Coldplay’s latest world tour, Music of the Spheres, is making headlines not just for its music but for its groundbreaking use of clean energy. The band is deploying lightweight, recyclable solar panels made by Kardinia Energy at its concerts across 19 countries and 21 venues. This innovative approach is transforming the live entertainment industry into a testing ground for portable, low-impact solar power.
Behind the scenes, 500 square meters of Kardinia Energy’s printed solar panels are quietly generating power for each concert. These panels are lightweight, flexible, and fully recyclable, representing a new frontier in clean energy adoption. The initiative showcases how innovation can extend beyond stadiums to industrial rooftops, disaster relief efforts, and developing countries where traditional solar panels are often too heavy or expensive.
Revolutionizing Concerts with Clean Energy
The use of printed solar panels is more than just a novelty for Coldplay’s tour; it is a strategic move to reduce emissions and promote sustainability. According to Luke Howell, Coldplay’s sustainability consultant and founder of Hope Solutions, the panels are part of a broader strategy that includes kinetic energy dance floors and power bikes. “Printed solar allows us to cover that space with solar PV that’s perfect for touring,” Howell explained in an email. “It’s lightweight, easy to deploy, and it gives us a way to demonstrate how alternative energy sources can reduce emissions on the tour.”
“Wherever we can, we charge our 1.68 megawatt-hours tourable battery system from the grid or onsite renewables, which means we can dramatically reduce generator use and avoid fossil fuels,” Howell added, offsetting roughly 1,000–1,200 kilograms of CO₂ per show.
Coldplay has experimented with various renewable energy solutions over the years, from ground-mounted solar in Mexico to wind turbines atop delay towers. However, Kardinia’s printed solar panels mark a significant advancement. The panels can be rolled out behind a stage to power the show, then rolled back up and transported to the next venue, offering unparalleled flexibility and sustainability.
The Technology Behind Kardinia’s Solar Panels
Kardinia Energy, a small Australian company founded in 2020, has developed these panels over the past 30 years. Weighing only 300 grams per square meter, they are a fraction of the weight of traditional silicon modules, which typically weigh between 15 and 20 kilograms per square meter. While they require about four times more space, they cost roughly ten times less, with a payback period of 12 to 18 months depending on local energy prices.
Each 500-square-meter installation can produce between 75 and 100 kilowatt-hours daily, enough to power the stage and support backstage operations.
All components are reusable, reducing e-waste, and the panels can be upgraded every 5–7 years—a “mobile phone plan” model that allows new inks to improve performance over time. Anthony Letmon, co-founder and CEO of Kardinia, emphasized the versatility of the technology: “It literally opens up the world to a different type of solar energy. It goes on a roof, it can go on the floor, it goes on the stage.”
Broader Implications and Future Prospects
Beyond concerts, Kardinia’s technology has been tested on industrial rooftops in Australia for four years, demonstrating its durability and economic viability. According to Letmon, 2.4 gigawatts of industrial roof space in Australia alone cannot support traditional solar panels due to weight restrictions—a challenge Kardinia’s lightweight modules overcome. Disaster relief uses are also possible, with panels designed to be helicopter-transportable for emergency power needs, including water filtration, phone charging, and cooking.
The implications of this technology extend far beyond live music. Kardinia’s model shows how solar can be portable, modular, and part of a circular economy, addressing two key barriers to renewable energy adoption: infrastructure constraints and waste. With panels that can be deployed, rolled up, and redeployed, organizations from sports arenas to commercial rooftops—even emergency response teams—can harness clean energy without the heavy logistics of traditional photovoltaic installations.
“This is a blueprint for how music and science can disrupt the status quo and decarbonize live entertainment on a massive scale,” Letmon explains. “If it can work on a global tour with the logistical and environmental challenges that come with it, it can work anywhere.”
As Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour continues through cities like Las Vegas, El Paso, Miami, and Boston, Kardinia’s panels will remain on the road, providing a tangible demonstration of what light, low-impact solar can achieve. Coldplay’s partnership with Kardinia offers a glimpse of a future where renewable energy is not just installed but performed, showcased, and normalized.
“We’d like to see solar PV used at every stadium the tour visits,” Howell says. “The solar we take with us gives us that opportunity, and it’s encouraging to see more venues installing permanent solar systems.”
By taking solar on tour, Coldplay and Kardinia Energy demonstrate that renewable energy can be portable, scalable, and practical. The lightweight, flexible solar panels serve multiple purposes—from concerts to industrial rooftops to disaster zones, especially in areas where traditional panels are too costly or weighty. As the band continues its worldwide tour, they entertain millions while promoting clean energy globally—a sight worth seeing and a cause worth applauding.
