The Museo Nacional del Prado switches to LEDs
- The institution ceases to emit 372.6 tonnes of CO2 and reduces energy consumption by 77.29%.
- In total, the initiative, sponsored by the Iberdrola Spain Foundation, will save up to 1.77 million kWh/year and reduce radiation absorbed by artworks by 44%.
The "Lighting the Prado" project, sponsored by the Iberdrola Spain Foundation, enables annual energy savings of 77.29% and prevents the emission of more than 372 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. The plan has been developed in two phases: from 2013 to 2018 and from 2019 to 2021.
In order to show the difference in the quality of light, the new LED lighting will coexist today with the previous halogen lighting in Murillo's Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome and The Dream of the Patrician John on display in room 16 of the Villanueva building.
This lighting system not only improves the conservation of works of art by reducing the damage factor by more than 44%. It eliminates ultraviolet and infrared radiation and, in addition, improves their appreciation by increasing the perceived visual sharpness. Basically, it generates a depth effect without distorting the composition, intensifying the colour and giving a correct sensation of volume.
"Lighting the Prado" aims to provide the exhibition rooms, both those housing the permanent collection and those containing temporary exhibitions, with a new lighting system using LED technology to replace the previous system based on halogen lamps.
About Fundación Iberdrola España
Fundación Iberdrola España, with Ignacio Galán as founding trustee and Fernando García as chairman, focuses its activities on four main areas of action: training and research, biodiversity and climate change, social action and international cooperation.
Since 2011, Fundación Iberdrola España has allocated a total of 13 million euros to the area of Art and Culture. Its action focuses its resources mainly on the Restorations Programme, which supports the workshops of leading museums for the conservation of their pictorial and artistic heritage. It also focuses on the Lighting Programme, which includes the design, execution and financing of artistic lighting projects in unique buildings and monuments.
In addition, since 2010, the Foundation has been a patron member of the Museo Nacional del Prado's Restoration programme, supporting its Workshop with three annual training and research grants for specialists in heritage conservation and restoration.
Fundación Iberdrola España also collaborates with the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum to award grants to contribute to training and research in the field of conservation and restoration of works of art.
These grants are part of its Scholarship Programme, which also includes scholarships for master's degrees in energy and the environment at universities in Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, and grants for research in Spain. It also has agreements with other institutions, such as the Carolina Foundation and the Fulbright Commission.
Download information and images
https://www.museodelprado.es/museo/acceso-profesionales
Link to video presentation
https://youtu.be/3ANp_iZwnMM