TUCSON, Ariz. – It's a typical outdoor concert scene at Himmel Park. Children play in the dirt and people sway to the sounds of guitarists strumming classic reggae and rock tunes and folk singers humming.

But what you don't hear is the roar of a diesel engine burning gasoline to power the microphones and amplifiers. That is because we are at Solar Rock, an all-day concert run entirely on the quiet and clean energy created from on-site solar panels.

"Climate change is happening, it's a fact," said Natalie Shepp, a stay-at-home mom and co-organizer of this year's concert. "Solar energy is just not used enough, and here is the perfect setting."

Richard Rushforth, co-organizer of the March 28 event, agrees.

"We want people to know that sustainability doesn't just have to be hard work, it can be something fun like a concert that we can get the whole community involved in," said Rushforth, an environmental science graduate student at the University of Arizona.

For the third year in a row, the Tucson community has come out by the hundreds to support this grassroots event. Solar Rock is produced and sponsored by local companies and features local musicians playing on equipment powered completely by green energy.


Bands included Uprooted, Mirror Image, Greg Morton & The String Figures, The Wayback Machine, Soñar, and Spirit Familia.

The crowd favorite, however, was Monterey, winner of the 2009 Battle of the Bands. The group of seven boys, most still in high school, jammed with a complete horn section and played a mix of reggae, rock and ska. They played familiar tunes, such as the theme song from the children's television show "Arthur," and won the contest for the most dancers of the afternoon.

But the real stars of the show were the solar panels provided by GeoInnovation, a company that installs photovoltaic panels for private homes and commercial buildings. George Villec, owner of GeoInnovation, brought the company’s portable solar station: a set of four photovoltaic panels attached to a trailer and connected to a converter, transformer and battery pack.

These panels collect sunshine, convert it into electric current, and store it in the batteries, which run everything required for the concert: speakers, microphone sets and soundboard.

Explaining how it all worked, Villec invited a reporter to recharge a dead video camera battery by plugging it into an outlet attached to the solar converter.

Between each band, Arizona politicians including state Rep. Daniel Patterson, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords made appearances and gave their support for practical sustainable energy.


In addition to politicians, many companies specializing in commercial and residential solar installations set up booths to answer questions and advertise their services.