Text reading 'SOLAR STATION' on a black background.

BLACK ROCK CITY’S FIRST MEGAWATT-SCALE CLEAN ENERGY POWER PLANT

We’re nearly quadrupling Black Rock City's first large-scale clean energy power plant this year, turning abundant energy from a fusion reactor 93 million miles away that's been running flawlessly for 4.6 billion years into a free public utility.

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video by Damien Blue

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💚 In 2025, SOLARPUNKS gifted Black Rock City the world's largest redeployable solar microgrid at 300 kW (DC). In 2026, we're going bigger, in collaboration with Burning Man Project and Solaris.

🌞 This year, our 1.1 MW (DC) / 5.4 MWh (battery storage) microgrid powers the full Solaris hub (Solaris, Le Salon, Live Laugh Love), Discosmos (f.k.a. Mayan Warrior), and SOLARPUNKS - from two weeks of build through one week of strike, including the full set-up and tear-down of SOLAR STATION itself. 

⚡ From Monday through Saturday of Burn Week alone, we estimate over 40 MWh of clean electricity generation. All pre-burn and post-burn solar generation will be in addition to this portion. 

🎁

The Gift
Over five days of operation, we plan to gift Black Rock City over 10 MWh of clean electricity (or over 25% of its generation). That's enough to fully charge:

  • 21,600+ e-bikes

  • 110 large mutant vehicles

  • 540+ small mutant vehicles

  • 720,000+ phones

We're also offering solar-powered Level 2 and Level 3 DC fast charging on playa for mutant vehicles from BRC citizens, and EVs from Burning Man staff - making the future of clean EV transport a reality for BRC citizens.

While we’re open 24/7 for charging, come visit us on 2+K on Monday to Saturday from 3 to 6PM to borrow cables from a SOLAR STATION attendant and enjoy live DJ sets.

🎨

Free Solar for Art
We're also providing free solar energy systems for six art installations -  four of which are part of the Honoraria program:

  • Spencer Hansen's Behind Closed Eyes

  • Sean Orlando's Above & Below

  • David Oliver's Petaled Portal

  • Kim Carson's The Portal of Imagination

  • Pablo González Vargas’s Illumina

  • Hortus Lux

🤖

Robot Heart

We're also planning on charging Robot Heart’s art car with DC fast charging, with the goal of delivering a fully solar-powered set to the playa. Stay tuned for more details.

♻️

Upcycled Plastic Activation

We're teaming up with Are You Mad, a UK-based creative waste design studio, to bring the full regenerative loop to life on playa. BRC citizens can create a take-home keepsake made from upcycled plastic, powered entirely by the sun.

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Why This Exists
This gift of clean electrons is made possible by the Burning Man community itself - participants who pooled resources, skills, and belief to overcome the economic inertia that has kept clean energy from becoming the default power source for temporary applications.

The technology we're incubating here doesn't just stay on playa. What we prototype at Burning Man will rapidly translate to live music, festivals, events, construction sites, disaster relief, and more. 

We're building on the extraordinary foundation laid by Burning Man Project's Regeneration (Gremlin, Stephen and team) and Department of Public Works (Hotspot and team) - and we're excited to share a collective story about what happens when the gifting economy and civic experiment of Burning Man converge to decarbonize not just one week in the desert, but the world beyond it.

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☀️ Let's design our fossil fuel-free future together now. Let’s link up ways to advance this impact off playa! Reach us at hello@solarpunks.club ☀️

