Specifications
AT 54
A hip hop studio in a shipping container… powered by solar
panels mounted on a horse float?! Read on.
The Aussie hip hop community has little in common with its
US counterpart. Bling and a ‘get rich or die trying’ ethos are
replaced by groups with barely a dollar to their name and a
heart for the fringe. It’s this ground that Welsh-born Marc
Peckham, aka Monkeymarc, treads loud and clear. On the
spend of mostly private funding, Peckham travels to the The
Western Desert and Kimberley region for six months of the
year to help Aboriginal community elders impart knowledge to
the younger generations in a form relevant to the times. Along
the way he also documents field recordings of their traditional
songs, and when he’s not in The Kimberley, Peckham is home in
Abbotsford remixing the likes of The Herd and making music
in his band, Combat Wombat.
Global warming might be the issue du jour, but back since
1998 Marc’s been considering how he can make a difference.
The impetus behind his solar experimentation was to prove
that ‘alternative’ living and a ‘zero impact’ isn’t some magical
proposition out of reach of the layman. It’s something he has
learnt from scratch, and has worked up from a four-wheel
bicycle contraption used to power parties to the solar
panelled horse float that powers his Abbotsford studio today.
The studio itself is housed in an old refrigerated shipping
container, and he’s been given special dispensation by mother
superior to park it in the grounds of the Abbotsford Convent.
Furnished with wood from an old indoor netball court, and
treated with Rockwool and foam baffles, the aluminium
container came out a treat. The equipment list required to
power the container and its gear involves 12 x 24V batteries,
four solar panels, a 240V inverter and a small wind generator
to top up the power overnight when the sun goes down. The
setup comfortably powers his studio for eight to 10 hours at a
time, with a break on weekends to let the batteries return to
their maximum. And if that’s not enough, Peckham estimates
he could power a 3000W PA for eight hours with his solar
trailer. Not a bad effort. He is looking to expand his system
with another four solar panels to get through the Melbourne
Winter, an understandable notion given the grey clouds on the
day of the interview.
And the reasoning behind the horse float? Well, a shipping
container doesn’t afford much space, and a couch full of
batteries isn’t exactly comfortable. Plus, there’s the added
benefit of being able to pull around power, and if the Convent
decides Combat Wombat should move on, then a simple car
hookup and Peckham can follow the container wherever it
may go. – Mark Davie
Horse Power: Marc Peckham’s self-sufficient
setup includes four solar panels, 12 batteries
within the float and a wind turbine to top
things up during the breezy evenings. His
container-based studio packs a collection of
hip hop favourites such as an Akai MPC3000
as well as a few novelties, including a Levy’s
Sound Studios Pultec EQ copy that Jimi
Hendrix recorded his guitar through for Are
You Experienced? (the actual unit).
if necessary. We must also bear in mind that
it’s an ambitious system because it attempts
to power the studio monitors, which add
significantly to the total power consumption
(60W of the total 136W, or 44%), and therefore
to the cost. It would be possible to start with a
smaller system that powered everything except
the studio monitors, for an initial investment of
approximately $1000, and add more solar panels
and/or batteries as funds permit to gradually
migrate your entire studio to solar power. (As
with solar panels, batteries can be connected
together in parallel to increase the total current
capability.)
It is also important to remember that the solar
power system described here is powering a
laptop computer with a consumption of 60W.
This figure includes the power required to
charge its internal battery, in which case it is
simply transferring electrical energy from one
place to another. Once it is fully charged, the
laptop could be disconnected from the solar
power system and powered from its internal
battery, thereby extending the power capability
considerably beyond three hours.
Australia is blessed with an abundance of
solar energy, and an abundance of solar power
technology suppliers. Most have helpful staff
and informative websites; some even include
on-line calculators to help you choose the most
appropriate equipment. Always discuss your
solar power system with a supplier to ensure it
will be correctly rated and properly earthed.
For more information, log on to
AudioTechnology’s website and download the
resources to accompany this article (follow the
links). These include Excel spreadsheets with
lists of power requirements for common items of
studio equipment, calculators to help determine
the best solar power system for your needs,
recommended systems, and links to local solar
power technology suppliers.
By converting to solar power, you’ll be joining a
growing list of artists around the world who are
producing green notes. So what are you waiting
for? Go green, go clean, and become part of the
solution!
Going green may be
‘earthier’ than you think:
the inverter used in the
solar power system
described here produces
an output voltage of 240V
AC, and therefore requires
an earth connection to
maintain electrical safety.
This is not something
to be taken lightly – the
240V AC output of a solar
power system can kill you
just as easily as the mains
power. So always consult
your solar equipment
supplier about the most
appropriate earthing
method for your situation.