Fellfoot Sounds off-grid energy solution

Fellfoot Sounds, a relaxed daytime and one night campout, took place at Into The Woods, Glassonby, Cumbria in August 2023. It was a small environmentally friendly and unique event where participants could listen, make, enjoy live performance, music and workshops with artists amongst the trees and stones of the Fellfoot Forward landscape.

The location is off grid with only a small solar array to provide lighting in the clubhouse. The challenge for the team organising Fellfoot Sounds was to provide the power for the technical support of the performances in as green and quiet a way as possible. A noisy diesel generator, pumping out fumes, was not a preferred option as it would disrupt the sounds of the natural world which the festival was celebrating.

Step forward Ingram Audio Visual Solutions based in Newcastle upon Tyne, who have designed and developed an off-grid energy solution for events with funding from Arts Council England.

Ingram AV take great pride in their equipment, investing in the latest kit and technology. One hundred percent of the electricity used to power their warehouse comes from energy sources like solar, hydro and wind power. They have also invested in fully electric vehicles so that 80 percent of their delivery miles, site visits, and surveys can be carried out with zero emissions. They are always looking for ways to improve their efficiency and sustainability.

They arrived at the Fellfoot Sounds site with a van and trailer carrying the NRG V2 45kVa and a deployable array of seven solar panels, and set to, installing a system which provided clean, reliable, and silent power for the whole weekend.

The NRGV2 and deployable solar array used at Fellfoot Sounds didn’t cause any local air or noise pollution. It saved dumping over 3000KG of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere compared to similar sized diesel generator.

The equipment distributed power to selected areas on the site: the clubhouse for audio equipment, catering and bar equipment, including fridges and tea urn, battery chargers, speakers, and lights; the stretch tent for the festoon lighting; and the pizza oven area for the PDQ and till. The power consumed between 12 noon on 18 August to 2pm on 20 August totalled 68.5KWh.

The only carbon dioxide created from supplying the energy for the event was involved in the transportation of the NRG V2 System from Newcastle upon Tyne to the site. Currently no electric vehicle can transport the system due to the trailer weight but Ingram Weir expect an electric vehicle which can tow the weight to be available on the market in 2024.

Fellfoot Sounds saved over 600KG of carbon dioxide by using the NRG V2 System and also managed to generate 22% of the power used with the deployable solar array.