Energy powers GLOW. It may seem obvious, but is it really? Both GLOW and Enexis face challenges when it comes to energy and energy supply. That’s why a partnership is not only logical but also critically important. Energy is, after all, the invisible force behind GLOW.

Enexis is the grid operator for the provinces of Noord-Brabant, Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel, and Limburg. They supply energy to more than 3 million households and businesses, ensuring that all light art installations at GLOW continue to shine.

Energy Challenges

Both parties have their own energy supply challenges. Enexis, for instance, is actively seeking technicians, operators, engineers, IT professionals, as well as procurement specialists, legal experts, communication advisors, and HR consultants. In short, the collective effort of all individuals is needed to make the energy transition successful and ensure a reliable power supply for the future. This, of course, is in the best interest of GLOW and all its visitors. This is the message conveyed by Enexis’s projects featured along the GLOW route.

On the other hand, GLOW aims to organize a sustainable light festival. As an event organizer, GLOW has signed an agreement with the municipality of Eindhoven to reduce its environmental impact, and conscientious energy consumption is a vital component of this endeavor. Enexis will provide support to GLOW in achieving these sustainability goals in the coming years.

Over the course of the 9-day GLOW event, all light art installations collectively consume slightly less energy than in 2022 (4750 kWh). However, due to GLOW’s standard operating hours from 18:30 to 23:00 this year, in contrast to the previous year when the lights were turned off an hour earlier, the total consumption is around 150 kWh higher than in 2023. This is comparable to the energy usage of approximately 100 households in the Netherlands over the same 9-day period.

Peter Lemmens, responsible for activating the art installations at GLOW for Enexis, prefers to frame it differently: “The more people who come to enjoy GLOW, the less energy they consume at home. If all GLOW visitors had stayed home in 2022, they would collectively consume 813 megawatt-hours of energy, saving 120 times the total energy consumption, minus 6.75 megawatt-hours, of GLOW. This would be sufficient energy for 320 households for an entire year.”

An Integral Part of GLOW

Ronald Ramakers explains, “There are two types of energy that make GLOW possible. Of course, there is the electrical energy that powers the light art installations, but there is also the energy of all the visitors who come together along the route and collectively experience GLOW.”

With this principle in mind, Enexis and GLOW have explored ways to make both forms of energy tangible for the hundreds of thousands of upcoming GLOW visitors. This has led to the creation of two projects that are an integral part of the GLOW route.

First, three often unnoticed electricity substations/transformer houses along the route will be brought to life. These transformer houses are crucial for both GLOW and our society, and in line with the GLOW theme, they will be illuminated with “No Energy, No Beat,” symbolizing the heartbeat of GLOW. In addition to illuminating the transformer houses, during GLOW at Smalle Haven, visitors can capture their own energy in the “With Energy, It’s Possible” photobooth. This represents the second project.

Use Public Transport or Bicycles to Get to GLOW

This is an appeal for everyone to come and enjoy GLOW while conserving energy at home. Visitors can contribute to GLOW’s sustainability in various ways.

Ronald Ramakers states, “We conducted our own research, which shows that transportation has the greatest environmental impact. We see that 43% of our visitors still arrive by car. Therefore, we encourage visitors to use bicycles or public transportation. The Dutch Railways (NS) actively promotes GLOW, and in collaboration with Brainport Bereikbaar, we have developed an engaging activation where people who cycle to GLOW have a chance to win exciting prizes.”

Furthermore, the GLOW organization itself is conscious of transportation. Given the mission ‘The City Makes GLOW,’ nearly 80% of the light art installations at GLOW have a regional origin, resulting in significant reductions in emissions from transporting and shipping light art installations across Europe.

A Future-Oriented Partnership

The partnership between GLOW and Enexis was established only this summer. The fact that it is already yielding both substantive and artistic results bodes well for the future.

For more information contact Ralf van Lieshout via pers@gloweindhoven.nl.