This festival season has been a while coming and when people talk about ‘last year’ it’s generally accepted that we mean ‘in 2019’! It’s like we’ve all been in a time warp except the kids have doubled in size.


We were fully booked up in November 2021 for this season as everyone was eager to get back in the fields. However, steadily over the spring we got four events cancelled and consequently had to cancel one ourselves as it just didn’t make financial or logistical sense to work it. Something we’ve never had to do before but even though some years we bounce around the country we do try to make the circuit not too ridiculous.


Now more than ever we all need to think about fuel prices a lot more. Filling up the fire engine requires a bottle of gin to get over the cost! Fuel prices are also seriously affecting festivals as some see their fuel bills increasing two/three fold. It’s impossible to raise that sort of cash on 2019 ticket prices rolled over for two years!


Then there’s the extra toilets and hand washing facilities required now with new standards and covid procedures. Mind you the majority of folk I know who went to Glastonbury festival this year came back with post glasto Covid. Festivals have always been an excellent lurgy breeding ground.


So we managed to fill some of our event circuit gaps with new events, Unearthed in a Field and Unorthodox Paradox. With horrendous fuel prices and forever growing children we aim to focus on events more local to us in Wales. It dawned on me just the other day that five out of our precious seven events this year are in Wales. Now they take us to every corner of wales, st David’s to Anglesey, Chepstow to Harwarden near Chester.


We’re taking time now in North Wales as we leave Anglesey for Llandudno this week. Experiencing Ynys Môn for the first time has been my favourite part so far but we’re not even half way through the season yet! Content to be back on the road for now, meeting up with old faces we’ve not seen in too long and meeting new lovely people. Maybe we’ll see you along the way?

We are heading towards the collapse of the global civilisation that we have all grown up in. A society that proclaims to be democratic and to look after all citizens. Recent national events here in the UK are proving this to be a facade, stamping down on our right to protest, criminalising marginal ethic minorities, closing borders to people fleeing atrocities, protection of only the rich, people fighting for a living wage.

If time does go in a straight line then we are bending it round and round in circles and not learning a damn this from our story, you would be forgiven for thinking we are living a century ago. So are we preparing for the apocalypse or the revolution?

It depends where my heads at as to how I personally answer that question, but lets take a positive day and its the revolution. 20 years ago I was on that front line, protesting, direct action and living the anti-capitalist life. Many of us were, but there's a softer and calmer way to revolt, and that my friends is the off-grid life.

Off-grid means different things to different folk, to us it mainly means off the national electricity grid, as that's what we do. We build off grid power systems for remote locations or for people who just don't want to be reliant on the national grid.

Off-grid fully means leaving all the consumerist comforts we have all been spoilt with our entire lives and living a self sufficient life, closer to nature, closer to our ancestors and without government assistance. It's really hard to do this...fully, but we can all make a move closer towards this ideal and say 'No' to a system that is not only collapsing under its own greed but also corrupt and unfair. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

You've probably heard the term 'Vote with your pocket', and now is the time to do exactly this. If you cant get to one of the last legal protests, if you're scared to confront the police you can still withdraw support from a system you disagree with. Really think about every purchase, is it necessary, is it ethical, who will benefit from this purchase and who will not?

Ethical purchases often come with a higher price tag, that's capitalism for you! Look further than the initial price tag and balance it out by reducing other comfort costs. We don't need all these distractions from life, release yourself from subscription hell and open your eyes to the beautiful and free world around us. Replace anger with awe, replace dissatisfaction with breath, replace boredom with peace. Grow plants instead of your DVD collection, mend instead of buy more, give instead of take and the revolution will grow too inside you, and become infectious through your smile.

The revolution will take place.

It will not be fought with guns, sanctions and weapons of mass destruction. It will be fought with acres of land, solar panels, rain collection and off grid solutions. The goal is to stop participating in an unsustainable system and to create our own. We can’t wait for building regulations, energy strategies and food production legislations to guide us tomorrow. We have to turn every inch we have into a productive landscape, and use our resources to change the world in front of us today.

