Sweden Rock Festival is one of the most well-renowned rock festivals in the world, not only for its leading mix of classic rock, hard rock, metal and blues, but also for its longstanding environmentally conscious philosophy. This year it has further bolstered its environmental credentials by using hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) to power the site’s nine Volvo Penta-equipped generators.
The 16-litre power generation engines are responsible for powering and lighting the festival’s five stages from June 8th-11th, ensuring the 35,000 visitors get to see and hear everything – including headline act Guns N' Roses.
Since 2016, all Volvo Penta combustion engines can be run on HVO fuel – neat or blended with conventional diesel. This enables customers to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90%.
HVO is a renewable, paraffinic fuel, also known as synthetic diesel. In the Nordics, the source of HVO stems largely from forestry waste. A significant number of customers, particularly in the Nordic countries, are now using HVO with Volvo Penta engines.
Better for the environment
Sweden Rock Festival is held near Sölvesborg, among grass fields and near the sea in southern Sweden.
It was with sustainability in mind that the festival first started using Volvo Penta-powered generators, highlighting their low fuel consumption as a factor that helped to reduce the festival’s environmental impact.
“The sustainability of Sweden Rock is crucial,” says Anders Östensson, Sustainability Coordinator at Sweden Rock Festival. “We are always looking for solutions that help us to consume less energy and improve our carbon footprint, so being able to power the Volvo Penta engines on HVO instead of diesel is a big win for us. This change will have a big impact – half of the festival’s electricity will be supplied by these generators. It’s amazing when we find partners that can help us make a difference.”