Sound of the EnBW Baltic 1 offshore wind farm brought to life by electro beat
Ten years of wind power in the Baltic Sea are cause for celebration. The Baltic 1 offshore wind farm now has its own song, composed by the “PLACES – A Musical Journey” project
EnBW and the “PLACES – A Musical Journey” project have already demonstrated how well electric mobility can harmonise with electronic music in the „Electric Currents“ livestream at a fast charging station in Rutesheim, southern Germany. Now they have taken their creative cooperation to the next level with a breathtaking backdrop out in the Baltic Sea: the EnBW Baltic 1 offshore wind farm, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary. As well as the video itself being filmed in the midst of the 21 wind turbines, the wind farm was also the location for recording the sounds heard in the intro: The rush of the waves, the whistling of the wind and radio weather and traffic alerts.
Offshore wind meets electro beat
DJing where few people go
Germany’s first commercial offshore wind farm, EnBW Baltic 1, is located out in the Baltic Sea. We were pioneers ten years ago and plan to stay that way today. So we decided to do something completely new with the wind farm and stage the first ever DJ set on an offshore substation, 30 metres up. Usually the wind farm is only ever visited by the people who work there. The EnBW team made an exception for the crew and the DJs, making it possible for them to produce and perform electronic music at a place where what is normally produced is renewable energy
DJing in the middle of a wind farm in the Baltic Sea has to be one of the most exhilarating and extraordinary places I’ve ever had chance to play.
As well as using it as the filming location, they also recorded the sounds there that were later incorporated into the Offshore Currents performance. PLACES – a duo consisting of DJ Philipp Wolf and film director Marko Roth – regularly play out-of-the ordinary locations, but doing a set at the wind farm proved an unforgettable occasion even for them. An additional contributor is Matthias Hauk, who created sounds for the set live with a synthesiser. The event is rounded out with spectacular drone footage from Skynamics. Never before has anything like this been done with a wind farm.
With the event, EnBW underscores its regular commitment to the visual and performing arts and brings the offshore wind power from the Baltic 1 wind farm to a wide audience.
Find out more about our commitment to the visual and performing arts..
Preparations for the livestream
Making-of: „Offshore Currents“
Note For technical reasons, the livestream was produced in advance and recorded. Compliance with all safety, hygiene and corona measures was ensured and monitored during production.
EnBW offshore wind power: Ten years of EnBW Baltic 1
Today, wind energy is a mainstay of Germany’s energy transition. With Baltic 1 ten years ago, EnBW laid the foundation for offshore wind power in Germany and brought into operation the country’s first commercial offshore wind farm.
The 21 wind turbines are spread over seven square kilometres of sea and have a total capacity of 48.3 megawatts (MW). This is enough to power about 50,000 households. Baltic 2 was connected to the grid in 2015, with substantially larger capacity (288 MW in total). Germany’s biggest offshore project to date, the EnBW Hohe See and Albatros offshore wind farms, followed in 2020.
And there is more in the pipeline: As the next major milestone, in 2025, EnBW plans to bring He Dreiht on stream – without any subsidies. These accomplishments illustrate EnBW’s capability and competitiveness as one of Europe’s leading offshore players with ten years of experience in offshore planning, construction, operation, servicing and maintenance.
EnBW will bid with consortium partners in further international offshore rights auctions in order to continue its international growth in the years ahead.