Sunflower makes Bluesfest a greenfest

Performances in Byron Bay Bluesfest’s exclusive VIP area, the Lotus Palace, were powered solely by the sun, thanks to Southern Cross University’s new green initiative, a solar-powered sound system.

Nicknamed the Sunflower, the sound system generator is the biggest in Australia in terms of its ability to support a main concert stage. It includes a 1.2 kW solar panel array that opens up like the petals of a flower that can be tilted and positioned for optimum orientation to the sun.

“We are proud to officially launch the solar-powered sound system at Bluesfest, an event which has won many awards for its green initiatives and environmentally friendly practices,” said Dr Barry Hill, Contemporary Music course coordinator at Southern Cross University and Sunflower developer.

“The aim of the project is to show the way sustainable design principles can be promoted within the Australian music industry, as well as promoting best practice in alternative power generation and energy-efficient audiovisual technology.”

“I applaud the SCU for developing this outstanding innovation. The Sunflower is another significant step forward to achieving our environmental goals,” said Bluesfest organiser Peter Noble.

“The triple bottom line is important to me and in time Bluesfest will also come to be known as a greenfest. People will come specifically to soak up our special vibe with an awareness they are partying up with full respect to our earth.”

The Sunflower was designed by SCU Visual Arts technicians and students. The battery storage and electronics were developed as part of a university professional placement and research and learning project to power a 5 kW sound system that uses the latest digital audio amplification technology.

Across the Bluesfest weekend, students assisted SCU technicians operating the solar-powered sound system at the Lotus Palace. The venue featured performances by Christine Anu, Leah Flanagan, Tjupurru and Russell Morris, while the SCU Showcase slots give contemporary music students the opportunity to perform to festivalgoers.

Dr Hill said as part of a feasibility study into alternative energy use at music festivals, the students would be monitoring the venue’s power consumption and logging the solar energy generation data.