Traverse​ Hall from SolSolutions: Solar Power at Events

SolSolutions designs, builds and deploys mobile solar powered systems including event power, lighting, and other production needs. They also provide sales, rentals, and service for mobile and off-grid solar + storage + hybrid power systems in construction, agricultural, and oil/gas industries.

Traverse​ Hall is the Operations Manager and Lead Mobile Solar Technician at SolSolutions. After working in event AV since 2005, Traverse set a goal in 2012 to work in the replacement of gas and diesel generators with solar power. He has since built a reputation for successfully eliminating generators with clean and reliable energy at events in the San Francisco Bay Area region of California.

Hi Traverse. When did SolSoutions get started?

SolSolutions launched in 2009.  But our SolMan line, which is one of the first branded mobile solar generators, has a history dating back to 1992. It was always about the concept of a small, portable, alternative energy system that can act in place of a conventional generator. We have customers with SolMan units in various parts of the US where the grid is either unreliable or unavailable that are still in daily operation after over ten years. While some contest otherwise, the SolMan was first to market on a number of benchmarks in the development of this niche, such as the first lithium battery in a commercialized portable solar system, and some of the earliest to go to market with solar light tower trailers that also function as electricity sources. 

These days we are focusing less on the costly in-house manufacturing of the SolMan units for consumer customers, and more on commercial and B2B sales and rentals of a wide range of portable power and lighting equipment, in partnership with various manufacturing partners. The consumer markets often trend towards sacrificing quality for lower price points which goes against our aim and ethos, as it contributes to more mining, energy consumption, and e-waste in landfills.

What are some misconceptions about event power that may impact the decision to go with solar power?

A common misconception is how much energy is actually being used. Most AV companies don’t analyze their power usage. I often find myself in the position of needing to explain to people that they don't need as large of a power system as they think. If the event is meant to be sustainable, we need to work together to figure out how to do more with less.

Marketing people like to promote certain specs, but these specs don’t typically represent reality. With an amplified speaker, all you're doing is pushing air, it shouldn't be consuming much power. The type of music matters somewhat, but with the advances in audio technology such as Class D amplifiers, things have gotten more efficient than people realize.   

Sometimes promoters want to hype up their event, and the size of the sound system, to sell more tickets.  But this goes against sustainability, and doing more with less.  Production says  more, more, more, while sustainability is saying do more with less. 

It sounds like you need to find the “sweet spot” between production and sustainability.  What are some issues that come up when producers want to use solar energy?

A lot of people call us are really excited about doing solar, but have impractical expectations of what is feasible. I like to say anything is possible with the right budget. However if the expenses reach an exorbitant rate, it loses its sensibility. Financial sustainability is another form of sustainability, after all.

Off-grid solar can feel like an uphill battle because you’re going to spend more than you would with a diesel generator. Why? Look at how many diesel and gas generators there are in a given region, and then count how many solar generators there are.  Then look at the price to build these systems, because it’s vastly different. Solar + battery + inverter systems cost more initially than their conventional counterparts, and have a longer payback period. Legacy generators present a cheap and comfortable route to temporary power needs. However they require fuel, are not meant to run 24/7, they have many moving parts that wear down, and often have to be retired to comply with evolving emissions regulations. The sustainability game is playing the long game so it is a challenge to overcome the practical economics such as supply and demand when you are going up against abundant easy to access immediate gratification. 

Here in California, there's been a lot of government mandates for event producers to reduce waste. It's only a matter of time before progressive California says, “Hey, you folks need to cut your diesel emissions at events.” At that point it becomes inevitable.  Event waste diversion companies have done well because of these mandates as they relate to waste management. It’s different for renewable power because it presents new challenges, both technical and financial, and considered optional. I'm confident things are going to come around, especially with the recent large influx of equipment out there right now, which is a long and fascinating story that perhaps I’ll share with you another time.

What’s something that you’re excited about?

My goal is to move from small and medium sound stages to large stuff, which is challenging. Right now, I don't have the 3 phase systems that can do a lot of the bigger stuff as well as manage things that require 3 phase such as trussing motors. Most of my systems are split phase. I have a plan in development for a 30 kVA three phase, continuous output that can handle 60 kVA peaks, using a 6-7 kw solar array and a 60kWh lithium battery capable of smooth integration with large diesel generators. To build this kind of mobile 3 phase hybrid beast is incredibly costly, but very exciting. While not a world’s first, it would definitely open up the ceiling for the size and scope of what we do here at SolSolutions.