Solar panels reflecting the sunset, with a cloudy sky and mountains in the background.
A garage workspace with tools, storage bins, ladders, and a black sofa and coffee table area.
solarpunks solar station
solarpunks solar station
solarpunks solar station
solarpunks solar station
solarpunks solar station
A man with curly hair, wearing sunglasses, a floral shirt, and shorts, is smiling and holding a power drill at a construction site in a desert landscape with wooden frames.
solarpunks solar station 5b burning man
solarpunks solar station burning man
A large outdoor festival or event site with numerous trailers, portable structures, and vehicles on a dusty, flat landscape. The background shows rows of RVs and trucks stretching to the horizon under a cloudy sky.
Solar panels in the foreground with a truck and solar equipment in the background on a cloudy day.
People eating and socializing inside a tent with a desert landscape in the background, with tables, food, drinks, and camping gear.
A woman crouching on a rooftop construction site, smiling, with solar panels and construction materials in the background in a desert landscape.
Solar panels installed on a rooftop or outdoor area with equipment and storage containers in the background under a cloudy sky.
A person working on a race car in a desert, surrounded by cars and trailers on a sunny day.
A large solar panel installation set up on a desert landscape with trucks and construction equipment in the background, under a cloudy sky.
Group of people at an outdoor festival in a desert at sunset, with some dressed in stylish and unique outfits, surrounded by bicycles and festival tents.
A group of people relaxing at an outdoor event or festival, sitting on cushions next to a sound system with speakers and a wooden setup, with other attendees in the background.
solar station solarpunks
solarpunks solar station
solarpunks solar station
A group of people relaxing inside a shade canopy in a desert landscape, with colorful cushions, a small table, and tents visible in the background.
Solar panels in the foreground and a large refrigerated truck in the background under a cloudy sky.
A man and woman hugging in a desert with solar panels and mountains in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.
People gathered at a modern outdoor structure with bicycles parked nearby, in a desert landscape with mountains in the background during sunset.
solarpunks solar station
solarpunks solar station
solarpunks solar station
Two men working on a project at night, one holding a tool and the other looking at items on a work table, with various tools and equipment around them.
A man kneeling next to a large white mobile electric vehicle charging station, working on a laptop outdoors on a sunny day.
Electrical equipment on a construction site with numerous cables connected, under a partly cloudy sky.
Two people standing on a dirt path between rows of solar panels in a desert landscape
Solar panels in a field with a truck and mountains in the background.
Tilted view of a solar panel farm on a cloudy day.
Two men working on solar panels in a desert landscape with RVs and mountains in the background during sunset.
Two men talking on a dusty dirt road, one on a large industrial truck and one standing next to a gray pickup truck.
Two people working on installing an electric vehicle charging station labeled 'E-Bike Charging' outdoors, with a wooden structure and desert landscape in the background.
Group of four friends smiling and posing in a desert at sunset, with mountains and pickup trucks in the background, near a makeshift wooden structure with fabric shading.
A man wearing a black T-shirt, cap, and sunglasses inspects solar panels in a desert with solar arrays and vehicles in the background.
A mobile food or equipment station on wheels with colorful hexagon patterns on its side, placed on dirt ground under a clear sky, with bicycles, wooden structures, and signs nearby.
Two workers inspecting or repairing HVAC or solar panel equipment on a rooftop during daytime. One worker, wearing a yellow hat and gloves, is kneeling while the other leans in, looking at the equipment.
A young woman with blonde hair, wearing a metallic dress and layered necklaces, is smiling and posing under a wooden sign that reads 'Solara Battery and Charger and Library'. She is outdoors, with a relaxed, festival-like atmosphere.
A worker wearing an orange jacket and camouflage hat installing or maintaining solar panels on a rooftop.
solarpunks solar station 5b burning man
solarpunks solar station burning man 5b
solarpunks burning man solar station
Mobile power units and equipment set up on a dry, flat landscape with mountains in the distance and a cloudy sky overhead.
Solar panels installed on a rooftop with a foggy background and industrial equipment.
Group of five men relaxing outdoors, sitting on foldable chairs and a bench, holding canned drinks, smiling and enjoying themselves near an open shipping container with equipment inside. The ground appears dry and dusty, with some electrical cords and a plastic container nearby.
Sunset at a desert festival with a lit-up Ferris wheel and people gathered around, with mountain silhouettes in the background.
Two men relaxing on an outdoor lounge area under a canopy in a desert, surrounded by camping tents and supplies, with one man lying on a sofa and the other crouching next to him.
Three people sitting on a worn orange couch inside a geodesic dome. The woman in the center is speaking into a microphone, dressed casually with a hat. The man on the left has dark hair, a beard, and is wearing a beige shirt and pants, with shoes and boots on the ground beside him. The man on the right has a beard, braids, and is dressed in tan cargo pants and boots. Various personal items, including shoes, a hat, and a bottle, are on the ground in front of the couch.