This year, the two biggest players in live music, AEG and Live Nation, put energy and resources into making live events, and festivals in particular, cleaner and greener.
This has largely taken the form of batteries, with the option to use batteries to power not only the parking light, but also full essential functions becoming a reality as technology advances, as driven by the electric vehicle industry.
The effect was felt at the highest levels, with Lollapalooza in August becoming the first major US festival to power its main stage using a battery. Meanwhile, AEG/Goldenvoice, which has been experimenting with battery systems for a few years with lower-priority energy needs, had a breakout year in 2024 with a hybrid system that uses industrial-grade batteries, clean generators, biodiesel, solar and grid electricity to dramatically reduce 'frame 1' emissions at events. (“Scope 1” refers to emissions generated by energy sources at the event itself, versus a Scope 3 emission that would include carbon emitted by fan travel to and from the shows.) The hybrid system from AEG/Goldenvoice saved the use of more than 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel (really, stop for a second to think about how much) just at the Portola Festival in San Francisco. That same system at Camp Flog Gnaw in Los Angeles in November ended up being, the company said, Goldenvoice's “cleanest energy festival to date.”
What's also encouraging is that huge and long-standing festival power providers like CES Power are also looking at ways to implement battery systems and are starting to shift inventory to include batteries.
These are still not perfect systems. The batteries still have to be charged by generators, with the typical diesel-chugging kind still mostly used for this charging. In addition, these systems are still more expensive than traditional energy sources, which can make it difficult for producers to use them even with the best intentions. But with industry leaders devoting time, money and attention to these projects, there's reason to believe that the trickle-down effect will occur over time as prices across the battery industry fall and technology advances. .
When it comes to sustainability, there is a lot of talk about freely sharing information about working hardware, since this work is so important to industry and humanity at large. And yet, one gets the sense that a competitive spirit is still driving some of that innovation in the ever-competitive world of live events, which, if true, looks like a welcome battle to fight.
