Overdrive Energy Solutions has begun reshaping the way live events are powered at places like Coachella, Stagecoach, Luck Reunion, and South by Southwest across the nation. Using EG4’s 48V EG4-LL batteries and 100A charge controllers, Overdrive powers these events with more sustainable technology than traditional diesel and gasoline generators.
Founder and CEO of Overdrive Energy Solutions Neel Vasavada stated that diesel generators at entertainment events are typically oversized. These generators operate inefficiently at low loads, consuming more fuel per unit of energy generated. To address this issue, Overdrive implements battery systems to power these events more efficiently.
Coachella and Stagecoach
Last weekend at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Overdrive Energy Solutions powered a solar EV charging area and replaced gasoline generators with battery solar systems for site lighting in remote parking lots and campgrounds, eliminating the need for manual refueling and reducing costs compared to diesel.
“By putting battery solar systems in those areas to run those lights, we have basically turned them into gigantic solar lawn lights saving all that labor and fuel in the process,” Vasavada said. “It has actually reduced the costs compared to diesel.”
According to Vasavada, despite decades of use, diesel generators are less reliable than battery and inverter systems. While solar energy may be reliant on the weather, combining it with battery storage, grid power, and backup generators creates a highly resilient energy infrastructure. Furthermore, Overdrive has designed systems with flexibility in mind that don’t just use solar systems with inverters. These systems can use solar energy, AC input from the grid, and battery storage. Vasavada says these systems can cut generator fuel consumption in half when they are used together.
“What we typically do is we will mix these to get the results we need,” Vasavada said. “When we layer these technologies together, that’s when we create a level of resilience that’s not even possible with generators.
In addition to their work at Coachella last weekend, Overdrive will also provide energy to infrastructure at Stagecoach Country Music Festival this coming weekend.
Luck Reunion and South by Southwest
At Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, Overdrive Energy Solutions powered the stages, food and beverage services, VIP areas, and artist villages on a number of different systems. This demonstrates the effectiveness of solar and battery power in meeting diverse energy needs.
“Everything on site was either powered by solar systems, batteries, or grid power,” Vasavada said. “There’s no diesel generators at all.”
Additionally, at South by Southwest, Overdrive powered the entire stage, including music, sound, and video. Vasavada told EG4 Electronics that the stage experienced a power failure, but in the end the issue was a popped breaker that wasn’t related to the company’s equipment.
“We haven’t had critical failures of our own, but the ones that do happen out there just give us opportunity to make our power even more resilient,” Vasavada said. “Today, for any sort of mission critical application like healthcare, disaster relief, and the military, I would choose a battery solar grid type system for anything over a diesel generator.”
Overdrive has observed a significant reduction in energy demand for events like South by Southwest through the adoption of LED lights and class-D amplifiers. Despite this, Vasavada said the industry has been slow to respond to these energy-efficient technologies.
Overdrive’s Sustainable Solutions for Entertainment Events
Vasavada stated that Overdrive has encountered skepticism regarding the capabilities of solar systems much like the doubts people have expressed about electric cars.
“Now the challenge is to deal with that skepticism and help people understand,” Vasavada said. “The way Overdrive is doing that is we’re out here in the field surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people proving that [solar systems work].”
Stay tuned to our social media platforms and blog for the latest updates on how Overdrive is making use of EG4 products.
