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What : Massive Attack Act 1.5 Where : Clifton Downs , Bristol When : 25 August 2024 Image : Ecotricity / Andre Pattenden
At Bristol ’ s Clifton Downs in August , Massive Attack aimed to create a blueprint for sustainable live music by delivering the lowest carbon footprint for a show of its size ever staged . Key to the project ’ s success was the use of a huge , 3MWh , clean energy battery installed by Ecotricity and Grid Faeries .
It became the largest battery ever used for a UK music event when it was rolled out at Glastonbury Festival in June , where it powered the Arcadia stage . It was then used at WOMAD to power the festival ’ s second stage before being installed for Massive Attack ’ s Act 1.5 show where it powered the main stage .
The huge capacity of the battery meant that on Clifton Downs it could also be used to top up smaller batteries around the site to power other elements of the infrastructure , and at the end of the event around 50 % of its power remained unused .
“ During the band ’ s headline performance , the energy draw peaked at 70KW , while the battery has a capacity of 1MW , so the amount that it could power is remarkable ,” says Claire O ’ Neil CEO of A Greener Future , which supported the project .,
It has been calculated that the battery avoided the use of around 2,000 litres of diesel that would otherwise have been needed for diesel generators , saving 5,340kg of carbon emissions while also avoiding the smell and noise of traditional generators .
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince OBE says that not only does the battery reduce the impact on the environment , it has also proven to be a more suitable power source for stage productions than generators : “ A key learning from the events , which we heard first at Arcadia , is that when there ' s a bass drop , there ' s a big spike in power demand . The technical guys were really excited by the fact that the battery delivered that power differently to a diesel generator , which will give you a lag while the diesel generator tries to accelerate and ramp up the power curve , whereas the battery delivers it instantly .”
O ’ Neil says that while the device , affectionally known by the team as ‘ big arsed battery ’, has proven itself at huge outdoor events , it really is a stop gap : “ The battery is a stepping stone , because what we want to be doing with the Grid Fairies is connect regular event sites to the grid , and then obviously , through the work that Ecotricity does , increase the amount of renewables that are on the grid .
“ We want to work with events and organisations that really want to make a difference , not only in their power , but across all of the different elements of sustainability . So that ' s where you ' re most likely to see us again next year .”
06 accessaa . co . uk