A music studio which has hosted internationally renowned artists is leading the way in cutting the music industry’s carbon footprint by being powered entirely by solar energy.

Black Saloon Studios in Vestry Road, Walthamstow, which has recently hosted Icelandic singer Bjork, has relied entirely on the panels to run an assortment of amplifiers, electronic instruments, microphones and assorted studio hardware for a year.

Award winning owner, Mandy Parnell, said that the switch to green energy has been a smooth one and she will soon be selling energy back to the national grid.

She said: “It generates electricity for the entire studio and part of the attached living space.
“The studio is huge and we use it 24/7.

“A friend of mine suggested it to me.

In the media we have such a huge footprint; we are plugged in all the time.

“We are becoming a greener borough and my neighbours have really embraced it. The artists love it, too.

“I think that everyone should be doing it.”

Mandy has 25 years experience in the music industry, working with world famous artists including Basement Jaxx, Fat Boy Slim and Faithless.

She has won an MPG award, which is the industry equivalent to the Brits, and competes with big names such as Abbey Road Studios.

The project to install the panels cost £12,000 and took only a day and a half to install.

Ms Parnell said that if a business her size can go green then she hopes others in the borough will follow suit.

She said: “People think it is this huge project and it really isn’t. The hardest thing was the paperwork.”

To find out more about the studio, click here.