Solar-Powered Temporary Ice Installation

From artistic concept to working ice installation

For DE ZOMERIJSBAAN, designer Rosalie Apituley developed a multidisciplinary art project in which skating, energy and human behaviour come together at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. The temporary ice rink demonstrates how our energy system is becoming increasingly dependent on sun and wind. The rink exclusively uses local solar energy surpluses generated by the PV panels on the roof of the Olympic Stadium (energy hub) and therefore does not place an additional burden on the electricity grid.

Ice-World was involved to translate the artistic concept into a technically and practically feasible temporary ice installation. From the earliest stages, the project focused on feasibility, energy supply and the specific requirements of an ice rink powered solely by locally generated solar energy surpluses from the Olympic Stadium.

In collaboration with technical and public partners, the project was developed step by step. On cloudy or rainy days, the ice rink remains closed and the focus shifts to the accompanying public programme exploring energy, climate and the future of public space.

Skating when energy is available

From 29 May until 2 June, DE ZOMERIJSBAAN will only open when sufficient local solar energy is available. Energy and weather forecasts therefore play an important role throughout the project: how much energy is available today for skating?

During moments with less sunshine, the focus shifts to the accompanying public programme exploring energy, climate and the future of public space. In this way, DE ZOMERIJSBAAN demonstrates how energy use is increasingly shaped by weather, seasonality and availability.

Ice-World and energy use

Across European projects, Ice-World works with energy-efficient ice rink systems and greener energy consumption through Guarantees of Origin (GOs). In this way, Ice-World explores how temporary ice installations can operate more efficiently within a changing energy landscape.

Within DE ZOMERIJSBAAN, this approach connects to the broader exploration of energy, availability and human behaviour in public space.