Cairns big gig runs on sun. Home-made solar power supply a “shining” example
Richard Dinnen - Queensland Editor |
Pic: ‘Solar’ John Netz with Cairns musician Tessa Devine and the Sun Stage
When the music starts today at the Cairns Ecofiesta, solar power will be driving the amps and speakers.
The abundant tropical sunshine will flow through the Sun Stage, a trailer with solar panels, built at home in Cairns by John Netz.
“It’s 1200 watts, with used solar panels. I built the trailer myself from scrap bits, and it has about 13 kilowatts of storage in used electric car batteries,” said the man known locally as ‘Solar John’.
“It’s been used for all sorts of things. A portable power supply, a substitute for a generator.
“It can power a house or a building site, but it was originally designed and built for a 7000 watt sound system.”
Mr Netz has been working with audio systems since childhood, learning to solder when building his own amplifiers.
He said he got the inspiration for the Sun Stage at a music festival at Cooktown, north of Cairns, a few years ago.
“I was hoping for something more progressive, but when I saw two 75 kilowatt generators running 24 hours a day, I got a little disappointed.
“I thought I’d have to change things, set an example. I started building the sound system and the trailer. It’s seen a lot of action.”
Mr Netz said there’s a steadily growing number of solar powered sound systems in Australia, but many don’t yet have the endurance required for live music events.
“Most of them have the limitation of only being able to run for five or six hours in a night, and then you need to have a lot of sun the next day.
“But I can probably go, if pushed, 24 to 48 hours without needing much sun at all. Efficiency is the key. Efficient batteries, panels, audio equipment.
“I don’t want to be the only one doing this. I’m trying to set an example, and I share all of my information.”
Outdoor concerts usually rely on generators or expensive temporary connections to mains electricity, drawing large amounts of power.
Mr Netz said it’s important to find new ways to run entertainment events that reduce costs and emissions.
