Joe GallopLollapalooza Chicago (cap. 115,000), promoted by Live Nation-owned C3 Presents, made significant strides in sustainable live entertainment by powering its main stage entirely on batteries during the weekend (1-5 August).
The advancement was achieved through Showpower’s collaboration with CES Power, who together developed a ‘Smart Power Plan’ for the T-Mobile stage using Atlas Copco batteries.
The event was the first US major festival to run its main stage entirely on batteries, according to Paul Schurink MBE, co-founder and CEO of Netherlands-based Showpower.
The hybrid-powered stage deployed over 1.5 MWh of battery storage capacity, minimising the run time of biodiesel generators providing significant fuel and emissions savings.
C3 Presents director of operations and sustainability Jake Perry said, “We have set a goal to build a more sustainable future for music festivals, which requires taking bold steps to find solutions that can reinvent how we operate and in turn, build industry trust in new technology so that major live events can see a path towards becoming more energy efficient.”
Live Nation head of global sustainability Lucy August-Perna said, “Solutions like the ones Lollapalooza are pioneering not only contribute toward our global Green Nation goal of cutting our emissions in half by 2030, but they provide local benefits as well through reduced noise and air pollution which creates a better experience overall for the artists, fans and crew.”
This year’s edition of Lollapalooza Chicago featured performances by artists including SZA, Tyler, The Creator, blink-182, The Killers and Skrillex.
Image credit: Paul Schurink