The future of festival power
With UK music festivals consuming millions of litres of diesel per year, major events like Lollapalooza and WOMAD have started experimenting with the use of battery technology to power their stages. However, industry concerns over their reliability remain. Here, Andrew Keith, division director of load bank manufacturer Power Prove, explores the importance of load bank testing in enabling battery-powered festivals.
The reliability and longevity of diesel generators make them a gold standard back-up power solution and therefore commonplace in critical industries such as telecoms, healthcare and transport. Since back-up generators are typically only used in the case mains power fails, it’s easy to believe that their environmental impact is limited and contained.
However, this is not always the case. Diesel generators are often the main power source for festivals taking place in remote locations that cannot be hooked up to the grid. But a typical diesel generator emits twice as many greenhouse gases as grid power and also produces particulates such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide.
Unfortunately, generators are frequently run in a way that heightens their emissions. To ensure that they can handle the power requirements of the equipment they are used for during peak times, event organisers often select generators with larger capacity than is needed. Running a generator that’s too large for the demand on a low load may consume more fuel than necessary.
Consequently, back in 2019, it was estimated that the UK’s music festivals collectively consumed around 380 million litres of diesel per year. This presents a problem for festival organisers looking to minimise the environmental impact of their events in line with industry pacts such as Green Events Code of Practice.
Plugging into green power
In response, some festivals are beginning to embrace alternatives. Battery systems are gaining traction as a greener, quieter alternative. In 2024, the main stage at Lollapalooza was powered entirely by battery storage, cutting both greenhouse gas emissions and diesel consumption by over two-thirds.
Unfortunately, the rollout of battery-powered events is slow, as many festival organisers believe they are choosing between reliability and sustainability. Given the potential operational, reputational and financial issues involved with power losses during a performance, it’s understandable that organisers are reluctant to fully embrace battery-powered events.
But is there a way to improve sustainability without sacrificing reliability?
Ensuring the show goes on
When incorporating batteries into a festival’s energy mix, organisers need assurance that the system will deliver as promised. A good way to gauge whether a battery can support the expected load is by carrying out a battery discharge test with a load bank.
Also referred to as load testing or capacity testing, battery discharge testing provides a straightforward method of assessing battery health. It involves simulating a power draw to monitor how the battery performs under stress, giving an accurate picture of its usable capacity and general condition. In doing so, it reveals whether a battery system can meet the demands placed upon it during an event and for how long.
While voltage and impedance readings can provide surface-level insights, only load testing reflects real-world performance.
Power Prove has extensive experience in supplying portable DC load banks tailored for these exact applications. Our equipment can test battery systems with voltages up to 1000V DC and continuous power requirements up to 30 kilowatts (kW), making it ideal for on-site verification at festival locations.
Our Digiload load bank control system allows users to enter their own pre-configured load step sequences, which helps to improve testing speed and efficiency. The system can also
record test data, all of which is downloadable onto a USB stick in .csv format, simplifying data analysis.
From pre-event verification to ongoing battery health assessments, discharge testing plays a crucial role in the transition to greener festivals. With the right testing tools in place, organisers can move forward with battery solutions with certainty.
