London Olympics lit up by LEDs

The London 2012 Olympics have already lit up the world's television screens with a theatrical opening ceremony, a Michael Phelps-shaped record-breaking Olympian and a parachuting Queen.

However, as SmartPlanet notes, much of the lighting behind the Games is powered by eco-friendly LED bulbs.

Much has been made of organisers LOCOG's plans to make the London 2012 Olympic and the proceeding Paralympic Games the most energy-efficient yet.

And in a bid to balance out the enormous estimated cost of holding the event, organisers have put LED lighting into every facet of the Olympic Games - from the lamps installed in athlete's quarters at the Olympic Village to a wholesale overhaul of the lighting that keeps Tower Bridge visible at night.

As the sustainability blog notes, much of the show-stopping opening ceremony was powered by LEDs, from the undulating lights behind the five giant Olympic rings to the digital displays handed out to crowds to hold up at opportune times. "LEDs also graced the undulating wings of the bicycle doves," the blog said.

The multiple applications of LED lights on display at the Games should make it clear to businesses thinking of investing in a greener solution to their lighting needs that eco-friendly does not have to mean inflexible.

Just look at the the Pavegen project near West Ham tube station: 12 huge LED floodlights as well as a public walkway will be lit by LED lighting, as an estimated one million additional visitors walk through the station over the course of the Games.

But the low-energy lighting isn't powered by the grid - energy is generated exclusively from footfall, with between five and seven watts being generated by each thump of a foot on a path-mounted sensor.

"We want people coming to the Games to be able to do their bit for the environment, and this is a great example where people can actively contribute towards making these truly sustainable Games," said London Organising Committee (LOCOG) sustainability chief David Stubbs.