Solar-powered sound stage makes waves in Austin, Texas
Sunshine and outdoor concerts, long valued by event organizers, now have a new partner: Sustainable Waves. This new event production company is tapping into those powerful light rays to bring great sound to outdoor events all around Austin.
To do the right thing for the planet can often be challenging. Because the stage-mounted solar panels have limited output, compared to thee near-unlimited power from the grid, everything from the speaker cabinets to the loudspeaker's magnetic windings had to be custom designed with ultra-high efficiency in mind. By leveraging vintage design ideas from the 1940s and building with modern, efficient speakers and materials, Sustainable Waves has produced a completely mobile platform capable of generating large amounts of sound with the least amount of electrical power.
Their stand-alone solar powered stage and sound system is certainly no lightweight, like those solar-powered AM/FM survival radios you might see. No, this stage can generate up to 40,000 watts, enough to provide tunes for between three- and five-thousand people--no grid, no generator required! Sustainable Waves hosted their first event on November 19th & 20th as a fundraiser for the Austin Zoo, receiving a warm reception.
The system generates 100 decibels at 100 feet and 40,000 watts to the speakers from 12,000 watts of amps, all from two 20 amp sun-powered circuits. JBL/RCF horn drivers for the speakers, Stewart amplifiers, and a Yamaha monitoring console provide top notch sound without sacrifice.
Their stage is based on the model that provided the juice for the side stage at Lollapalooza 2004 and was also features at the ESPN X-Games. The stages have been featured at various sustainability events, such as Lohan World Sustainability Conference, SolFest, and the Whole Earth, High Sierra and Sierra Nevada festivals of Northern California.
Neal Turley of Sustainable Waves has been impressed with the performance of the system since they got it. "We refrain from putting out the exact specs of the system to avoid misconception. Because of the integrated nature of the power and the PA, we get a lot more sound out of the PA than you would expect for the amperage--about twice as much." The stage is powered by twelve Shell SP150-PC solar panels, each generating 150 watts, for an available 60 amps or 5000 amp hours at 12V.
"I am extremely impressed," says Jane's Addiction member-and longtime alt-energy advocate-Perry Farrell, "not only by the power source, but by the sound system as well. It seems that they have hand-built the cabinets and the entire sound system themselves to run without fail, [...] so that they aren't drawing power too fast; but let me tell you, it packs a wallop! The party never needs to end!"
So what about clouds? The stage is stocked with fully-charged batteries to "weather the storm" if it comes, and can be switched to run on a grid-powered outlet or generator if any problems arise.
One musician highlighted how efficient the stage can be under less-than-ideal conditions. “The stage has run for three days continuously while parked under a big shady oak tree!†said Kipchoge of the Ginger Ninjas.
Another example of small business taking advantage of sustainability principles, Sustainable Waves also assists festival promoters in event recycling planning, to further reduce negative impacts of such large events, and can help event promoters attract crowds through marketing their decision. "Because the solar powered stage is both techniquely unique and environmentally friendly we have had great success getting in the press. The media loves it, the artist dig it, and the audience respects it."
Part of their mission is to point out what impact on the environment the decision to go solar makes. "The generation of electricity is the largest source of industrial air pollution. Every year millions of tons of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere that contributes to global warming and poor air quality. At each event that we have our stage at, we calculate the amount of CO2 that would be emitted into the atmosphere if you were to use a sound stage that operates on traditional sources of electricity. "
For more information:
Sustainable Waves
Neal Turley & Mark McLarry
Phone 512.917.3907
neal@guygrand.com
www.sustainablewaves.com