This year, we’re incredibly proud to support Massive Attack in their ground-breaking effort to set a new standard for the music industry by hosting Act 1.5 Climate Action Accelerator on the Bristol Downs, the lowest carbon and greenhouse gas emission festival ever—powered entirely by renewable energy.
a uk first: The lowest carbon and greenhouse gas emission festival
Steve Meersman, founding director of Zenobe Energy, teamed up with Massive Attack to supply second-life battery units and fully electric buses for the festival, highlighting that the UK festival scene consumes over 12 million litres of diesel annually. Hence our decision to collaborate with Volta: Electric Trucks to efficiently transport the batteries to their destination and minimise the use of diesel.
We didn’t just reduce our diesel usage — we completely swapped it out, using 100% renewable energy and hydrogen for transportation using fully electric Volta trucks and Scania gas trucks.
And if that wasn’t impressive enough, the stage was powered entirely by solar and wind energy—well, kind of. The main batteries, which powered the entire site, were charged off-site using solar and wind. The stage itself ran on a 3MWh battery provided by Ecotricity X Grid Faeries.
Act 1.5’s push for a sustainable gig went beyond logistics. The audience was urged to use public transport to reduce car usage and bring reusable cups and containers for food and drinks. All cutlery, serveware, and toilets were fully compostable, and the food was entirely plant-based—meaning no animals were harmed for the event.
Planning, Preparing and EXECUTING
We were approached by our client to provide transport and logistics for this ‘one of a kind’ festival.
KB’s MD, Richard Burnett, and Project Manager, Howard Dearsley, collaborated closely with Massive Attacks Production team, as well as green electricity suppliers and gas and electric truck providers. Together, they developed a logistics schedule that ensured the site’s power demands were met from setup right through to show and de-rig.
Week 1 Planning
During the first week of the build, our main task was the collection and delivery of the larger battery units to the site using Scania Gas Engine Vehicles. These biomethane-powered vehicles typically produce an 80% reduction in CO2 compared to the standard diesel.
Week 2 Planning
The second week saw the introduction of 3x fully electric Volta trucks with modified bodies to load and transport smaller battery units. These trucks kept the units on board and shuttled between the green electricity provider and site, to discharge and keep the site battery units topped up.
During this important pre-show week, a fourth electric (Scania) vehicle was brought in to join the other shuttle recharge vehicles. The KB driving team were integral to this phase of the project as they needed to learn the process of charging and discharging power to the site from the battery units they were carrying.
Photos by KB Event
the new blueprint for sustainable festivals
Grey skies and heavy rain put no stop to the day, with the band playing as scheduled, displaying political messages throughout their set.
Massive Attack plan to gather further research after their festival concludes to assess the effective and ineffective strategies. Del Naja expressed hopes that the findings could be “transformational” for the entire music industry.
When asked why they feel so strongly about hosting sustainable shows: “It’s simple,” Marshall says. “It’s because there’s only one planet, and we’ve got to try and save it.
