GeoPura will supply green hydrogen power for Lorde’s FORWARDS Presents concert and FORWARDS Festival on Bristol’s Clifton Downs, replacing diesel generation for critical main-stage electricity. Its Hydrogen Power Units will operate across the one-off Lorde concert on Friday 28 August and the festival on 29-30 August. The deployment is part of the West of England Clean Power Pilot, a programme examining how green hydrogen and battery systems can serve live music, film and television productions. For an event sector often dependent on temporary diesel generators, the pilot offers a practical demonstration of cleaner on-site power.
Clean Power For Live Music
FORWARDS Festival will welcome performers including Little Simz, Tems and Goldie, with GeoPura’s Hydrogen Power Units, known as HPUs, providing main-stage power during the three-day programme. The technology combines hydrogen fuel cells and battery systems to produce electricity at the point of use.
According to GeoPura, the generation process produces no CO2, NOx or particulate emissions at the point of use. Pure water is the only by-product. The company’s approach is designed for off-grid, temporary, supplementary and backup power settings where organisations may otherwise rely on diesel generation.
Camilla Carson, Chief Commercial Officer at GeoPura, said:
“Major events need significant amounts of reliable power, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment, or the air people breathe. The West of England Clean Power Pilot is showing what can be achieved when industry comes together to move away from fossil fuel generation.
A Bristol Clean Power Pilot
The West of England Clean Power Pilot is testing green hydrogen and battery systems across Bristol’s live music, film and TV sectors. It builds on the legacy of Massive Attack’s ACT 1.5 show on Bristol Downs in 2024, extending the exploration of lower-emission temporary power into further major events.
Live events require dependable generation to support stages, lighting, screens and production infrastructure. GeoPura’s role at FORWARDS places hydrogen fuel cell technology in a high-profile festival environment, where performance reliability and audience experience remain central to the operation.
Camilla Carson, Chief Commercial Officer at GeoPura, shared:
“We’re excited to support Lorde and FORWARDS with clean power generation using our Hydrogen Power Units and green hydrogen, delivering the critical power needed for the main stage with no CO2, NOx or particulate emissions. It means cleaner air for artists, crews and audiences, with water as the only by-product of generating power.
Water As The By Product
One distinctive feature of the installation will be the water produced during power generation. Artists performing on FORWARDS’ West Stage will be invited to drink water generated through the production of electricity for their performances, making the fuel cell process visible in a particularly direct way.
Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy through electrolysis, then stored and transported as fuel to the location where power is required. At the event site, GeoPura’s HPUs use Ballard hydrogen fuel cells to convert that fuel into electricity. This integrated model spans hydrogen production, storage, logistics and power generation.
The arrangement is particularly relevant to temporary projects where access to the electricity grid may be limited, constrained or unavailable. It also gives organisers an alternative to conventional generators while retaining a dedicated on-site power source.
Technology Ready For Deployment
GeoPura describes its HPU systems as capable of supporting individual deployments through to multi-MW power systems. The company is positioning green hydrogen as a power option for industrial-scale applications, with live events, film and television among the sectors now being tested through the Bristol pilot.
Camilla Carson, Chief Commercial Officer at GeoPura, stated:
“This is proven technology delivering at scale today, ready to support live events, film and TV and many other sectors.”
A Visible Festival Demonstration
The FORWARDS deployment will put clean temporary power alongside one of Bristol’s major cultural gatherings, bringing the operational question of festival energy supply into public view. Rather than treating lower-emission power as a behind-the-scenes technical issue, the pilot connects it directly with artists, crews and audiences on Clifton Downs.
By supplying critical main-stage electricity with green hydrogen, GeoPura’s installation offers a useful example of how production teams can reduce reliance on diesel while maintaining the dependable power required for large-scale programming. The project also provides a platform for the West of England Clean Power Pilot to assess how such systems can be applied across other temporary and energy-intensive creative productions.
