Volvo Penta provides the power to rock!

Nine generators equipped with Volvo Penta D16 engines will power Sweden Rock Festival this week using 100% HVO fuel.

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Sweden Rock Festival is one of the most well-renowned rock festivals in the world, not only for its leading mix of classic rock, hard rock, metal and blues, but also for its longstanding environmentally conscious philosophy. This year it has further bolstered its environmental credentials by using hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) to power the site’s nine Volvo Penta-equipped generators.

The 16-litre power generation engines are responsible for powering and lighting the festival’s five stages from June 8^th-11^th, ensuring the 35,000 visitors get to see and hear everything – including headline act Guns N' Roses.

Since 2016, all Volvo Penta combustion engines can be run on HVO fuel – neat or blended with conventional diesel. This enables customers to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90%.

HVO is a renewable, paraffinic fuel, also known as synthetic diesel. In the Nordics, the source of HVO stems largely from forestry waste. A significant number of customers, particularly in the Nordic countries, are now using HVO with Volvo Penta engines.

Better for the environment

Sweden Rock Festival is held near Sölvesborg, among grass fields and near the sea in southern Sweden.

It was with sustainability in mind that the festival first started using Volvo Penta-powered generators, highlighting their low fuel consumption as a factor that helped to reduce the festival’s environmental impact.

“The sustainability of Sweden Rock is crucial,” says Anders Östensson, Sustainability Coordinator at Sweden Rock Festival. “We are always looking for solutions that help us to consume less energy and improve our carbon footprint, so being able to power the Volvo Penta engines on HVO instead of diesel is a big win for us. This change will have a big impact – half of the festival’s electricity will be supplied by these generators. It’s amazing when we find partners that can help us make a difference.”

Renewable fuels reduce emissions

“It’s great to see Sweden Rock Festival reducing its carbon emissions by taking advantage of the fact that our engines can be powered by HVO,” says Heléne Mellquist, President of Volvo Penta. “We have high expectations for the use of renewable fuels in regions where a sustainable supply can be provided.”

As part of the Volvo Group, Volvo Penta committed to Science Based Targets last year, with the aim of becoming 100% fossil-free by 2050. The company plans to reach net-zero value chain emissions by 2040.

“Thanks to a greater global awareness of climate change and sustainability we have seen an acceleration when it comes to transformation and new technologies over the last few years,” concludes Heléne. “At Volvo Penta we will leverage the developments and investments being made by the full Volvo Group in new technology, such as combustion engines using renewable fuels, battery electric, and fuel cell electric, to meet our sustainability targets. The transition to fossil-free power requires a range of solutions and we are working with multiple tracks and scenarios.”

Volvo Penta’s D16 engine puts out 650kVA and 520 kilowatts of power. The nine gensets have a combined maximum capacity of 4.2 megawatts.