If you want peace on earth; If you dream of a better way; If you want governments to shake in fear at the mention of its citizens then its time to embrace domestic change and reoccupy your house and your life. Free yourself step by step from shackles of the corporate world and truly become sovereign. Teach each other. Learn from each other. Help each other. Build a different possibility.

When I see an array of wind turbines I want to stop and watch them. I see them as graceful and elegant machines. This is my personal feeling and I know that not all people feel this way. Now I studied renewable energy at uni and so maybe there’s more depth to what I, and many others like me, see when we look at wind turbines.

I see bountiful energy effortlessly being harnessed for all to use. I see hundreds of cogs and gears spinning away behind the slow sweeping blades. I see fields that can be used for diverse purposes as well as wind power. I see the need for dirty fossil fuels fading. I see reclamation of our land. I see less pollution in the skies.

When I watch wind turbines tirelessly generating in their hundreds I see a possible future. I see that we are capable of generating clean energy, of manufacturing efficient items that last, of working in harmony with nature, of which we are a part and moving forward into a sustainable future.

I see passive buildings that don’t cost the earth to heat. I see urban edible gardens for all. I see electric powered transport. I see community energy projects, I see local engagement in where power comes from and how it is used. I see ethical economies based on sharing, inclusion and looking after our vulnerable community members. I see artisan markets with locally produced food and clothes. I see the beginning of the end of capitalism.

Wind turbines are big, I mean they are massive. To me they are a beacon of how we as a species can move into the next era without destroying every ecosystem, or even compromising that much on our conveniences or comforts. We have the technology we need to live in a modern eco society, we understand how each ecosystem works and depends on the next. We have the knowledge. We have the power.

So next time you see a wind turbine. Think of all the possibilities it can offer. The view behind it will only remain if we build more. Don’t ever block or complain of one being installed because it’s too close or not the right location or some other nimby excuse. Welcome them into your area, plan a community energy scheme or at the very least take a moment and see what I see. Hope for our future. A beautiful future where technology respects nature. We are nature.

The Solar fire engine is not able to travel everywhere and so with more and more people wanting to power their events from solar we are here to offer a solution. It may seem like an expensive solution but if you consider the payback, the environmental benefits and the energy independence it becomes more about finding a solution for not just your power needs but the continuation of our events as a sustainable way into the future.

Following is some information from our website about one of the mobile solar generators we have built:

During the winter of 2019 REsource was commissioned to build a bespoke mobile solar generator. Firstly we liaised with the client and advised on a suitable trailer to be purchased in which to complete the build. The client was then away for the entire build during which we brought the trailer to our headquarters.

The client chose brand new Rolls gel filled batteries that can be laid flat to save space and distribute weight without spillage. They were packed in with rubber inserts to ensure no movement and maximum safety. All fittings were marine grade to prolong life and enhance quality. We really got to go to town on this one as it wasn't a tight budget, the batteries alone cost the client £10,000, or thereabouts.

Careful consideration was given to the ergonomic design as well as the structural integrity of components like the battery compartment. Side hatches were fitted to access the controls for the inverter and the fuse box.

The panel rack is designed with transport in mind as well as semi-permanent installation on site. When packed down this unit is still able to charge as there are 6 panels permanently mounted on the trailer. For full installation the panels lock into position allowing attachment of the further 3 panels stored within the trailer. The panels are on a fixed tilt angle optimised for all year round and the trailer can be moved to the best position for each site.

Power system specifications

2475W Solar Panels (Black frames)
960Ah @ 48V Rolls OPzV 2V battery cells
Victron EasySolar
   5000VA inverter/charger
   MPPT 150/100  (70A input)

You can view this and other installations we have completed on our Off Grid Power Systems page.

Show people are renowned for innovating modern engineering, such as the locomotive traction engine. With features including a dynamo that powered hundreds of dazzling lights, drawing in the crowds. People loved the engines and still do today, flocking to steam rallies to see them. It was like a magic trick back then and unbelievable to most.

In keeping with tradition it is only right that modern Show people pioneer future engineering, such as solar power. The technology is improving rapidly, providing quiet, non-polluting and fuel-less energy. People are aware of solar power but still need to be convinced about it's reliability in replacing conventional energy sources. When installed properly it can also be magic and no one can believe the sun's power can be harnessed so instantly.

