Renewables for Artists Team

Mission





Photograph by Jamen Percy

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: 


Troubleshooting - “Giganty’s Boundless Energy Gadget” 

Building - at the "Empyrean Temple” 

Troubleshooting - “Spacecats Final Landing” 

22024 Renewable Energy Burner Symposium!

Are you solar curiuos? Check out the 4th annual 2024 Renewable Energy Burner Symposium. Held on December 7th, 10 a.m. Pacific Time. This event is open to anyone interested in renewable energy and is free.

We have 12 speakers covering topics like:

"Curiouser and Curiouser” Playawide Renewable Energy Overview

Temple of Together: Power Lessons Learned

The Burning Man Project 2030 Sustainability Goals Update

The Green Corridor and Humans Uniting for Better Sustainability (HUBS)

The Solar Library

Regional Burns - Solar Perspectives From Africa

Theme Camps - Renewable Energy Usage

Theme Camp - Bao Chicka Wow Wow

Together for Never - Art Micro Grid

Open Source Power Monitoring System

Featured Artists of RAT in 2024

RAT - What It Is. Plus Educational Opportunities in Renewables

Tickets are available at Eventbrite: 

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

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.

Green Theme Camp Community

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. 

Burners Without Boarders

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.

SOLARPUNKS

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.

The Solar Library

Built by Solarians The Solar Library helps small art in Black Rock City convert to solar by providing sculptural solar panels for battery charging.

Alternative Energy Zone

A Burning Man community free of generators.

Black Rock Labs

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.