays within that range, Paris will not only have managed to host the cheapest Summer Games in decades, but could also turn a net profit.

The city could earn bragging rights for another key milestone: low emissions. Indeed, the Paris Olympics are poised to be the cleanest in decades in terms of carbon emissions.

The French capital unveiled the Olympics Heritage and sustainability plan in which it presents ambitious ideas to reduce carbon emissions, minimize waste and use renewable energy sources. In the plan, Paris has set a goal of cutting carbon emissions by more than half, to 1.5 million tons. That’s about the same amount of CO2 generated by 550,000 SUVs in a year. While that figure still seems high for a 3-week sporting event, consider that it’s fewer emissions than the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games, which banned spectators. Indeed, before Tokyo, the London and Rio Olympics generated a lot of it 3.4 million tons and 3.6 million tons of carbon emissions, respectively.

Paris has adopted various measures to meet its emissions target. To avoid any risk of power outages, many stadiums use generators for their events. Paris 2024, however, chose a different approach, focused on achieving supply through the public electricity network. Paris 2024 is powered by 100% renewable electricity generated in France from six wind farms and two solar farms. French state-owned multinational electric utility company, Électricité de France SAor simply EDFwill supply the electricity grid with the same amount of electricity as consumed by the playing venues.

This approach is the first of its kind in the history of the Games. This challenge requires existing connections to be connected or secured for all sports venues and facilities that welcome members of the public. The matches from Stade de France it will be powered directly by electricity through a reliable grid rather than using diesel generators. After the Olympics, these new connections will also benefit other events, helping to decarbonize the sector.

For games, Places from Concorde it was equipped with a system of retractable electrical terminals installed below the road surface, allowing direct connection to the electrical grid. This innovative and sustainable system has also been installed in other places of celebration, such as the Place du Trocadero. These event terminals will provide a legacy to communities, promoting more responsible events after the Olympics are over.

The concave shape of the roof of the Aquatic Center used for indoor events makes it possible to reduce the volume of air to be heated by 30%, while the water in the pools is maintained at 28°C by a heat recovery system from the neighboring data center. Meanwhile, the photovoltaic panels installed on the roof are designed to meet approximately 20% of the building’s electricity needs.

The lighting systems installed or replaced will consume less energy thanks to the use of LED technology, offering a reduction of -80% compared to standard lighting. Electrical equipment is limited to the essentials: fewer outlets, fewer printers, smaller screen, etc. These small changes make a big difference in the scale of games.

The city has come up with several innovative installations including:

• A photovoltaic carport, of over 1,000 m2, set up in the bus station to supply the reception and information center of international delegations with self-generated electricity.
• A 400 m² floating mobile solar farm on the Seine to produce the equivalent of the consumption of around 30 two-bedroom apartments in the village.

Combined, these innovations will result in an 80% reduction in energy-related carbon emissions compared to a ‘standard’ sporting event model using diesel generators, potentially providing a blueprint for future major sporting events.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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