A solar system is more expensive than a generator, especially kW for kW. But there are no fuel costs and a good system should be fairly maintenance free. There is always the option to have it automatically backed up by a smaller generator, but a good system will handle spikes in demand far better than a conventional generator, so if sized correctly should be all you need.

Another issue is space, firstly you need space for the brain of the system, a charge controller, an inverter and breakers/fuses/trips. Secondly you need space and weight capacity for batteries, the more batteries the more power storage. Thirdly you need space for solar panels, the more panels the more instantaneous power.

If you already drive a big rig around then some extra weight shouldn't matter. The 'brain' and the batteries can easily fit into the size of a 5-10kW generator. But the panels need more creativity...and engineering. A few can be mounted on van/truck roof's, but more will require some clever thinking, incorporating the space the show has available.

For lighting LEDs come in all colours and fittings. They can be powered on AC 240V or on separate DC 12 or 24V. Again the initial expense is more than conventional light bulbs but they use very little power making them efficient for solar.

On our website are information flyers about simple solar systems you can size yourself. Or we can size and install mobile systems for you. Have a look at our website at www.resourceliving.org where you can see pictures of our mobile solar generator and get contact details.

Back in March I began these blogs with ’10 steps to create a green event’ and planned to write a blog about each of the steps with links to service providers I know and recommend. Then the lockdown happened and I focused on installing off grid systems rather than events as they all got cancelled.

Number 1 of the 10 steps was ‘Most importantly put being green to the top of the priority list, so this is today's blog.

We get a lot of inquiries from events wanting to ‘go green’ but when they realise they cant get their mate Dave with the mega sound system or their favourite caterers who electric fry chips and have 10 urns running all day and night, suddenly its not a top priority.

Once in a while we get a new event who do everything they possibly can to actually eliminate diesel generators and its such a pleasure for us. Such an event is Camp Quirky, we teamed up with Buzz from Solar Decker to run this festival completely from solar power. Everything was run by us before being booked and if it wasn’t feasible on solar, it wasn’t booked.

Its simple really but so many fall down on this basic step, it can be applied to pretty much anything we spend our money on. For example, potatoes, to get the local, organic potatoes they cost more than the supermarket ones but this is the REAL cost for REAL people to grow, harvest and supply these potatoes to you, the local customer. The supermarkets will often sell produce at a lower price than they pay for it because they know that once you are in the shop you will buy more (because of the low prices) and they will inevitably make their money on all the other crap you buy when all you actually needed was potatoes.

So Diesel has been heavily subsidised by the government for years and generators have been manufactured for several decades which reduces the price. Hiring out a diesel generator even with a technician and fuel for the weekend will always beat the price of a solar rig kW for kW. Also as diesel generators are so large these days its nigh on impossible to match the power generation with solar.

So not only are we asking you to pay more for solar but we are also asking you to use less power, its hard I know, and everyone is just trying to make a living. BUT, this is where the future is in our hands, if we just pay that bit extra for those local organic potatoes not only will we increase the nutritional value of what we eat but we will also put money straight back into our local economy and save money by not being enticed by the reduced section of the supermarket (and driving there). Furthermore our potatoes don’t come in single use plastic that we throw into landfill or travel miles to get to our plates.

We need to think of the extra we pay as a down payment on there actually being a habitable planet for our children to grow up on. So when you are planning your green event please don’t stop at recycling and decide that’s doing your bit, go the whole hog and get efficient PA’s, self powered caterers and traders and of course hire us and all our solar power provider friends and create a truly green event.

For those that can, we need to pay the REAL cost of things to balance out the massive inequality made by monopolies and economies of scale. Decentralise potato and power distribution..and everything else! Don't fall for the bargain because what pennies you save the future generation will have to pay, with interest.

Click here to learn about solar power at your event.

When lockdown was eased I went on facebook and my news feed was full of litter strewn beaches and beauty spots. I felt anger and despair as I’m sure many of you did. It got me thinking about why people litter and also reminded me of my feelings when people leave their rubbish, in a tied up black bag, in the middle of a field when they leave their camping spot at a festival.

