Sign up for IQ Index
The latest industry news to your inbox.
I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities
I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The initiative is a collaboration between promoter Mojo Concerts and sustainable energy company Solarfields
By James Hanley on 06 May 2022
Organisers of Lowlands festival in the Netherlands have opened the world’s largest solar carport in the event’s on-site car park.
A collaboration between promoter Mojo Concerts and renewable energy producer Solarfields, the car park opened on 3 May and covers 35 hectares.
Providing space for 15,000 cars, its 90,000 solar panels produce an annual capacity of 35 MWp of electricity, meaning around 10,000 households can be supplied with green energy – equivalent to the power consumption of roughly 100 Lowlands weekends.
“It is essential for our company that we commit ourselves to a sustainable society”
“We are proud of the realisation of Solar Carport,” says Mojo Concerts director Ruben Brouwer. “It is essential for our company that we commit ourselves to a sustainable society and with this initiative we ensure that more sustainable, green energy is generated. In our transition to using only renewable energy, this is a huge step.”
Held in Walibi Holland in Biddinghuizen, the 55,000-cap Lowlands (aka A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise) returns from 19-21 August, when it will welcome acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me The Horizon, Glass Animals, Sam Fender and Arlo Parks.
“We are proud that this solar carport has been opened in collaboration with Solarfields after many years of development,” says Lowlands director Eric van Eerdenburg. “As a festival organisation we want to propagate an optimistic vision of the future and play a role in solving climate problems. We hope in this way to be a source of inspiration for our visitors to contribute – no matter how small – to making the world more sustainable.”
“We want to be part of the solution, not the problem”
Van Eerdenburg added to Dutch publication Omroep Flevoland the festival wants to run on green energy within two years.
“We are going to connect to the Smart Grid of Flevoland,” he said. “This consists of seven wind farms, solar farms and a number of large batteries. The dream is to connect to those batteries so that we can reduce aggregate use and diesel to zero. We want to be part of the solution, not the problem. It is super-important for our young audience, for the future of the Netherlands, for green energy and a better future.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Mojo and renewable energy specialist Solarfields are installing 90k solar panels at Lowlands festival, powering the equivalent of 100 festivals a year
Italy’s RCF Arena, which can accomodate more than 100,000 fans, launches tonight with a concert by Luciano Ligabue
Canadian singer Grimes will kick off the New Music Concert Series at Wizard World Philadelphia in June, with Melanie Martinez and more promised for future conventions
IQ is the leading global news platform for the live music business. IQ’s news, features, information and analysis is read by 100,000 professionals worldwide each month. IQ publishes a regular magazine, several annual reports, and a daily news digest, IQ Index. The IQ family also includes ILMC, the live music industry’s top international conference event, and the International Festival Forum (IFF).