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You might know Showpower from the 1990s, particularly when in 1999 it was sold to General Electric. John Campion and Laurence Anderson first launched Showpower with a new vision for that era, where they believed touring power could finally be modular and flexible, something the global touring industry desperately demanded
Today, not much has changed…but there is one thing that has to change… and that is the sustainability and the sources of power used for stadium touring and large-scale events.
When Paul Schurink, Rob Scully and Tim Benson, currently working together at ZAP Concepts, were approached by Luke Howell from Hope Solutions and Sustainability Manager of Coldplay, to create the most sustainable and low-carbon power system that could reduce CO2 emissions for Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres global tour, they knew it would take all their knowledge and expertise to find a workable solution.
Battery technology isn’t new. But Paul, Rob and Tim knew that it was not what, but how the technology was applied that could make all the difference.
And that is the genius in the new Showpower SmartGrid, Coldplay’s next generation power system created by the new Power-As-A-Service company, Showpower.
Fast forward to the end of Coldplay’s EU leg of the 2023 tour, and the Showpower SmartGrid system successfully powered 12 of Coldplay’s stadium shows with 100% battery power. That’s never been done before.
But this wasn’t a one-off. The team did it 12 times. And they powered the whole stadium show with absolute reliability, not just the hairdryer in the artist’s green room or the beer fridge in the back-stage area.
Coldplay have publicly stated that they encourage successful technological developments to be expanded so that other global touring artists (and therefore the planet) can benefit from their research and development.
So, Paul and Rob, the new co-founders of Showpower, are doing what John and Laurence did in the 90’s: revolutionising the artist touring industry with a new state-of-the-art, fully-mobile, flexible and modular power system that can power 100% of any stadium and large-scale show which can easily be transported anywhere in the world. But this time, it’s with renewable power and batteries, not diesel generators.
This isn’t a concept waiting to be proven: the Showpower SmartGrid and Power-As-A-Service approach can immediately enable emission-free power along with implementing a sustainable and strategic approach that can replace the usual diesel and petrol generators used by most touring artists and large-scale events, for good.
In turn this will directly result in a significant reduction of the carbon footprint of all music, entertainment and live events now, and in the future.
Showpower. For The Future Of Live Events