Artists and musicians in Japan and elsewhere often take up the cudgels for environmental causes and sing the praises of protecting the natural world. Some bands promote tree-planting to make up for the carbon dioxide released during their concerts. At the annual Fuji Rock concert, which draws international throngs to the lush greenery of a remote ski resort, visitors are instructed in the careful sorting of rubbish into several categories: flammable, glass, steel cans, aluminium cans, etc.
Now they have a brand-new way to flaunt their green credentials: a solar-powered truck that converts into a concert stage. Covered by solar panels, this hybrid eco-mobile was developed jointly by Kishimura Industry, a Yokohama-based specialist in environmental equipment, and Hino Motors, Japan's leading truckmaker.
The four-tonne model (it also comes in a two-tonne version) has 240 solar panels mounted on its high sides, which together can produce 20kW of power per day - equal to the daily energy consumption of six or seven typical Japanese households. During a musical performance, that power charges up the truck's cargo of speakers, microphones, amplifiers and lighting equipment, among other show-business gear. The truck's sides can be flipped over to make a concert stage large enough to hold a band of four or five musicians. Purists may question the environmental benefit of having the truck churn out clouds of exhaust fumes to travel to the convert venue. And there is no sign that oil prices are coming down very far. But the vehicle has a hybrid power plant, combining a petrol-burning engine and an electric motor - a notably eco-friendly technology. By using power-efficient LED, or light-emitting-diode, technology, Kishimura Industry made the truck's lighting system an electrical scrooge: it uses only one-third of the power of conventional lighting. And they kept the vehicle's overall weight down by using plastic covers for the solar panels instead of the normal glass.
Since the solar-powered truck was unveiled last summer in Yokohama, its manufacturers have received frequent calls inquiring about rentals. The four-tonne model rents for 600,000 yen ($40,700) for concerts.
Japan has been a pioneer in developing solar-power technology, and its producers are global leaders. Japanese are enthusiastic entrants in solar-car races across the globe, and solar panels seem almost as common as windows on Japanese homes, adding their electrical bit to keep a light in the window. So the solar music truck is a logical new step. Music produced on such an environmentally friendly stage will no doubt sound the right ecological note.