At its 2026 edition, the Paléo Festival in Nyon took a significant step towards energy self-sufficiency. Thanks to a partnership between the Vaud-based company OptimalGo and the Valais-based SME Studer Innotec, half of the electricity requirements for the festival’s 49th edition were met by a solar power plant installed on the roofs of the neighbouring neighbourhood. At the heart of this system is a charger-inverter designed and manufactured in Sion.
A festival is not a conventional building. It is a veritable pop-up town, which consumes a huge amount of energy over just a few days. The usual solutions for energy self-sufficiency, designed for homes or businesses, could not therefore be applied as they stood to the Paléo.
Following a detailed analysis of the festival’s energy consumption, two distinct needs were identified. One-third of the electricity is consumed during the day and can be met directly by solar generation. The remaining two-thirds relate to night-time consumption, which requires a storage system capable of storing the energy generated during the day and releasing it at night.
Rather than installing solar panels solely at the festival site – which would only be in use for six days a year – the decision was made to install them on the rooftops in the neighbouring Asse district. The result: 261 photovoltaic panels, covering an area of 470 m², now generate more than 100,000 kWh per year. Throughout the year, this energy benefits homes, farms and small and medium-sized enterprises in the neighbourhood. During the festival, it is channelled into the event’s internal grid.
The key role of Studer Innotec
To feed back into the grid at night the energy stored during the day, a 23 kWh supercapacitor battery has been installed. This technology, which is still relatively uncommon on this scale, differs from conventional lithium-ion batteries in its rapid charging and discharging speeds, its durability – with up to 20,000 cycles possible – and the absence of any risk of thermal runaway.
To control this system and cope with the high loads required by an event of this scale, a battery charger/inverter was specially designed by Studer Innotec. The company, founded in 1987, has since established itself as a recognised leader in the manufacture of battery-coupled solar inverters. Its industrial expertise, entirely Swiss in origin, provides the essential technical capability to absorb and deliver large quantities of energy over a short period – exactly what a festival like Paléo requires.
Aim: complete independence
This first phase, which has been operational since the 2026 edition, has enabled the festival – which attracted hundreds of thousands of festival-goers in late July – to meet 50 per cent of its electricity needs. But the ambition goes further. The roadmap now envisages the wider roll-out of supercapacitor storage to also meet night-time demand.
The ultimate goal is clear: to make the Paléo Festival Switzerland’s first energy-self-sufficient festival. This project also demonstrates the Swiss industry’s ability to provide cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of the energy transition.
Source: OptimalGo press release
Photo credit: Paleo