Battery on the Beat: 1.3-MWh Energy Storage Powers Vermont Outdoor Concert Venue
At a concert stage in Vermont, the new lineup of instruments consists of guitar, bass, drums and battery storage.
The Ben and Jerry’s Concerts on the Green's outdoor series at the Shelburne Museum in Waterbury is hitting the upbeat on decarbonization, with a grid-charged energy storage asset supplying energy needed to rock the house on a newly regular basis. During downtime the battery is charged by the Green Mountain Power grid, which is completely carbon-free with a portfolio including hydropower, nuclear and renewables.
In the past few weeks, the battery storage has been the on-site power resource for concerts featuring acts such as Guster and Jason Mraz. REVERB, a environmental non-profit which was co-founded by Guster band member Adam Gardner, connected the Shelburne Museum stage with 1.3-MWh Voyager battery storage system from NOMAD Transportable Power Systems.
“In a conversation with Adam last summer, he mentioned that REVERB was successfully using battery technology to power major concert stages,” Alex Crothers, founder of concert series promotor Higher Ground Presents, said in a statement. “After some research, I learned that NOMAD could offer a solution to cut diesel emissions from our concerts. When we heard it was developed and built here in the United States—in Vermont—we had to talk.”
REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project has been working nationwide with partners to clean up the on-site power profile of outdoor and remote concert venues, Guster’s Gardner said. The startup of the NOMAD system helps harmonize the group’s goals in a real way.
“This is the first time I actually got to play a decarbonized stage and I have to say it was great,” Gardner added. “The system worked flawlessly, there were no diesel fumes, no loud generator noise and zero emissions. That’s a win for me as an artist.”
The Ben and Jerry’s Concerts on the Green at Shelburne Museum series is in its 22nd season. The outdoor stage has played host to numerous prominent artists over the year and will feature a sellout show with band Train on July 30.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy selected NOMAD Transportable Power Systems to bring long-duration energy storage to five communities in rural Vermont in partership with utility Green Mountain Power. The $9.5 million DOE grant helped the company deliver mobile battery storage in the remote areas.
Working with NOMAD on the project included lithium-ion battery cell manufacturer KORE Power and also the non-profit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
