Solar and Power#
Portable solar arrays#
Batteries (AGM/LiFePO₄)#
Battery boxes & quiet power banks#
MPPT/inverters#
Camp microgrids & distro#
- “Can we have a Green Man?” (Templeton) — Critical analysis of PV use at BRC (embodied energy, camping use-cases, battery losses) to inform camp design choices. (templetons.com)
- Power at Burning Man (Templeton) — “Desert power (without lots of generators)” — Hard-nosed take on when PV makes sense in BRC; tilt, dust, and load realities. (templetons.com)
- Reddit — “Actual numbers for a solar + battery plug-n-play?” — Sizing and expectation-setting for BRC loads; field feedback. (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Actual numbers for plug-n-play” — (Repeat link for numbers; useful budgeting.) (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Hey friends, let’s talk about camp solar setups” — Real BOMs (800 W PV + 200 Ah Li) and costs—what actually worked for BRC camps. (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Non-generator / solar on-playa power” (AC reality) — Why pure-PV + AC is rarely practical and hybridization strategies that worked. (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Non-generator / solar on-playa power” — Why AC is hard on PV, where solar shines, and hybrid strategies for camps. (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Solar-Powered Camps” (duplicate thread variant with S.K. Solar specifics) — Mentions Snow Koan Solar’s ~200-panel array & village powering. (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Solar-Powered Camps” — First-hand camp notes (arrays powering 200–300 person villages, uptime reports) in BRC 2023–24. (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Solar question: cost to run AC?” — Budgeting reality checks for PV + battery vs. AC on playa; sizing realities. (reddit.com)
- Reddit — “Which camps going big on solar power?” — Mentions of camp conversions (e.g., Black Rock Welding) and pointers to RAT/Kindling resources. (reddit.com)
- UMD Today — “Can Burning Man Avoid Warming the Planet?” — Academic lens on Dragon Wings/solar microgrids piloted via BRC; context for camp planners. (today.umd.edu)
- Wired — “Can Burning Man Pull Out of Its Climate Death Spiral?” — Reporting on BRC solar microgrids (Solarpunks 48 kW), Dragon Wings; costs and outcomes. (wired.com)
- Powering a camp of ~100 on solar at Burning Man (2024) — ~107 kWh of LiFePO₄ in 15 kWh racks feeding a monitored camp grid. (gogridsystems.com)
- Powering a camp of ~100 on solar at Burning Man (2024) — ~107 kWh of LiFePO₄ in 15 kWh racks feeding a monitored camp grid. (gogridsystems.com)
Sustainability and BRC solar initiatives#
- Watch “Going Solar” – Experiential Learning for a Greener BRC — Film + write‑up on Solar Crew prototypes, Unicorns (30 kW), Baby Wookiee trailers, and camp transitions. (journal.burningman.org)
- Vancouver Regional IG — RAT resources & Thrival Guide — Regional echo of BRC solar education links. (instagram.com)
- Renewables for Artists Team — Education Hub — BRC Hive courses: Solar Power 101 + How to do a Load Analysis; artist/camp-focused. (renewablesforartiststeam.org)
- Renewables for Artists Team — Home — RAT projects (Solar Library, mentoring) for Black Rock City art/camps. (renewablesforartiststeam.org)
- Snow Koan Solar — Camp Site — Long-running BRC solar camp (charging station, powering hubs); camp philosophy and ops. (snowkoansolar.org)
- Snow Koan Solar — Playa Directory Listing — What Snow Koan powers in its village + public charging context. (directory.burningman.org)
- Solar Array at Nectar Village (2009 photo + caption) — Photo notes on a BRC 25 kW camp array + public charging. (loupiote.com)
- Solar Power at Burning Man (or Just Camping) — Instructables — Loads, panels, controllers, batteries — a primer written for BRC. (instructables.com)
