UK festivals go green

Solar energy powered the Greenpeace tent at Glastonbury.

Solar energy will power lighting systems and stages at some of the UK’s top festivals this summer.

Having already powered the Greenpeace tent at Glastonbury and provided electricity for the UK’s first solar-powered film premiere, the Firefly solar energy systems will provide clean energy for the Big Green Gathering – the UK’s largest green event - next week.

Firefly is a non-profit organisation aiming to provide zero-carbon power to events across the UK. Firefly tours the country with its generators and fixtures in a truck fuelled by locally produced bio-fuels from recycled cooking oil, attending commercial and community events.

Earlier this year Firefly provided power for the film premiere of ‘Age of Stupid’ – a cutting edge eco-documentary – in Leicester Square. The solar panels powered the cameras, lighting and screen.

The generators are set up days in advance of the event and the energy generated is stored in batteries for future use. The technology used aims to get the most energy out of the solar panels, and it can power events even if the weather is poor.

Next week the eco-friendly system will produce energy for the Big Green Gathering and Andy Mead, Managing Director of Firefly, is looking forward to the challenge. He said: “We are not just providing power to the front of house. The organisers want us to supply power to the offices as well. The Big Green Gathering wants to use as much renewable energy as possible and we are happy to provide it.”

Solar panels are also being used to provide a free, environmentally friendly, mobile phone charging station at music festivals and will be supporting the Solar Aid campaign to raise awareness of renewable energy at the Big Chill Festival.

Meanwhile, Mead is focusing on smaller, more versatile solar generators for the future. Firefly is currently working on a micro-solar generator called Pictor, which will be small enough to use in indoor events to power lighting or stalls.

Mead added: “The UK is better placed than others to use renewable energy. The public want this to happen and it is a big issue at the moment.

"The events industry is very environmentally unfriendly due to the amount of travel and energy needed and it is our responsibility to invest in renewable energy to reduce the carbon footprint of these events.”

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