New environmentally friendly lasers added to Illuminations at Epcot

The next time you’re at Epcot, be sure to check out the new rainbow-colored lasers that were recently added to the nighttime show. They’re not only pretty, they’re also environmentally friendly.

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth has been thrilling Epcot guests for 15 years. but the show now has new environmentally friendly lasers bursting over the lagoon to enhance the dynamic display. Guests familiar with IllumiNations will see a major difference in the brightness and precision of the solid-state lasers.

The new lasers use about as much power as an average hair dryer compared to the original ion lasers, and saves approximately 64,000 watts of energy for each show. The new lasers will reduce water consumption by thousands of gallons, and eliminates the need for a water-cooling system.

“Normally you’d see a fuzzy beam coming off of the islands [in World Showcase Lagoon],” Tony Zmorenski, Principal Safety Professional and Laser Safety Officer said. “That’s cool, but now… we can change patterns. We can do complex graphics and multiple beam paths.”

In addition to the environmentally friendly aspect of the show, Tony is excited about the versatility and power of the lasers, and what it means for the show and the Cast Members who put it on every night.

“Everywhere you look it’s a win for everybody. For our guests, for the Cast… it’s going to save us money, it’s going to be easier to maintain, it’s going to be safer to operate,” Tony said. “It’s going to be a gorgeous show.”

Although you can see the lasers in use during the regular show, they can also be seen during the holiday finale too. Here’s a look: