Power Supply at Oerol

Introduction

At Oerol, we are very aware of the vulnerability of the environment and the value of the birds, other wildlife and vegetation that make this landscape so special. We believe that greater awareness will lead to more sustainable behaviour. In our Ecological Compass, you can read more about our ecological ambitions and how we aim to work on these together with all makers, partners and suppliers.

Oerol Festival takes place partly in and around Natura 2000 areas on Terschelling. This means that we are not guided solely by our own intrinsic motivation. You cannot have failed to notice that in recent years the Netherlands has been facing increasing regulations regarding emissions of CO2, particulate matter and nitrogen. All of this has consequences for Oerol, which is why you now have a lengthy document on the power supply in front of you. For Oerol 2025, as in previous years, the starting point is that we will not deploy traditional diesel generators at any location within Natura 2000 areas; this is also not permitted under our Nature Conservation Act permit (due to nitrogen emissions). For locations outside Natura 2000 areas, we must also work with generators as little as possible.

Alternatives

If your performance location is within 100 metres of a fixed electricity connection with sufficient capacity, we will make use of this connection. However, part of the charm of performing at Oerol is that we often choose locations where there are no buildings nearby. We will therefore frequently need to look at alternatives for the power supply in order to create a strong performance. First of all, we will critically assess how much electricity is truly required to present a good show. Where possible, we will opt for alternatives that do not require electricity on site. For example, making coffee and tea does not need to take place on location; it can be brought from the accommodation to the site in thermos flasks (or feel free to join one of the many cafés and restaurants on the island for a cup). In principle, we will also not provide electricity for lighting for groups performing outdoors in daylight.

To make a good estimate of which power option is suitable for a performance or project, it is important to know how much electricity is needed and for how long. Too little power is problematic, but we also cannot simply choose to deploy an oversized system, partly because this has a significant impact on costs.

To determine how much electricity is required, in some cases it is sufficient to look at the wattage of the equipment you intend to use. Multiply this by the duration of the performance (plus some extra time, as you will want to start up calmly) and you will have the required kWh. This calculation assumes that you are only using lights that run at 100% for the entire performance. In reality, this will often be lower.

If, in addition to lighting, you are also using audio equipment and/or projectors, the calculation becomes more complex. The wattage stated on this equipment reflects a peak that rarely occurs in practice. In such situations, it is advisable to measure the actual hourly consumption before coming to Terschelling.

Measuring your electricity consumption in the case of a standard 230V socket connection can be done using a simple plug-in energy meter, which you can purchase from suppliers such as Conrad for a few dozen pounds. If this is inconvenient, you can also borrow such a meter from Event Engineers. For larger connections, a limited number of meters are also available to borrow from Event Engineers. Groups who are unsure whether a Wattsun system will be sufficient for the setup they plan to use at Oerol can contact Event Engineers to test a Wattsun for two days.

Oerol hires equipment from various suppliers to realise the different power options and we aim to deploy these as efficiently as possible. The associated costs are passed on to the group/maker unless otherwise agreed in the contract.

The costs charged on by Oerol for power provision consist of equipment hire, transport to and on the island, installation (for fixed connections including Liander’s costs), cabling and distribution boards to the performance location, and sufficient reserve equipment. The relative proportion of these costs can be seen in the graphs alongside.

It is essential that we know in advance how much electricity you require. If we hire a particular power solution and transport it to the island, we will have to pay for it — even if it turns out to be too large or too small.

Below, we have provided a cost estimate for a number of commonly used setups. This price includes cabling and one distribution board at the performance location. If additional cabling is required, we can of course provide this as well, but this will incur additional costs.

Estimated Prices for Power Set-ups Oerol 2025

These prices are based on delivery approximately one week before the festival. The actual price may vary if additional cabling is required, power connections are shared with other groups, a temporary connection from Liander is needed, or other location-specific costs have to be incurred.