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Showgrounds that work on show day and in a disaster

Rural showgrounds host A&P shows and rodeos, and in big emergencies they have been used to shelter people and relocated stock. This page looks honestly at what a 15 kW system could carry there.

Show day is bigger than one unit

On show day, a showgrounds can run food stalls, rides, a public address system, judges' tents, the secretary's office and lit pavilions all at once. Rides and a field full of food trucks easily pass 15 kW. That is not what one system is for, and we would not suggest it replaces show-day generators or temporary supply. A larger, multi-unit setup would need assessment.

What it would keep running

Secretary's office computers and phones
Pavilion lighting and kitchen
Toilet block pumps and lights
Stock trough water pumps
Public address system

The permanent buildings

Where it fits is the permanent core of the grounds: the secretary's office with its computers and phones, the main pavilion's lights and kitchen, the toilet block and its water pump, and the stock troughs fed by an electric pump. Those carry a showgrounds through ordinary use and an outage, and they fit within 15 kW.

When showgrounds are opened to shelter people or take in stock moved away from fire or flood, those same permanent loads matter most. Water for animals, lights for people and a working office to coordinate volunteers are what the system is sized to protect.

How it works →

The H2OME loop: an electrolyser splits water into hydrogen, the hydrogen is stored in a tank for weeks, a fuel cell turns it into electricity for your home, and the water returns to the loop.

Standby between events

Showgrounds sit quiet for much of the year. Hydrogen stored at 30 bar or less keeps for weeks without losing charge, so the system can sit ready between events, topped up on off-peak power or from a wind turbine. Round trip efficiency is 30% or less, so this is resilience spending, not a cheaper power bill for the society.

Questions

Can it power rides and food trucks on show day?

No. Rides and a full field of food vendors draw far more than 15 kW. Show-day power would still need generators or temporary supply. This system is for the permanent buildings and for emergencies.

Would it help if the grounds took in evacuated stock?

Yes, for water pumps feeding troughs, lights and the office coordinating volunteers. Those are well within 15 kW. Large stock handling equipment or chillers would need checking during the pilot.

Who would decide to install it?

The A&P society or whoever owns the grounds, often with the local council and civil defence involved if the grounds are part of emergency plans. The pilot would work through those relationships first.

Elsewhere

Every use →

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