In the Middle East’s rapidly expanding live events sector, expectations around power infrastructure are changing fast. From international sporting tournaments and music festivals to large-scale cultural celebrations and immersive entertainment experiences, organisers are under increasing pressure to deliver not only flawless production values, but also measurable sustainability outcomes.
For Aggreko, that shift has prompted a renewed focus on intelligent event design. The company has recently strengthened its regional Events Design capabilities with the appointment of three highly experienced specialists: JP Botha as Renewable Energy Engineer, Neil Williams as Events Design Lead, Middle East, and Mark Diamond as Events Design Engineer for Saudi Arabia.
Together, they bring decades of experience supporting major global sporting events, Olympic venues and landmark productions, reinforcing Aggreko’s strategy to evolve beyond the traditional role of temporary generator supplier into a fully-fledged energy solutions partner. “At Aggreko, exceptional events start with intelligent design,” explained Event Sector Leader, Adam Rhodes.
That philosophy is becoming increasingly important as clients place greater scrutiny on the environmental impact of their events. According to Rhodes, sustainability conversations in the region have matured significantly over the past few years. “Many of the international and annual event projects have now set their own environmental, social and governance goals, often with credible targets for year-on-year reduction of their event-related carbon emissions,” he stated.
“It could be argued that on occasions in recent years sustainability has been considered a tick-box or buzzword, and by implementing a visible battery, solar array or hydrogen generator, the event is showing efforts to be ‘sustainable’,” he added. “We are out of that phase now and stakeholders are holding themselves and their suppliers accountable to provide actual data and new initiatives to prove that the event is reducing its CO2 footprint compared to the previous edition.”
As a result, event power providers are now expected to deliver far more than temporary infrastructure. Clients increasingly want evidence-based strategies that reduce emissions without compromising reliability – a balance that requires deeper technical expertise and more detailed planning from the earliest stages of a project.
“Designing for a more efficient and sustainable event requires expertise and a thoughtful process,” Rhodes continued. “As one simple example, AVL suppliers will often issue their power requirements at total connected loads but in reality, there is always diversity to be applied and so to gain efficiency this needs qualifying, ensuring that there isn’t any large unnecessary wastage in the amount of available power and diesel being burnt.”
This need for smarter system design has been a major driver behind Aggreko’s investment in specialist personnel. Williams, who brings 28 years of international experience across complex live environments, now leads the company’s regional event design strategy. Diamond, meanwhile, is based in Saudi Arabia, strengthening Aggreko’s capability in one of the world’s fastest-growing live events markets and Botha is responsible for the Battery and Solar products and application
The group are helping Aggreko deliver increasingly advanced hybrid energy systems that combine generators, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), solar technology and remote monitoring tools to optimise performance in real time. “For the energy transition products like battery and solar, it isn’t as simple as replacing a generator with a battery,” Rhodes explained. “There are load profiles, durations and site considerations to think about before determining whether it can bring real impact.”
According to Williams, designing reliable temporary power systems begins with understanding the specific operational demands of every event. “The design process begins with a consultation where we have an initial discussion with the client to ensure we are fully aligned on the event brief and the requirements of the power supply,” he explained. “Once the scope of work is understood, we tailor our design specific to the job, leveraging our experience of Middle East event venues to present and deliver a solution where safety, reliability and cost-efficiency are our priorities.”
Safety, he stressed, remains the foundation of every project. “Firstly, electrical safety is non-negotiable, and all designs must comply with local authority standards and international best practice,” Williams said. “A detailed load assessment, where we analyse the average and peak demand of the system in line with a clear categorisation of the loads in terms of criticality, underpins the overall reliability of the solution and allows us to design appropriate redundancy and resilience ensuring continuity of supply throughout the event.”
That attention to detail is critical in the Middle East, where productions are often staged in challenging climates and temporary venues. “Events in the Middle East involve complex production setups in some of the most demanding environments,” Williams continued. “As a result, our solutions are always designed with practicality in mind which allows us to integrate seamlessly with our end user.”
Once those operational considerations are mapped out, Aggreko’s design teams then optimise the system holistically, balancing sustainability targets with operational resilience. “This includes right-sizing of equipment, using hybrid and battery solutions, and optimising our distribution layouts,” Williams explained. “All of which reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions and improve operational efficiency while maintaining the reliability required for live events where there is no margin for failure.”
For Botha, one of the most significant developments shaping modern event power design has been the rapid advancement of battery storage technology. “Battery Energy Storage Systems have come a long way, especially with lithium-ion technology,” he said. “It’s now practical to run certain parts of an event without generators for periods of time, which also cuts down on noise.”
The operational benefits extend well beyond emissions reduction. “These systems are also great for handling spikes in demand, so you don’t need to oversize your generators as much,” Botha noted. “Hybrid setups are becoming standard now – combining solar, batteries and smaller generators. Solar on its own isn’t always enough, but it still makes a noticeable difference in reducing fuel usage as a direct substitute.”
He also highlighted the growing importance of intelligent energy management systems, which allow engineers to monitor and control power usage dynamically throughout an event. “You can now actively control when generators kick in, when batteries are used, and how the load is spread,” Botha explained That can help bring down both costs and emissions.”
Central to Aggreko’s evolving strategy is the use of data analytics and remote monitoring technology. Through its dedicated Data Science Team, the company analyses telemetry data captured through Aggreko Remote Monitoring (ARM) systems alongside operational data collected on site. By studying historical performance trends and real-time operational metrics, the company is able to refine system designs and improve energy efficiency from one event to the next.
“This approach has already been implemented across major events such as Formula 1, the eSports World Cup and MDLBEAST festivals,” Diamond stated. “The data-driven approach eliminates unnecessary oversizing, directly reducing rental costs and fuel consumption.”
Beyond internal optimisation, the technology is also providing clients with unprecedented visibility into their own energy usage. “It allows us to produce dedicated customer or job-specific dashboards, giving live visibility to our clients across key metrics such as generator run hours, fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and load profiles,” Diamond explained. “Data can be drilled down to all electrical parameters, giving us a level of insight which supports our operational decision making and can help clients to better understand the performance and environmental impact of our power solutions.”
As the Middle East continues to invest heavily in major events, tourism and entertainment infrastructure, the demand for sustainable temporary power solutions is only expected to accelerate. For Aggreko, the company’s expanded design team represents both a response to that demand and a statement of intent about the future direction of the business.
Photos: Aggreko
