Mission
Mission
Embedded Files
Empowering the Burning Man Community with Clean Energy: Join the RAT Movement!
The Renewables for Artists Team (RAT) is a passionate, all-volunteer community dedicated to lighting up Black Rock City—and beyond—without burning fossil fuels. We believe that creativity and sustainability go hand in hand, and we are here to help artists, theme camps, and visionary projects leap into renewable energy.
Introduction
Introduction
Doug Hanson "Radio" at Spacecats Final Landing
The Problem
The Problem
Thousands 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.*
2024: “Message to the Parents We Should Have Had” by James Beach
2025: "Nova" by Chuck Sumerville
2022: “Colors of Nostalgia” by Alena Starostina
The Solution
The Solution
Whether you are a seasoned builder or just starting, RAT mentors provide friendly, hands-on guidance to help you power your installations with clean, safe, and reliable energy. Our mission is to demystify renewable systems and make them accessible to everyone, regardless of technical background.
While we are not licensed electricians, our team provides educational support to help you design safer, more intelligent systems. We always recommend consulting licensed professionals to make sure your final setup meets safety standards.
RAT mentors assist with:
Electrical Safety Fundamentals
Project Analysis and Design support
Construction and Logistics advice
Troubleshooting before and during the event
Coming Soon: 2026 Targeted Guidance Mentoring Program applications open January 1, 2026, and will remain open until just before the Black Rock City event. Our goal? To support as many dreamers and doers as possible.
In the meantime, explore our introduction to renewable power and our rich library of educational resources, and download the RAT Project Handbook to start planning your renewable-powered masterpiece. Together, we are building a brighter, cleaner future—one installation at a time.
2022: “IntraNurture” by Sylvia Lisse
2024: “Together For-never" by Simon Bellamy
2024: “Childhood Odyssey” by Cecilia Flores
With immense pride and heartfelt gratitude, we present the Renewables for Artists Team's 2025 report, which documents our progress, collaboration, and visionary action. This year's accomplishments stand as a testament to the unwavering spirit of innovation and community that fuels our mission. Our deep and enduring partnership with the Burning Man Project continues to blossom, rooted in mutual respect and a shared dream of transformation. Together, we stride boldly toward a regenerative future for Black Rock City, where creativity and sustainability work in harmony across the desert floor. Let this report be both a celebration of what we've achieved and a beacon guiding us toward what we know is possible.
RAT Solar Generator Trailer
RAT Solar Generator Trailer
New for 2025, RAT Co-Leader Steven Queen built and operated the RAT Solar Generator Trailer that powered the “Nova” art installation. In this on-Playa video, Steven talks about the trailer. It worked very well, maintaining a state of charge of over 75% throughout the burn and surviving the major "Haboob" windstorm on August 23.
RAT’s Darren Emmons, Bob Wolff, and Steven Queen at the RAT Solar Generator Trailer.
The art installation "Nova" by Chuck Summerville is seen in the background.
The RoboTracker
The RoboTracker
RAT mentor Bob Wolff invented the RoboTracker in 2024 to help projects monitor renewable system performance:
The RoboTracker monitors systems every 5 seconds!
Power usage (Watts)
Voltage
Amps
Several temperatures (ambient, CPU, and power monitor)
Operates on one battery for ~10-14 days
Bob talks about the RoboTracker on Playa in this video.
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.
Partners
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.
A Burning Man community practicing zero carbon renewable power generation since 2000!
Built by Solarians The Solar Library helps small art in Black Rock City convert to solar by providing sculptural solar panels for battery charging.
The theme camp Bao Chicka Wow Wow is a leader in developing renewable power sytems for camps and for charging mutant vehicles
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.
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.
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.
Burning Man Generators and Electrical Systems
This group is for discussion of everything that creates or delivers electricity at the Burning Man event. It is focused on theme camp organizers but smaller personal questions will be answered as you are the future large camp leaders.
The RAT partners with the Burning Man Project's Solar Program that is lead by Matthew "Starchild" Deluge.
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.
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