Empowering the Burning Man Community with Clean Energy: Join the RAT Movement!
The RAT is a passionate, all-volunteer community dedicated to lighting up Black Rock City—and beyond—without burning fossil fuels. We believe that creativity and sustainability go hand in hand, and we are here to help Artists, Theme Camps, Mutant Vehicles, and visionary projects leap into renewable energy.
Doug Hanson "Radio" at Spacecats Final Landing
Thousands of Theme Camps, Small Camps, and Art Installation electric generators and hundreds of Mutant Vehicles that burn gasoline and diesel fuels are used each year at Burning Man. While fossil fuels have provided the electricity needed to power Black Rock City's installations and powered artistic vehicles, the generators and internal combustion engines produce noise, odor, harmful air pollution, and greenhouse gases. Also, generator and vehicle operations can cause hazardous liquid spills onto the playa that require expensive cleanup. And they pose a health and safety hazard because they emit air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, which can cause adverse health effects and even death.*
Whether you are a seasoned project manager or just starting, RAT mentors provide friendly, hands-on guidance to help you power your projects with clean, safe, and reliable energy. Our mission is to demystify renewable systems and make them accessible to everyone, regardless of technical background.
While we are not licensed electricians, our team provides educational support to help you design safer, more intelligent systems. We always recommend consulting licensed professionals to make sure your final setup meets safety standards.
RAT mentors assist with:
Electrical Safety Fundamentals
Project Analysis and Design support
Construction and Logistics advice
Troubleshooting before and during the event
2024: “Message to the Parents We Should Have Had” by James Beach
2025: "Nova" by Chuck Sommerville
2022: “Colors of Nostalgia” by Alena Starostina
2022: “IntraNurture” by Sylvia Lisse
2024: “Together For-never" by Simon Bellamy
2024: “Childhood Odyssey” by Cecilia Flores
Prepare to be electrified! The legendary Unlikely Biker Chick (Marlena Govaars) has unleashed a high-voltage update to her sonic masterpiece, 'Wayfarers & Watts'—the definitive anthem for the Renewables for Artists Team (RAT) movement. Witness the heroic saga of the RAT as it conquers the Playa, undertaking monumental missions to liberate Burners from the noise and pollution of "fossil-fueled" generators and ushering in a bold new era of limitless solar power!
The RAT thanks Terence Pratt and the Profiles In Dust media team for producing this important documentary.
Fossil fuels burning generators produce emissions including criteria air pollutants that harm human health and greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Burning gasoline and diesel fuels creates harmful by products like carbon monoxide that can cause serious injury and death to Black Rock City participants, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde - all direct human health hazards.
In addition, generators emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and methane and nitrous oxide in lesser amounts. Global warming has caused the worldwide and regional climates to change resulting in potential adverse effects to the environment, human health, and safety.
