Bluesfest shines on with solar powered stage
Australia's Bluesfest music festival, held this weekend at the Festival's own site in the idyllic setting of Byron Bay, has unveiled its new solar powered performance stage. All performances at The Lotus Palace at Bluesfest this weekend will be powered by a new invention nicknamed "The Sunflower". Artists scheduled to perform at the Lotus Palace Jon Anderson, Russell Morris and Christine Anu. “We’re proud to officially launch the solar-powered sound system at Bluesfest, an event which has won many awards for its green initiatives and environmentally friendly practices,” said Dr Barry Hill (pictured , left), Contemporary Music course coordinator at SCU. “The aim of the project is to show the way sustainable design principles can be promoted within the Australian music industry, as well as promoting best practice in alternative power generation and energy efficient audio-visual technology.”Bluesfest has won the ‘Greener Festival Award’ from 2007-2012 for its innovative conservation and sustainability initiatives and efforts to reduce the Festival's the impact on the natural environment and Bluesfest boss Peter Noble told reporters “The Sunflower is another significant step forward to achieving our environmental goals”. Other acts appearing this weekend include Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, Jason Mraz, Counting Crows, Chris Isaak, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Robert Cray, Rodriguez, Joan Armatrading, Wanda Jackson, Frank Turner, Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Santana, Wilco, Iggy & The Stooges, Rufus Wainwright, Steve Miller Band and The Lumineers.http://www.noise11.com/news/bluesfest-unveils-solar-powered-performance-stage-20130329