LOCATION
NewLab at Brooklyn Navy Yard
DATE
October 26, 2024
PARTNERS
special thanks to Sunbelt Rentals, Sustainable Westchester, Hope Hydration and Pond Creative
ARTISTS
Nation of Language, Grace Ives, Model/Actriz and Psymon Spine
CONCEPT
In an act of climate optimism, SOLARPUNKS joined forces with DER Taskforce on throwing Brooklyn’s First Solar-Powered Concert to show the viability of running a full concert production fully on the power of the sun (no diesel generator back-up) while also illustrating the decentralized power of community microgrids.
The squad followed up on the learnings of the previous year’s “vehicle-2-rave” concept that employed EVs as mobile battery energy storage systems (mBESS). Thanks to the generosity of Sunbelt Rentals, the team was able to get 75kW / 600 kWH mBESS, an electric forklift and solar-powered light tower to energize both the concert and DERvos the day before (a distributed energy resources “un-conference” from DER Taskforce, which SOLARPUNKS also helped produce).
Instead of relying on collocated solar panels, SOLARPUNKS reached out to non-profit Sustainable Westchester to see about pulling up mBESS to their “sunshine-to—EV charging station” (a first-of-its-kind in New York). The 85kW array on site feeds into 180kWh of battery storage so that the development can supply the community with solar power even when the sun isn’t shining.
We were able to charge the mBESS with enough solar power to fully power the concert (including a video wall, lighting, audio and a food truck) with clean energy and also fully displace the diesel fuel from DERvos, as the aggregate total kWh used was only 168 kWH over the three days (including load-in).
While we were excited to displace the diesel generators and fuel that the events would’ve otherwise required (note: in today’s industry, mBESS are powered with diesel generators that rely on fossil fuels), we were also thrilled to create a small proof-of-concept that shows how we can use distributed energy resources technology to support community-owned clean energy generation.
Sustainable Westchester’s solar-to-EV station is part of a community choice aggregation program, where excess electricity is shared with lower to moderate income households. New technology like mBESS can help these clean energy developments owned by communities make money, keeping resources circulating locally instead of going out in a one-way street to stakeholders of oil + gas majors.
We’re excited to contribute to a more equitable energy paradigm - for Mother Nature and for each other. Massive thanks to Stereogum, Nation of Language, Grace Ives, Model/Actriz and Psymon Spine for taking a chance on a new innovation and not demanding diesel generators as back-up!