So there’s a few reasons they do this, laziness, thoughtlessness, the bins were full, etc. It infuriates me when the reason is the latter, the bins are full. If they managed to bring all the food and camping stuff with them, why can’t they put the black bag in their car and pop it in their own bin when they get home. Take responsibility for their own rubbish.

The first reason, laziness, well that’s probably the most honest reason and shows that we must stop pandering to our kids and tidying up after them I suppose. It kinda goes along with the second reason of thoughtfulness, when someone is used to others cleaning up after them, they don’t even think whether they should take their rubbish or not. People are so used to being in owned territory, such as a pub or restaurant, where part of the ‘service’ is to be cleaned up after, that when they are in public territory they act the same. Like the natural environment is an place of entertainment, owned and serviced by others.

All this thinking about littering ended with a realisation that society is so disconnected from the land that it’s seen as an amusement park rather than a fundamental part of the living system that we are also a part of. In Maori culture humans are considered equal to and at one with the land, sea and rivers. The idea is reflected in the Maori word ‘ kaitiakitanga’, which means guarding and protecting the environment in order to respect ancestors and ensure its protection for future generations.

So how do we reconnect society with the land? People need access to the land and more importantly responsibility for the land. If people feel responsible and understand their own reliance on the environment for existence, they would take care of it, wouldn’t they?

I really struggle with rubbish, it’s constant onslaught, it’s marketed ‘convenience’, it’s green-washed recyclable or biodegradable status. I’m pretty obsessed with recycling and reusing, that’s why I love permaculture principles of re-using everything you possibly can.

I think we have a chance at festivals to instill a better mindset of taking your rubbish home. At the smaller festivals we work at there is rarely any rubbish left on the fields and some of them don't even have bins. Like Beulah festival in North Yorkshire, held on Lime Tree Farm a conservation site of wildflower meadows, ancient woodlands and wildlife ponds, where the people attending events there are entrusted with looking after the land and leaving it how they found it.

Then there are larger events like The Green Gathering whose policies on litter are that the use of disposable items and production of waste is discouraged and minimised by promotion of reuse, upcycling and repair. Genuine waste is composted or recycled where possible and education is provided on recycling categories and minimising waste to landfill/incineration.

I guess all we can do s influence our personal sphere of society, which for us is the festival circuit. More education, more leading by example and more connection to the land. Always pick up rubbish when you see it, always recycle if possible and of course reduce, re-use and repair.

Batteries are the heart of any off-grid system and provide energy storage. This means that when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing you can still used the power generated when they were.

Just a quick summary of battery basics for anyone starting out as they should be maintained and understood. 2 Volt cells make up the required voltage. Leisure and car batteries come in 6 cells to make 12 Volts and most domestic systems are a multiple of 12V (e.g. 24V, 48V). The higher the voltage the thinner cable can be used and the more efficient for inverting to 240V.

Batteries & cells can be wired up to work in series or parallel. In series the Volts add up and the Amps stay constant, so you use series configurations to increase the Voltage. In parallel the Amps add up and the Volts stay constant, so you use parallel configurations to increase the Amps which increase the storage capacity.

An Amp hour (Ah) is literally one amp for one hour, so with 100Ah you can have a one amp load for 100 hours, or a 5A load for 20 hours, or 50A load for 2 hours, and so on.

For smaller systems in boats and caravans we usually recommend 12V leisure batteries that can fit under seats or cupboards. You need to keep the weight down and they must fit inside the vehicle for transit. However when you get to static systems it's usually possible to use larger batteries. It's always nice to have a dedicated space for off grid power systems, such as a shed or external room to the dwelling. Vented batteries give off hydrogen gas which can be dangerous in closed and hot spaces, but don't worry, it can be managed.

Side note* In our original solar truck we had limited space and so the batteries were next to the wood burner. We built a box to house the batteries with 2 air gaps, fire resistant board and metal, as well as a sloped lid with active venting.

