General Electric is looking at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics as a great chance to show off its green technology, Reuters reports.
From electricity-producing turbines to solar-powered lighting at the softball facility to a system to capture rainwater for irrigation and cleaning, GE expects to sell about $500 million in ecomagination products.
“Being an Olympic sponsor allows you access to a lot of government officials and that’s a key ingredient to doing anything in China,” said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, professor of sports management at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
The $500 million revenue from the build-out for the games excludes advertising revenues generated by NBC Universal, which has the U.S. broadcast rights for the Olympics. GE owns 80 percent of NBC.