Orange may have slid down the telecoms league table in recent years, but the French mobile phone company’s latest venture puts them right at the heart of the cutting edge once again, not to mention in the good books of thousands of young music fans with SRI of the thumbs from too much texting.
The regular festival attendees amongst you will no doubt be aware of how annoying it is to run out of juice at a three or four-day music event. You know the scenario; you leave your chums to check out Jay-Z, then after roaming peripatetically - frantically in search of signal your phone dies, you lose all your mates, your best friend Deborah has your bag, it has all your cash in it, you can’t find your tent, you’re going to have to be extra nice to the nose-ringed guy with the dodgy tattoos at the vegetarian burger stand if you’re going to eat again etc. Sound familiar?
Now Orange have solved one problem, even if your friends can’t be relied to meet you at the Rizla tent. Orange has offered free phone charging at festivals before, but this year’s Glastonbury will be a little different, as they unleash the world’s first giant, fully-renewable mobile phone charger. The seven-metre high renewable recharge “pod” will be unveiled at the Somerset music event, featuring a wind generator and solar panels to harness the weather. So for once you might be hoping for a bit of wind.
Small individual chargers were tried out last year to great success, according to the clever people at Gotwind, renewable energy experts, though the beast they unfurl this year can apparently charge 100 mobiles an hour, and what’s more, each one will be stored in its own individual locker while charging and only you will have the key, meaning your phone won’t be at the mercy of skanks.
According to the press blurb, the energy this mighty contraption generates is equivalent to powering a DJ booth for Groove Armada for an 88 hour set (we’re not sure how they came to this figure or why they specifically picked Groove Armada) and Gotwind are looking to eventually power elements of the Chill n’ Charge tent at all future Glastonbury Festivals.
Hattie Magee, from Orange UK, said: “Mobiles phones are an essential tool for festival survival. With an expected capacity of over 175,000 people spread across a sprawling 900 acres of farmland, keeping in touch with mates around the site, especially when you are covered head to toe in mud, is made that much easier if your phone has battery power.”
The recharge Pod will be stationed at the Pennard Hill camping grounds and will be free all weekend. Acts appearing at this year’s event include Mark Ronson, Kings of Leon and the Verve. A Glastonbury Festival spokesman said: “Glastonbury Festival prides itself on being the first festival to host alternative solutions to environmental concerns - the Orange recharge Pod is a great initiative that supports Love the Farm, Leave No Trace and encourages people to open their eyes to the many practical uses of renewable energy.”
The future is indeed bright.
