Renewables for Artists Team
Mission
The RAT is an international all volunteer participatory community group and we educate and mentor artists and others to move away from having to use generators to power their installations. We help artists who have no or little knowledge about renewable energy systems that are suitable for use at Black Rock City.
The RAT enables artists to address the Burning Man Project's 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmap.
RAT is a do-ocracy, “an organizational structure in which individuals choose roles and tasks for themselves and execute them. Responsibilities attach to people who do the work, rather than elected or selected officials."
Introduction
Doug Hanson "Radio" at Spacecats Final Landing
The Problem
Hundreds of electric generators that burn gasoline and diesel fuels are used each year at Burning Man. While they have provided the electricity needed to power Black Rock City the generators produce noise, odor, harmful air pollution and greenhouse gases. Also, generator operations can cause hazardous liquid spills on to the playa that require expensive cleanup. And, the generators are a health and safety hazard because they emit air pollutants including carbon monoxide that can cause adverse health effects and even death.*
Generators in use at Black Rock City
The Solution
The Renewables for Artists Team (RAT) was formed to assist artists to move away from having to use generators to power their art installations and helps artists who have no or little knowledge about renewable power systems that are suitable for use at Black Rock City.
“Ripple”
by Josh Vermette
“Friendship Cube”
by Lindsey Fielding
Strategy
The RAT is comprised of individuals who are concerned about the detrimental human and environmental effects the electric generators produce at Black Rock City. Their collective vision is a hands-on approach to moving Black Rock City towards using renewable energy sources as much as possible that will have a real and quantifiable impact on reducing noise, odor, harmful air pollution and greenhouse gases.
Tactics
The RAT's Technical Advisors provide hands-on education and mentoring to artists who want to transition from powering their art installations with generators to renewable power systems. The RAT assists artists with:
Completing an installation electrical load analysis or electrical inventory
Designing the system
Providing advice about the acquisition of system components
Troubleshooting the systems on the playa
Troubleshooting - “Spacecats Final Landing”
Designing and Building - at the "Temple of Together”
Troubleshooting - “Giganty’s Boundless Energy Gadget”
Designing and Building - at the "Empyrean Temple”
A Smashing Success!
The Renewables for Artists Team (RAT) extends heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended the 4th Annual 2024 Renewable Energy Burner Symposium. We're thrilled by the enthusiastic reception of the information shared by our thirteen presenters, and the insightful questions and dynamic interactions that made the event both informative and engaging.
Stay tuned, as the symposium video presentations will be available in the coming weeks on the RAT website, YouTube, and the Burning Man Hive.
Many Thanks To Our Presenters:
Scott Williams - “Curiouser and Curiouser” Playawide Renewable Energy Overview
George Reed - Burning Man Project Update
Ken Rehor and Matt Drezenovich - Temple of Together: Lessons Learned
Christopher Breedlove - The Green Corridor and Humans Uniting for Better Sustainability (HUBS)
Jared Ficklin - The Solar Library
Ronnie Jack - Regional Burns - Solar Perspectives from South Africa
Steven Queen - Theme Camps Renewable Energy Use - Playa Penthouse
Marcus Vinícius De Paula - Theme Camp Bao Chicka Wow Wow
Scott Smallwood - Featured RAT Artist - UNPOP
Arian Landon - Together for Never - MicroGrid
Doug Hanson - “Curiouser and Curiouser” RAT Art Projects
Bob Wolff - Power Monitoring
Bruce Cooper - RAT Overview, Education, and Recruitment
Special Thanks To the Production Staff:
Robert Johnson
Sara Pugh
Krista Valkyrie
Elvis Nguyen
Ken Rehor
Steven Queen
Bruce Cooper
Tales of Dreamers: Burning Man 2022
Set in Black Rock City 2022, this latest project from the International Wood Culture Society delves into sustainability initiatives in BRC — from Burning Man Project and from a variety of theme camps, artists, and participant groups. Through a series of interviews, “Tales of Dreamers” tells the story of how sustainability projects are coming to life in diverse and innovative ways, and highlights some of the technology being used to make it all happen.
The Burning Man Project aspires to power the infrastructure and art of Black Rock City via energy from the sun by 2030. Organizations, camps, and artists are heeding this call, engaging Black Rock City and neighboring communities as a testing-ground to research and develop ways to harness and utilize solar power, not only during the annual event on playa, but throughout the rest of the year. As they learn to power The Man, The Temple, camps and MORE, emerging systems, networks, and best practices mark this endeavor to make Black Rock City a carbon-neutral model for future civilization.
The RAT thanks Terence Pratt and the Profiles In Dust media team for producing this important documentary.
RAT Partners
Burning Man Hive is a space for the Burning Man community and the Burner-curious to share their skills and knowledge, to learn from one another, and to support each other’s work in the world.
How might theme camps come together to share best practices, form collective values, and design the future role of theme camps to make Black Rock City a sustainable (and regenerative) home?
Burner Leadership Achieving Sustainable Theme Camps
BLAST is a green camp rating system that offers a framework for energy and resource efficient, environmentally conscientious, and regenerative theme camps. We provide an incentive to “Green Your Burn,” awarding camps and their members for successful sustainability efforts.
BWB promotes activities around the globe that support a community's inherent capacity to thrive by encouraging innovative approaches to disaster relief and grassroots initiatives that make a positive impact.
We think it’s wild that the world isn’t already running on free, abundant energy provided by the sun. To change that, we created SOLARPUNKS — an interdisciplinary ecosystem designed to help creative industries transition to renewable energy.
Built by Solarians The Solar Library helps small art in Black Rock City convert to solar by providing sculptural solar panels for battery charging.
A Burning Man community free of generators.
Black Rock Labs has been created to help bring Ideas and experience together to become scalable solutions for energy, habitat, water, food, creative reuse, infrastructure, transportation, communications, ecology, and all facets of living and experience that is Burning Man.
Burning Man Project Sustainability
The nonprofit Burning Man Project and the global Burning Man community are working to make the Burning Man event in Black Rock City more ecologically sustainable. This web page summarizes sustainability efforts.
Fossil fuels burning generators produce emissions including criteria air pollutants that harm human health and greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Burning gasoline and diesel fuels creates harmful by products like carbon monoxide that can cause serious injury and death to Black Rock City participants, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde - all direct human health hazards.
In addition, generators emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and methane and nitrous oxide in lesser amounts. Global warming has caused the worldwide and regional climates to change resulting in potential adverse effects to the environment, human health, and safety.