Immersed Festival sets out to make music greener

Jess Hannagan-Jones

Groundbreaking research is taking place at the Immersed music festival in Cardiff tomorrow which could transform the nature of outdoor gigs to make them more sustainable.

Immersed is an annual event curated by University of South Wales students and supported by Creative Wales.

The lighting for the main stage at the Tramshed venue will be powered using battery technology, in an experiment to find out whether a similar solution could replace noisy polluting generators at green field festivals.

University of South Wales lighting technology expert Jack Elderfield said: “We’re hoping it’s going to be viewed as a starting point to experiment with battery technology for us to be able to power gigs in the
future.

“In a festival environment, the power normally comes from diesel generators, and with the world as it is, we’re looking for alternative ways we can create power in a field in a more environmentally conscious
way.”

Lighting

The HUSSh Pod power source is made up of large batteries connected together in a van which will be parked outside the venue. A similar set-up is used to power lighting on construction sites, but this is the first time it will be used at a music event.

A variety of data will be collected during the performances to measure how quickly the battery drains against the specific lighting being used.

If the battery loses power during the day, the venue’s mains supply can be used. But the experiment will gauge the potential for festivals where no mains power is available.

Capacity

“We’re going to see how it performs with the demands of a medium-sized venue,” said Jack.

“Does it deplete quicker than we expect? Does it give us more capacity than we expect? And we’re going to try to turn that into something measurable and predictable.

“So the future might be that you have artist A and artist B and you might be choosing which one to book based on their power draw.

“Are you using lighting effectively? Are you using lasers instead of pyrotechnics? Are you using visual experiences rather than confetti or other environmentally damaging effects?

“It’s a big question but we’re answering a small part of it with the battery.”

For more information about Immersed 25 and to purchase tickets, visit the Immersed Festival website