Alibaba Cloud’s Energy Expert to enhance Paris 2024 sustainability

Alibaba Cloud announced that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will utilise its data-driven sustainability solution, Energy Expert, to monitor and analyse electricity consumption across all 35 competition venues at the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Energy Expert consolidates various energy-related data such as electricity consumption, power demand contingency, venue capacity, competition-related information, and onsite weather conditions into a single dashboard. This system is designed to enhance energy efficiency and optimise power consumption management for the event. The insights provided by Energy Expert aim to assist the Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) in making future events more energy-efficient.

llario Corna, Chief Information and Technology Officer at the International Olympic Committee, commented on the significance of this initiative: “Sustainability is one of the three pillars of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 alongside credibility and youth. With Energy Expert, we can now forecast our energy-related impact well into the future and accurately measure our progress. Electricity consumption is a large contributor to the Olympic Games' carbon emissions. The data-driven insight produced by Energy Expert will help us learn from each Games edition, and apply that knowledge intelligently to make future events even more energy efficient.”

The Energy Expert system was first employed during the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in 2023. It was utilised to gather data on reducing carbon emissions from the event’s operations, achieving reductions via digital signages and reused event carpets, cutting emissions by 14 and 10 tons respectively from an overall 247 tons. The system has also supported over 3,000 clients worldwide, offering insights and recommendations to promote sustainable practices.

William Xiong, Vice President of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence and General Manager for International Industry Solutions, highlighted the broader implications of Energy Expert: “The insights Energy Expert delivers will form part of the solution to assist the IOC and future Games to be more sustainable.”

During Paris 2024, Energy Expert will gather real-time data from various operational spaces using 100 smart electric meters. These spaces include playing fields, broadcast and media working areas, technology operations, food and beverage equipment, and other temporary operational areas. This effort will result in a more comprehensive dataset taking into account various conditions such as temperature and occupancy at different times of the day.

Moreover, electricity data from previous Olympic Games, including London 2012, PyeongChang 2018, and Tokyo 2020, will also be available for analysis within Energy Expert. This historical data aims to support OCOGs in conducting more detailed assessments of energy consumption.

Beyond the confines of the competition venues, Energy Expert’s AI-driven recommendations will be applied to optimise energy use and minimise carbon emissions at Alibaba’s temporary exhibition venues during Paris 2024, for example, at the Alibaba Wonder Avenue. Sustainable materials and design approaches, such as using recyclable steel and leveraging natural lighting and ventilation, will contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint of these venues.

Introduced in June 2022, Energy Expert has extended its application beyond sports, helping a wide array of customers measure, analyse and manage the carbon emissions associated with their business activities and products. The solution also provides actionable insights and energy-saving recommendations, enabling organisations to accelerate their sustainability endeavours.