Boomtown Festival in Hampshire has become the first UK festival to run a main stage entirely on UK-produced green hydrogen. The Hydro XL stage uses hydrogen fuel cells and self-charging batteries to generate electricity, producing only water and heat as by-products, with zero carbon emissions or diesel noise. The stage can hold up to 20,000 people, and the festival is hosting 77,000 attendees this year. The festival has been working with a hydrogen company since last year, starting small and scaling up. Organisers say they are keen to pioneer hydrogen use in the festival industry. Beyond the stage, Boomtown claims a 98% reduction in its carbon footprint over the past seven years, and features initiatives like The Reparium for repairing items and a tent where attendees can solder their own solar panels. The move highlights the potential for hydrogen in temporary and off-grid power applications, though questions remain about the source of the hydrogen and the economics compared to diesel. Still, it's a practical example of low-carbon technology being deployed at scale.
