Edison and Teatro alla Scala
We’ve come a long way together
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What if we re-energised beauty, as we did 140 years ago?
Prima Diffusa, an opening night open to all: Opera for the general public
The Scala Green project: the path to energy transition
1,000 t
The amount of CO₂ saved per year through energy efficiency measures
18%
Reduction in energy consumption achievable through the energy transition project
2022
Energy diagnosis
After constructing a digital model of the Foundation's energy consumption, its behaviour over the course of a year was reproduced in relation to the days the offices were open, the number of performances and the flow of employees, artists, spectators and visitors. This energy diagnosis made it possible to track the progress of decarbonisation and optimisation of energy consumption.
2023
The chandelier at Teatro alla Scala
After lighting it for the first time 140 years earlier, in 1883, Edison upgraded the large central chandelier at Teatro alla Scala. In addition, following the energy diagnosis conducted in 2022, the most effective measures to reduce the theatre's emissions and energy costs were identified and implemented: replacement of the windows and doors and of the light bulbs in the theatre and workshop buildings (the former Ansaldo Workshops) was completed at the end of 2023.
2024
New energy efficiency solutions
The air conditioning and heating for all the air treatment units in the theatre and the Ansaldo workshops were optimised with use of artificial intelligence. In the same year, photovoltaic panels were installed on the theatre and workshop structures.
2025
A new trigeneration plant
At the former Ansaldo Laboratories, we have completed the installation of the new trigeneration plant, which simultaneously produces electrical, thermal, and cooling energy, as well as a new, higher-performance heat generator. We have also carried out an energy-efficiency upgrade on the air-handling units to optimize their operation and improve their energy consumption.
2018
The Museum of Teatro alla Scala
The process of making the spaces of the Teatro alla Scala more efficient began in 2018 with a lighting project for the Museo Teatrale alla Scala, under the direction of light designer Marco Filibeck. The initiative marked the resumption of Edison’s technical collaboration with the theatre.
2019
Teatro alla Scala Workshops (in the former Ansaldo Workshops)
The project covers a 20,000 square-metre area showcasing all the expertise of the theatre’s craftspeople: set designers, sculptors, carpenters, tailors and mechanical workers. The lighting system was replaced with LED lights equipped with a wireless management and control system.
2020
Abanella rehearsal theatre and foyer, gallery foyer and corridors leading to the boxes at Teatro alla Scala
The third year of the Scala Green project saw the improvement of the energy efficiency of the orchestra’s rehearsal room, also used for concert recordings. The project also affected the spaces of the theatre itself, particularly its appurtenances.
2021
Theatre galleries, boxes and railings
The temple of Italian music improved its energy efficiency with a project covering the entire theatre lighting system, with the exception of the large central candelabra, which became the focus of a separate project in 2023.
2022
Energy diagnosis
After constructing a digital model of the Foundation's energy consumption, its behaviour over the course of a year was reproduced in relation to the days the offices were open, the number of performances and the flow of employees, artists, spectators and visitors. This energy diagnosis made it possible to track the progress of decarbonisation and optimisation of energy consumption.
2023
The chandelier at Teatro alla Scala
After lighting it for the first time 140 years earlier, in 1883, Edison upgraded the large central chandelier at Teatro alla Scala. In addition, following the energy diagnosis conducted in 2022, the most effective measures to reduce the theatre's emissions and energy costs were identified and implemented: replacement of the windows and doors and of the light bulbs in the theatre and workshop buildings (the former Ansaldo Workshops) was completed at the end of 2023.
2024
New energy efficiency solutions
The air conditioning and heating for all the air treatment units in the theatre and the Ansaldo workshops were optimised with use of artificial intelligence. In the same year, photovoltaic panels were installed on the theatre and workshop structures.
2025
A new trigeneration plant
At the former Ansaldo Laboratories, we have completed the installation of the new trigeneration plant, which simultaneously produces electrical, thermal, and cooling energy, as well as a new, higher-performance heat generator. We have also carried out an energy-efficiency upgrade on the air-handling units to optimize their operation and improve their energy consumption.
2018
The Museum of Teatro alla Scala
The process of making the spaces of the Teatro alla Scala more efficient began in 2018 with a lighting project for the Museo Teatrale alla Scala, under the direction of light designer Marco Filibeck. The initiative marked the resumption of Edison’s technical collaboration with the theatre.
2019
Teatro alla Scala Workshops (in the former Ansaldo Workshops)
The project covers a 20,000 square-metre area showcasing all the expertise of the theatre’s craftspeople: set designers, sculptors, carpenters, tailors and mechanical workers. The lighting system was replaced with LED lights equipped with a wireless management and control system.
2020
Abanella rehearsal theatre and foyer, gallery foyer and corridors leading to the boxes at Teatro alla Scala
The third year of the Scala Green project saw the improvement of the energy efficiency of the orchestra’s rehearsal room, also used for concert recordings. The project also affected the spaces of the theatre itself, particularly its appurtenances.
2021
Theatre galleries, boxes and railings
The temple of Italian music improved its energy efficiency with a project covering the entire theatre lighting system, with the exception of the large central candelabra, which became the focus of a separate project in 2023.
The numbers of energy diagnosis
1,200
Premises surveyed
900
Systems examined
6,000
Light bulbs analysed
The Ansaldo workshops project
Teatro alla Scala's workshops in the former Ansaldo steelworks now shine with a new light, thanks to a new LED lighting system. This smart lighting system permits energy savings of more than 60%, with more efficient and flexible management of lighting through wireless control.
A historical relationship
Our history has been linked to that of La Scala from the very beginning, when Edison's founder Giuseppe Colombo realised that inventor Thomas Alva Edison's dynamo was the key to the future and decided to start experimenting with it in Italy. He opened the first thermoelectric power station in continental Europe, Santa Radegonda, where the electricity was generated to turn on 2,450 light bulbs for the first time on the opening night of the opera, 26 December 1883, replacing the old gas lamps and giving Amilcare Ponchielli's Gioconda an extraordinary effect that had never been seen before.