So larger batteries will obviously cost more so for a substantial domestic system you're looking at possibly 50% of the whole system cost to be the batteries, that's if you buy brand new. But in the true light of reduce, reuse and recycle, we have always used second hand forklift truck traction cells, plus they are generally about a quarter of the price! Many of the batteries used in industry have not exhausted their worth before being replaced, usually after 5 years or often if the machinery they are powering breaks.

Traction cells are great for domestic systems as they are designed to be run down to a low percentage every day (shift) and charged back up quickly overnight on a high charge. This means they can take a battering, unlike leisure batteries which require a trickle charge. To put this into context, if there are a few days of no input (no sun or wind) the supply will not be affected, if they are sized correctly, and if there is a huge amount of resource one day (very sunny or windy) they will absorb loads of that lovely energy for you to use later!

As with all components of a renewable energy system there are lots of points to weigh up and consider and unfortunately it often boils down to budget. But you can arm yourself with knowledge and reduce the demand for new items. Lead acid batteries are recyclable BUT it is done in developing countries and quite often to the detriment of the local people and ecosystems. Compared to lithium-ion batteries where the raw material is finite and although they can be recycled it is not 'economically viable yet.

So whats the most ethical decision? We have always fantasied about water energy storage. You need a hill with a reservoir at the top. You use excess power to pump water up the hill into the reservoir and run a hydro turbine when you need the power. Extremely site specific and requires constant management by either yourself or some electronic trickery.

More info like state of charge and sizing your own battery bank can be found on our downloadable battery flyer here.

It’s not often I get our business accounts all up to date in April but due to the lockdown I’ve had a chance that catch up with the paperwork so yes I’ve got the books up to date. But this time as well as logging the dates and amounts, I also logged the litres of fuel consumed by the fire engine and the hi-lux during the event season. I’m fun like that.

So here’s some fun facts for you..
We filled the fire engine the grand total of 9 times. It used 647.5 litres of fuel. The hi-lux used a similar 670.6 litres but will have driven many more miles as we use it for errands and visiting in between events. A guesstimate of miles per gallon is 25mpg for the hi-lux and 13mpg for the fire engine.

After looking through a few carbon emission calculators and other sites I settled on the larger number of 2.68 kg of carbon dioxide emitted for every litre of diesel consumed. If anyone reading this has a better calculation of this with reference please do comment. We’re all here to learn!

So skip the maths for those who don’t like it and we have 1735 kg or 1.7 tons of CO2 emitted from the fire engine and 1797 kg/1.8 tons CO2 from the hi-lux. Now I have my own personal feelings about off setting carbon and it can be misused by heavy emitters making millions from polluting the planet. But for us, it’s something we can practically do to say sorry to the world for driving dirty diesel engines about.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times we’ve been heckled for using a diesel truck to raise awareness about sustainable living. Our response usually highlights our low impact lifestyle and the fact that the fire engine towing our home from event to event is still far less than the average household. So how much carbon would a household emit over a 5 month festival season?

From a study I just found on the internet (1) it states a family of two adults and two children (as we are) would emit 28 tons of CO2 from home energy, transport and indirect emissions per year. Divide and multiply this figure for 5 months and you get 11.7 tons compared to our 3.5 tons for both vehicles over the 5 month season, not bad eh. Now the 11.7t figure does include indirect emissions which our 3.5t does not but the difference is still clear and even with indirect emissions added we would emit less than half CO2 than the ‘average’ family our size. Modern houses are designed to consume energy but that’s a whole other blog about passive houses!

Back to the offsetting and although there are quite a few organisations who can off set carbon for you, in the true spirit of self sufficiency and off grid living I thought that us planting enough trees would suit us better. Now having spent the last seven winters living in the woods we have planted many trees but not to off set. According to a google search, and please correct me if you have credible reason to, one tree will absorb 250kg (1/4 ton) of CO2 in its lifetime.

Great, now we’re getting somewhere, so the fire engine needs just under 7 trees and the hi-lux just over, give or take a few kgs. Therefore we need to plant 14 trees to offset our summer diesel use. That doesn’t seem to hard to achieve so I will update you all on my progress with that!


(Picture is of trees saved by nana to plant).

(1) http://ftp.iza.org/dp7204.pdf