- Sun Light & Power — “Embracing Solar Power at Burning Man” — Full camp PV kit (panels, Li system, anchoring with lag bolts, battery enclosure) and on-playa results. (sunlightandpower.com)
- Sun Powered Yachts — “Going solar at Burning Man” — Context + kit examples for playa PV adoption. (sunpoweredyachts.com)
- Templeton 2002 Notes — small-panel realities on playa — Early-era PV yields and charging strategies in BRC conditions. (templetons.com)
- 2022 AfterBurn — Sustainability by the Numbers — What ran on solar in BRC 2022 (Baby Wookiee trailers, Unicorns, more) with impact figures. (journal.burningman.org)
- 2024 Sustainability Report: Year Five Update (event page) — Progress briefings (batteries + solar) relevant to camp planners. (burningman.org)
- 2025 Sustainability Report (overview/update) — Mid-decade transition to scale; power/solar milestones and what’s next. (burningman.org)
- 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmap (PDF) — The Org’s roadmap to net-zero/carbon-negative; includes solar build-out timelines and pilot concepts affecting BRC power. (burningman.org)
- Accuracy Third (reddit excerpt) — Icarus solar shade @ the 360 yard — Notes on the Solar Crew’s Icarus shade/battery systems supporting BRC ops. (reddit.com)
- Alternative Energy Zone (AEZ) — Camp Page — Long-standing BRC village of no-generator, renewable-only camps; entry points and links. (aezone.wixsite.com)
- Beyond Leaving No Trace — Sustainability in BRC — Links to Hive courses (Solar Power 101, Solar Skill Sharpening) and renewable power migration for camps. (survival.burningman.org)
- Black Rock Solar — 2010 AfterBurn Milestone — One megawatt milestone and “America’s Solar Highway” along 447; context for playa PV culture. (burningman.org)
- Black Rock Solar — Program Page — Born out of the 2007 “Green Man” theme; early BRC-adjacent PV programs, now transitioned to Black Rock Labs. (burningman.org)
- BM Journal — “Find Out What’s Going On with the Sustainability Roadmap” — Year-one report with power/solar pilot context relevant to camps. (journal.burningman.org)
- BM Journal — “Green Waking Dreams” (BLAST) — (Repeat) BLAST power/solar accountability framework. (journal.burningman.org)
- BM Journal — “Inspiring Sustainability Worldwide” (Dragon Wings origin) — See above; reiterates BRC-to-world solar tech transfer. (journal.burningman.org)
- BM Journal — “Powering the Man with Solar” (within 2022 initiatives) — Custom solar generator for the Man; design intent. (journal.burningman.org)
- BM Journal — 2022 AfterBurn (Solar team highlight) — “Baby Wookiee” PV trailers powering 30+ sites; flexible deployment lessons. (journal.burningman.org)
- BM Press Kit — Sustainability summary — High-level pointers to current renewable/solar initiatives relevant to camps. (burningman.org)
- BM Survival Guide — Culture page (sustainability callouts) — Roadmap goals summarized; why your camp’s PV choices matter. (survival.burningman.org)
- Burners Without Borders — BRC 2022 Report-Out (solar notes) — Field reports noting panel configs/battery reserves that worked on playa. (burnerswithoutborders.org)
- Burning Man Journal — 2024 AfterBurn — Year wrap including sustainability/energy notes impacting solar adoption and deployment. (journal.burningman.org)
- Burning Man LIVE: “Burning Sustainably (Part 1)” — The case for camp-level power shifts; how roadmap targets drive BRC solar adoption. (burningman.org)
- Burning Man LIVE: “Burning Sustainably (Part 2)” — Org/Black Rock Labs case study: large-scale solar on the 360 property and implications for BRC grids. (burningman.org)
- Burning Man LIVE: “The Gift of Food and Solar Power” (podcast) — A camp’s real-world PV layout (30+ panels across shipping containers), distribution to evap coolers/shiftpods, and lessons. (burningman.org)
- Burning Man LIVE: “Thinking Big in a Small Town” — “OFF” (Off Fossil Fuels) program levels: Baby Wookiees (trailers), Unicorns (30 kW), Falcor; how these solar tiers support BRC. (burningman.org)
