Solar-Powered Music Festival Lights Up Governors Island

As of November 10th, 2025, the New Energy music festival on Governors Island in New York City is making waves with its innovative approach to powering the event. Rather than relying on traditional diesel generators, the organizers have opted to use solar energy as the primary source of power.

The festival is utilizing four batteries charged at a solar EV charging facility outside the city to power both of its stages, food and beverage stands, and phone charging stations. A fourth battery is also available as a backup, ensuring a reliable and consistent power supply throughout the event.

"The whole thinking is if we can just put this on display, we want the general public to come to these shows and just [understand] that it works," explained James McGinniss, one of the event's founders and the CEO of clean energy company David Energy.

Typically, large events like music festivals turn to diesel generators to meet their power needs. However, this comes at a significant cost, both financially and environmentally, as burning diesel fuel produces a range of harmful pollutants. The New Energy festival aims to demonstrate that solar power can be a viable and sustainable alternative, inspiring other event organizers to follow suit.

As the festival continues to grow, with plans to potentially expand to a 10,000-person event in the coming years, the organizers hope to inspire a shift in the industry towards more eco-friendly power solutions.