Another thing that has me excited is the vast improvements in the user interfaces with some of the equipment controls. At a glance, the interface shows key information allowing you to better manage the system. It doesn’t always require specialized personnel to be physically present to operate and monitor anymore, as I can be notified of faults or errors through bluetooth, wifi, or cellular.  Of course this depends on the scope and scale, as some stuff still requires that trained personnel be on staff to ensure seamless operations.  There's a big difference between a person playing guitar on a pallet, and having a real stage with thousands of people watching. 

All this new equipment can come with a huge learning curve, and issues arise. But at the end of the day, SolSolution’s reputation for successful deployment is what we are known for. After all, as the saying goes, “The show must go on.”

What do event producers need to understand when going with solar power?  

Your first step is to evaluate how you might reduce your consumption while still meeting your goals.  A dollar spent on efficiency is worth 3 dollars in solar equipment.

The next step is to get accurate metrics on what you need in terms of the scope of power. Most folks talk in terms of, I need x number of circuits. Nope. Every type of load needs to be considered. Does it cycle on and off like a fridge? Is it a constant long term load like a heater or constant intermittent like a water kettle? Is it a 1.21 gigawatt sound system in Doc Brown’s garage playing redlined white noise? Before a quote can be provided one needs to be relatively certain that the scope of the needs fits the scope of the solution. 

The most important number required here, which is often very difficult to project with accuracy without real numbers from an audit or past records, is total kilawatt hours (kWhr) per day. When this is too uncertain or unpredictable, I like to ensure there are other power sources at hand.

We don't often advise people to get rid of their generator altogether.  With event production, you want to be prepared for all outcomes. You can't always replace the generator budget for a solar generator unless you can be certain in your equipment, technician, and the accuracy of your load projections. 

Even diesel generators fail however. Also in both cases other failures can occur, be it faulty distribution, overheating amps, or freak lighting (been there). We explain to people that renewable technologies are more effective, more reliable, but if you run into technical difficulties, people can blame this newer less understood technology.  It’s important to remember that nothing is flawless, but in my view, a quality solar, inverter, and battery system combined with a well integrated backup generator is the most reliable power source you’ll find. 

I have heard that many people find that solar isn’t enough to meet their needs. Why is this?

I have run into this belief a lot. While there are many instances of this being true on the surface, there are nuances. I have powered some surprisingly large events with far less than what the client thought they needed. It is a common theme in fact that I end up needing ⅓ of what was originally asked for.

There is always a limit to how many solar panels you can feasibly haul; and set up at your event site. What comes out of the battery must go back in. This is why it's necessary to approach efficiency first, and to do a power demand projection using the most accurate data you can muster. You need a deep understanding of how much energy you expect to consume, so you can be assured that you're not going to get in a net negative energy situation without backup.

Solar without backup is relatively easy for daytime, single-day events. But once you draw things out into multiple days it can get challenging. Once it gets dark, the lights, the projectors, movers, and foggers come on, and at that point, you're running on battery alone.  

Stage lighting is a little bit more difficult to handle with solar, but it can be done so long as the lighting person is not trying to blow people's minds, you know? Otherwise it is common to be running a generator strictly for lighting at night. Sometimes I run into stage managers that insist on having their stage lighting on during the daytime. This is antithetical to sustainability and doing more with less so as a policy I tend to refuse to accommodate. The daytime is when I need to be both handling the electricity loads and charging up the battery so that it is prepared to continue providing the juice well after the sun goes down. 

That’s great.  Can you elaborate on some differences in the approach with solar generator systems vs diesel generator systems?

I’ve managed solar at festivals where there are five stages, and I’ve been able to run each stage on their own solar system. Diesel generators use a centralized approach, and the goal is to get one big generator, run the distro as far as you can without having a voltage drop, or without cables being in the way of the crowd. But with solar, it's more beneficial to tailor your needs to specific zones, what I call “point of use.” That way, you don't need to have a bunch of distribution and cables everywhere. 

Something I love to promote is that nobody wants to hear a diesel generator. Nobody wants to smell the diesel generator. Nobody wants to see it either. Not because they are inherently ugly I think, but because it is better in many people’s eyes to put such a shameful polluting climate change contributing oil burning stinky noise box out of sight and mind . Not the case if you are running 100% solar + battery. Literally, you can put these systems right at the front of house.  Imagine that!

