Main stage Extrema Outdoor Belgium 100% sustainable

During Extrema Outdoor Belgium, which took place from the 7^th-9^th of June 2019, both Belgium and the Big Battery Box had a scoop. The main stage of the festival was operating completely on sustainable energy, through the combination of energy from the grid and the Big Battery Box. This was the first time this giant container full of li-ion batteries performed in Belgium.

Greener and greener

Extrema Outdoor Belgium is an originally Dutch festival that has taken place in Belgian Limburg as well since 2011. The past edition of this fast-growing festival in the beautiful forest area De Plas attracted 62,000 visitors. Bram Coomans of The Powershop: “This was the third time Extrema Outdoor partnered with us and left us in charge of all things power-related.” The Powershop works for the biggest festivals and arranges tours for artists like Rammstein, Muse and Metallica, as well as worldwide broadcasting shows such as the Eurovision Song Contest and the Champions League finale.

Coomans continues: “Sustainability has always been a pillar of Extrema Outdoor. Every year they challenge us to take it to the next level. That is why this year we decided against connecting the main stage to a genset. Instead, we connected it to a battery. Last year we first worked with the Big Battery Box at De Zwarte Cross, Lowlands and various other events. We noticed that the battery forms a stable energy supply for festivals and therefore suggested it to Extrema. The organization immediately responded enthusiastically.” A wonderful step in sustainability for the festival and a scoop for Belgium, since a similar battery container with such high capacity had never been used at a Belgian festival before.

Multiple applications

The Big Battery Box can be used for peakshaving at festivals, construction sites, grid takeovers, Frequency Containment Reserve and a variety of other applications. The installation ensures flexible power certainty, since it can store energy from the sun, wind, regular grid and a genset with a capacity of up to 600 kWh.

Dividing into power zones

At each festival the terrain is divided into power zones. The energy demand per area is mapped out and some of these zones are merged to ensure the most efficient use of energy. The main stage of Extrema concerns one power zone. This zone could easily be connected to the grid. However, during peak moments, such as the final show, this zone could not be powered by the grid alone. In these moments the battery would handle the peak demand and charge sustainably in between.

This solution of The Powershop and Bredenoord is a wonderful step towards a more sustainable festival and a huge step towards 100% sustainable mobile power