Sodium-Ion Battery for Fairground and Carnival Power

A travelling show arrives with no connection, runs hard for a few days and then leaves. Everything it needs has to come on the trucks, which is exactly the duty a sodium ion battery is well suited to: it stores enough energy for the evening peak, tolerates a cold field in the shoulder season, and costs less to own than the diesel set it replaces.

A Load Profile That Exists Only After Dark

Fairgrounds are almost the inverse of a commercial building. Daytime consumption is lighting for the stalls, a few pumps and the crew’s facilities; then between roughly six and eleven at night every ride, sound system and display on the site comes on together. Storage is the natural fit, because the bank can charge slowly all day from a modest supply or a generator and discharge into that one hard evening peak.

Ride Peaks, Not Averages

The sizing number that matters is the simultaneous peak, not the daily total. Major rides draw their largest current during acceleration and again when the braking and holding circuits work, and several of them starting within a minute of each other is the normal case rather than the exception. Log a full evening before specifying anything.

Cold Mornings and Shoulder-Season Sites

This is where sodium chemistry earns its place on a touring schedule. Shows run in spring and autumn, often on open ground overnight, and a bank that has been sitting at a few degrees above freezing through the night still has to deliver its full peak the following evening. Sodium cells hold their usable capacity at low temperature better than most alternatives, which removes the winter derating that otherwise forces a bigger, heavier purchase.

Replacing the Generator, Not Supplementing It

Most operators start by asking whether the generator can stay. It can, but the economics argue the other way: running a large set for the whole opening just to cover four evening hours wastes fuel and puts noise next to the rides. A hybrid arrangement, where a small efficient set or the site supply charges the bank during the day and storage carries the peak, usually cuts fuel sharply and quietens the site.

Transport, Weight and Handling

Everything on a travelling show is weighed, because every kilogram has to be loaded, moved and unloaded repeatedly. Cabinets need proper lifting points, a rack or stillage that survives forking, and a footprint that fits the transport plan. Check the axle and payload implications before committing to a capacity.

What to Ask a Supplier

Ask for the peak power rating in writing, separately from the kilowatt-hour figure, because ride starts are a power problem rather than an energy one. Ask what capacity remains at the lowest temperature you operate in. Ask about lifting points and transport restraint, and ask what the warranty assumes about depth of discharge on a daily touring cycle.

People Also Ask

Can the bank cover a whole evening on its own? Usually yes, if it is sized to the logged simultaneous peak rather than the daily total. That is the number to give a supplier.

How does it charge on a site with a small supply? Slowly, over the full day between shows. That is the point: a modest connection plus storage is cheaper than a connection sized for the evening peak.

Is it safe next to public areas? With a sealed enclosure, correct protection and a lockable compound, yes. Siting it away from queues and exits is the practical requirement.

What happens in a really cold week? Capacity drops, but far less than with many chemistries. Specify the lowest operating temperature and size for it rather than assuming a temperate figure.

Written by Karl at China Battery Technology. Request a quote.