Powering a rock show requires a lot of electricity. Normally, it comes from diesel generators, which have a large carbon footprint and leave a nasty smell in the air.
But this summer, Shelburne Museum is using a Vermont battery company to provide wattage for its annual Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green. Over the course of 12 shows, the tractor-trailer-size batteries from NOMAD Power will provide the juice.
“We’re opening the door to a different way of powering things,” Chris McKay, the Waterbury-based company’s chief operations officer, told Seven Days. “Without the NOMAD there, generators were running from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., and now we can have generators off the entire time.”
The batteries are being deployed this week as the series kicks off with four shows, all of which will be powered by one charge of NOMAD’s Traveler battery. After the first four, the battery will be recharged using electricity from Green Mountain Power. NOMAD will use data collected during the concerts to fine-tune operations and see if the concerts could be powered by one of the company’s smaller batteries.
This year’s run builds off a pilot program from last summer, when the batteries powered nine concerts, saving 72 hours of diesel generator run time.
One of the company’s goals is for the batteries to cost the same as renting and running a diesel generator. But the tech is still new, and price isn’t yet on par. The Vermont Community Foundation stepped in this summer to cover the extra cost so that music promoter Higher Ground could run carbon-free concerts for the same price as diesel-powered ones.
“We know that climate resilience isn’t an abstract idea, it’s a daily reality for Vermont communities,” Dan Smith, president of the foundation, said in a statement. “NOMAD’s system — developed and deployed right here in Vermont — represents exactly the kind of local innovation the Community Foundation is proud to support.”
Starting this week, the outdoor Shelburne concert venue will fill up with picnic blankets and chairs as people gather to see acts such as Father John Misty, Ani DiFranco and Peach Pit. Two of the first four shows are sold out.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Plug and Play”
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2025.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
