The 2024 Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green Series is the first outdoor concert series of its kind powered by clean battery technology
Portable, quiet, pollution-free power electrifies band’s performance while maintaining pristine conditions of a historic venue nearthe shores of Lake Champlain
Waterbury, VT – Vermont’s Shelburne Museum hosts an annual outdoor concert series in a small community south of Burlington along the shores of Lake Champlain, where the commitment to environmental protection is as strong as its support for the performing arts.
When Higher Ground Presents booked alternative-rock icons and sustainability pioneers Guster for a show at the museum in late June, they wanted to ensure the concert met Guster’s commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of their performances.
Guster’s Adam Gardner is Co-founder and Co-director of REVERB, an environmental nonprofit committed to creating a more sustainable music industry and empowering artists, industry leaders, and millions of fans to take environmental action since 2004.
“In a conversation with Adam last summer, he mentioned that REVERB was successfully using battery technology to power major concert stages,” said Alex Crothers, founder of Higher Ground Presents, the promoter of the long-running concert series. “After some research, I learned that NOMAD could offer a solution to cut diesel emissions from our concerts. When we heard it was developed and built here in the United States – in Vermont – we had to talk.”
Adam Gardner agreed.
“REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project has been working with partners across the industry to rapidly decrease reliance on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “Partners like Shelburne Museum and battery systems like NOMAD’s are helping make a fossil fuel-free future for live music a reality.
“This the first time I actually got to play a decarbonized stage and I have to say it was great!” he added. “The system worked flawlessly, there were no diesel fumes, no loud generator noise, and zero-emissions. That’s a win for me as an artist, for fans, and the environment.”
For Shelburne Museum sustainability is also a priority. Three years ago two solar arrays came online on the museum’s property that generate enough power to make the museum fully powered by renewable energy.
“At Shelburne Museum we see our mission as not only focused on stewarding the museum’s renowned collections, buildings and gardens, we also believe that responsibility extends to our impact on the planet. Extending this to the Concerts on the Green here is something we fully support and absolutely aligns with our mission,” said Shelburne Museum Director Thomas Denenberg.
NOMAD offers mobile battery energy storage solutions that can replace diesel generators with clean, silent battery power. The company offers a portfolio of four solutions ranging from the 220 kWh Pathfinder up to the 2.0 MWh Traveler, which can be used for everything from outdoor music festivals and EV charging to emergency disaster relief efforts.
For the Guster show, NOMAD’s 1.3 MWh Voyager was deployed. The Voyager delivers enough electricity to power more than 600 homes for an hour, meaning it brings more than enough juice for a three-hour rock concert.
Chris McKay, NOMAD’s COO, said there are several considerations that make NOMAD an attractive option for performers, concert organizers and concert goers.
“Powering a show with diesel can require hundreds of gallons of fuel, increasing costs and resulting in noise, pollution, and smells that many people want to avoid,” he said. “NOMAD, on the other hand, is quiet, reliable and will keep going through the encore.”
Lex Products, a pioneer in portable distribution equipment, is providing cabling, power distribution units, and integration expertise to support the NOMAD during the shows.
Last year, Green Mountain Power deployed a NOMAD Traveler to keep a business open during scheduled system maintenance. Across the state, the NOMAD team is deploying several units to increase reliability in underserved rural Vermont communities.
“Our power systems have a range of use cases to help provide power without having to increase pollution, and we work closely with experts across sectors to ensure success,” McKay said. “That was important to Alex at Higher Ground, and it was a great opportunity to show off NOMAD’s capabilities.”
“I can’t overstate what a game-changer this is for the live concert industry,” Crothers added. “After spending time with Chris and the NOMAD technology, I realized the possibilities for switching to clean battery power at all of our future concerts and festivals, especially when we’re in remote locations with limited access to grid power, are limitless.”
About NOMAD Transportable Power Systems, Inc.
NOMAD Transportable Power Systems, Inc. (“NOMAD”), is a Vermont-based company formed by KORE Power in 2020 to provide the energy industry with a standardized mobile energy storage platform. NOMAD is the first entrant into the mobile lithium-ion energy storage space and combines its patent-pending, over-the-road storage units with a standardized docking platform capable of interconnection with any distribution or transmission utility. The NOMAD system was designed from the onset to provide its customers all the benefits of fixed site energy storage, while eliminating both the capital commitments and long-term obligations that traditional energy storage requires.
About Higher Ground Presents:
Higher Ground Presents (HGP) is a Vermont-based, independent concert promoter and event production company founded in 1998. HGP produces live music and comedy events throughout New England and beyond, as well as artist-curated festivals such as Wilco's Solid Sound, Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky, Grace Potter's Grand Point North, and Twiddle's Tumble Down. HGP has produced over 10,000 concerts during its 26 year history with a diverse range of artists including Neil Young, Noah Kahan, Wilco, Phish, Norah Jones, Mos Def, LCD Soundsystem, David Byrne, The Lumineers, Bon Iver, Grace Potter, Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers, Tyler Childers, Rob Zombie, Willie Nelson, and countless others.
About REVERB
Leading the green music movement since 2004, REVERB is a 501c3 nonprofit partnering with artists, festivals, venues, and industry leaders to reduce their environmental footprint while empowering millions of fans to take action on today’s most pressing environmental issues. Working with artist partners like Billie Eilish, Maroon 5, P!nk, Harry Styles, Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson and many more, REVERB has raised over $16.7M for environmental and social organizations and causes, greened over 400 tours & 6,700 concert events, neutralized 340,000+ tons of CO2e, and prevented the use of more than 4 million single-use plastic bottles at events. REVERB is the Official Music and Public Engagement Partner of the United Nations Environment Programme.
