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Impact
Many festivals in Australia face a common challenge: they are held on greenfield sites with limited access to mains electricity. As a result, these festivals must rely on diesel-fuelled generators to power their operations throughout the entire event, spanning weeks of site build, pre-production, show, and post-show activities. This reliance on diesel generators not only leads to significant fuel consumption and associated costs but also results in considerable greenhouse gas emissions.
However, festival organisers and power management teams understand the importance of transitioning away from diesel-fuelled generators and are at the forefront of exploring alternative solutions that offer both environmental benefits and cost savings.
Energy types differ in their direct emissions and environmental impact. Where access to the mains electricity grid is not available, the next best option is to implement systems that can be bolstered by battery technology. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells mounted on panels, for example, convert sunlight into a DC electrical supply, which is stored in batteries. Inverters then convert this to a useable AC power supply. Solar is particularly suited to smaller applications or specific locations of an event site.
The Falls Festival led the way in 2022, by partnering with FEAT. Live to introduce an additional $1 fee called ‘Solar Slice’ on ticket prices to fund carbon reduction measures for the festival – and in doing so, brings the festival a step closer to renewable energy.
The FEAT. team fostered communications between the festival, Festival Directors, and energy stakeholders. This included explaining the goals around using the solar slice funds, obtaining director buy-in, creating long-term partnerships, and gaining an understanding of the technical limitations and supply chain issues at play. The power requirements were determined by the festival’s energy providers (EVENTelec and Aggreko).
The main technical limitation was the inability of the large batteries to handle power surges caused by dynamic lighting used in live performances. These batteries are equipped with an automatic trip system that switches back to generator power when tolerances are exceeded and protects the battery from draining too quickly. As a result, current battery technology was found to be unsuitable for powering the main stages of the festival. Furthermore, it could be several more years before batteries are designed and manufactured for festivals of the size and scale of Falls.
The other hurdle to implementation was the limited availability of batteries in Australia, which resulted in exorbitant transportation costs. To address this challenge, FEAT. leveraged their relationship with the battery suppliers to demonstrate progress and pave the way for future endeavours.
Therefore, the funds collected by the solar slice were used to install a solar array and two Aggreko batteriesto help power festival back of house operations (the depot and administration block) at the festival. These provided solar power for an average of 21 hours per day, which meant that the diesel generators only had to kick in for a few hours per day.
All data was captured and reported via Aggreko’s ARM (Aggreko Remote Monitoring) Platform to provide visibility into the performance of the system. The utilisation of solar-powered batteries significantly reduced the reliance on diesel generators for this part of the festival operations. As a result, 30.6 tonnes of emissions were saved, comparable to the annual emissions of 6 – 7 cars. Fuel cost savings were also significant, based on a rate of $3.50/L for delivered fuel.
By embracing innovative approaches, festivals can lead the way in adopting cleaner and efficient energy sources. Furthermore, they can inspire change within the industry by showcasing the feasibility and benefits of sustainable power solutions.