- Designboom — “Solar Mountain” shortlisted for Fly Ranch — BRC community R&D informing permanent off-grid PV concepts at Fly Ranch. (designboom.com)
- Dispatch 2022 — Sustainability — Snapshot of solar deployments in BRC (Man pavilion, Icarus shade + battery, battery cubes, rooftop solar at the Saloon). (dispatch2022.burningman.org)
- Endless-Sphere — “Solar at Burning Man 2012” — Historic field wisdom (panel tilt, dust cleaning, charging logistics). (endless-sphere.com)
- Endless-Sphere Forum — “Solar at Burning Man 2022” — EV/DIY community thread on PV arrays, charging & dust mitigation on playa. (endless-sphere.com)
- Facebook — Alternative Energy Zone (community hub) — Ongoing BRC-specific solar Q&A, build shares, and event coordination. (facebook.com)
- Facebook — BM post on renewed Thrival Guide (RAT/solar shout-outs) — Org signal-boost for camp solar resources. (facebook.com)
- Facebook — Burning Man: RAT solar mentoring call — Call for artists to transition to solar with RAT mentors. (facebook.com)
- From Mayan Warrior to the Super Bowl — Dragon Wings origin in BRC — How a BRC camp’s solar microgrid design scaled to major events; context for camp-scale PV architecture. (journal.burningman.org)
- Green Corridor announcement — Campfire Talks — Episode unveiling revamped Thrival Guide for sustainable camping (includes power). (burningman.org)
- Green Theme Camp Community — Home — GTCC projects (BLAST ratings, Green Corridor) and how camps contribute solar/power documentation. (greenthemecampcommunity.org)
- Green Theme Camp Community — Linktree (RAT/Thrival) — One-stop linkout to RAT solar resources & Thrival Guide updates. (greenthemecampcommunity.org)
- Green Theme Camp Community — Thrival Guide — Open-source directory of playa-tested sustainability projects; power sections link out to BRC-specific solar builds. (greenthemecampcommunity.org)
- Profiles in Dust video: “Going Solar” (FB mirror) — Documentary on BRC 2022 solar projects and the Solar Crew. (facebook.com)
- Radically Affordable Solar for Playa Artists (RASPA) — BM post — $50/panel rental announcement for registered BRC art & camps; logistics + eligibility. (facebook.com)
- Sustainability — Burning Man Project — Umbrella page for Net Zero BRC: batteries integrated into grids, solar light towers, and scaling renewable power in BRC. (burningman.org)
- Tap the Sun! Solar Camping on Playa with RASPA — Black Rock Solar’s $50/panel rental program and a real BRC camp setup. (journal.burningman.org)
- The Green Corridor — Neighborhood of camps piloting sustainable infrastructure (power, shade, water) with a strong solar component. (burningman.org)
- Theme Camp Symposium 2022: “Sustainability—Strategies for Renewable Power” (YouTube) — Meet BRC solar wizards; first steps to go 100% renewables at camp scale. (youtube.com)
- Theme Camp Symposium 2024: “Sustaining & Surviving with Solar” (YouTube) — Camp PV/hybrid power sizing and ops in BRC conditions. (youtube.com)
- “Company’s Coming” (BM Journal, 2009) — Snow Koan’s 25 kW array feeding the BRC grid; early large-scale camp microgrid. (journal.burningman.org)
- Arc (Hotel California) — 25.6 V LiFePO₄ camp grid — Open-source modular DC microgrid built explicitly for a Burning Man camp. (github.com)
- BRC 2024 art install power notes (“1000 Hands”) — Scarab solar trailer powering zones; cabling/voltage choices that affect racking layout. (reddit.com)
- Burning Man Generators & Electrical Systems (FB): LiFePO₄ options thread — Cost per kWh, charger picks, and real buyer experiences for playa banks. (facebook.com)
- Burning Man Generators & Electrical Systems (FB): hybrid generator–battery ops — Fuel savings by charging a LiFePO₄ bank and shutting gensets down. (facebook.com)
Generators & quiet boxes#
Solar racking (EMT/tripods)#
Solar layouts and angles on the playa#
Electrical safety (GFCI, neutral bonding, cord ratings, ground-fault response)#
Solar Ovens#