Can you pick up a portion of the event to power with your solar systems? Or is it all or nothing? 

SolSolutions offers scalable systems and you are able to build the system you need for the power demand your event requires. However, when it comes to food vendors for example Unless I have a big system available, I don't even attempt to run solar unless I have a larger system available because of the high amount of energy the food vendor demands. We've got everything from equipment that fits in the trunk of a car to numerous 22 foot, 10,000 pound trailers. 

In addition to the stages, “utility” aka functional lighting is needed for the areas like security, medical, office, gate and parking lot. Work lighting is often needed for night time building or striking.  It’s not fun working next to diesel generators, but it is commonplace for event producers to run conventional diesel light towers due to the high power metal halide light bulbs many of the old school light towers come with.

The diesel light towers are old news though. We used to design and build our own under the SolMan brand that we called the Tower of Power. We now are dealer partners for the manufacturer of what we believe are the best solar light towers on the market. Our solar light towers are clean green and silent, have a simple user interface, and are easy to program.  You place it in position, raise the tower up, turn it on, and tell it what days and hours to run, then you walk away. You could come back a year later, it's still going to be running that same program.

But with the diesel light towers, somebody has to physically show up and turn it on and off. If it’s a multi-day event, people drop the ball, so you end up with light towers running unnecessarily during the day. There is the fueling costs. Then you also have the smell and the noise, sometimes in the midst of large crowds and sometimes even sleeping campers.

Here’s a funny story: I put one of our solar light towers behind a stage. When there's a diesel light tower, nobody wants to be near it.  In this case, I look over and the performers and all the stagehands are all hanging out, right there at the light tower!  It's not unpleasant, because you don't have the rumble or the smell. They cost a little bit more on the surface, but when you really analyze the fuel costs and the personnel costs, etc, it's actually on the same level with the conventional approaches.

Can you tell us more about your hybrid systems?  This looks like a great option.

Yes, the hybrid approach is where you have multiple sources of power for your loads. You start with solar and battery storage and further support the power demand by adding wind or conventional generator power. The hybrid system creates more resilience and less “threading the needle” in terms of meeting your requirements.

More importantly, better inverter battery systems manage your power loads while doing it intelligently, and know when to turn the generator on and off, to maximize the output from the generator, so that it’s always being used to its full capacity and optimum efficiency. Even further, if the generator is on and you have a short term load that exceeds the capacity of the generator, the inverter kicks in some extra alternating current from the battery, matching the electrical sine wave effectively coupling the two power sources. 

In this approach, solar is in fact optional, but even without it you can reduce emissions by up to 80% compared to a generator alone. This sort of mostly automated setup really is a game changer for remote and temporary power applications, and not too far in the future you will see these sorts of hybrid power management systems in between generators and loads everywhere. 

What is the difference between estimating power for diesel generators as opposed to solar?

It’s not apples to apples when you compare a 60 kVA diesel generator to a 60 kVA solar and ac/dc inverter system.  The inverter system is way more capable of handling overloads.  With the inverter, size is based on your continuous loads more so than your peaks. While your maximum load at any given time does still matter, it becomes less so as such peaks become briefer.. 

There’s a universal problem when it comes to generators.  It’s rampant that generators are oversized.  Why?  Because when sizing a generator, you look at your total amp draw, and you add 20% for a safe buffer zone. You don’t want to overload the generator.  Typically, multiple players are telling electricians how many amps are needed for different aspects of the event.  Each time someone estimates amps are needed, they're overestimating. Then, the final planner overestimates on top of that.  This is wasteful for fuel, emissions, more costly, and it wears down the generators so that they are losing their lifespan.  This is what results in a misconceived perception about the amount of overall power you really need for most events.

What is something potential clients might not know about SolSolutions?

We don’t consider ourselves an equipment rental company.  Yes, you’re paying for an itemized list of equipment, but what you’re really paying for is having skilled personnel to manage and handle the equipment, and guarantee a successful deployment.  

Throughout all the years of designing, building, and managing portable equipment, I’ve gained a lot of confidence. I pretty much tell people, “Don't worry about the generator, you’re paying me to make sure that everything is going to work.”