A Decarbonization Roadmap for Film and TV mobile power
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For decades, the global film and TV industry has relied on diesel generators as the means for powering film sets on and off studio lots. These generators have enabled crews to film in novel locations and adapt quickly to changing schedules, and have become an ingrained part of the production of films, TV series, and live broadcasts. However, diesel generators are not a perfect solution: they are noisy; are powered with fossil fuels, whose price is volatile; they create harmful emissions; and force those nearby to inhale noxious fumes that damage health.
Fortunately, new technologies are emerging that can deliver clean, quiet, and healthy solutions for productions of all scales.
Driven by the expansion of renewable energy generation, the continuous and rapid decline in lithium-ion-based battery costs, and the development of emerging hydrogen technology (specifically hydrogen power units, or HPUs), new clean mobile energy generation and storage solutions are quickly emerging as suitable replacements for diesel generators. These solutions are essential not only for offering co-benefits to film productions — such as quieter operation, reduced cabling needs, and cleaner air — but also for freeing them from the fluctuating price of fossil fuels, allowing for better budgeting and a smoother production process.
Although diesel generator emissions from productions total only approximately 700,000 tons of CO₂e per year globally, they account for 15% of a production’s total Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 business travel emissions. Without cleaner options, this share will only grow as other emissions-heavy areas of production move away from fossil fuels. For productions looking to meet sustainability and climate goals, clean mobile power solutions are a necessary place to focus their decarbonization efforts.
This roadmap outlines market-ready clean mobile power solutions, a set of guiding “north star” objectives to align the industry on scaling adoption, and collaborative strategies for the film and TV industries in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to reduce diesel generator use across productions and scale clean mobile power adoption. Findings and recommendations are informed by stakeholder engagement and real-world pilots conducted through the Clean Mobile Power Initiative.
A commitment from the industry
Major studios have set ambitious climate goals:
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BBC Studios, Disney, Netflix, and Paramount UK have committed to halving operational emissions by 2030.
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Sony has committed to reducing operational emissions to zero by 2030.
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NBCUniversal has committed to achieving carbon neutrality for operational emissions by 2035.
The move away from diesel is already happening
Studios globally have begun adopting clean mobile power on production sets.
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In 2024, Netflix used clean mobile power technologies on all scripted productions under its direct management.
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Nearly half reduced generator fuel use by >20%,
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15% reduced use by >50%.
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In 2024, Disney achieved 38% progress toward its 46% Scope 1 and 2 emissions-reduction target for 2030.
Clean mobile power is delivering benefits such as:
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quieter sets
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reduced air pollution
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improved mobility and operational flexibility
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potential cost savings
How We Get to Clean Mobile Power
Transitioning the industry requires coordinated action around five shared objectives:
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Reduce overall energy demand on productions.
Efficiency measures can cut demand by up to 49%; rightsizing reduces wasted capacity. -
Increase availability of fit-for-purpose clean mobile power units.
Studios can collectively signal demand to manufacturers and rental houses. -
Decrease costs to parity or below diesel.
Economies of scale, joint procurement, advance market commitments, and supportive financing can reduce costs. -
Drive investment into product development and scale.
Aligning film/TV industry needs with the rapidly expanding global investment in storage technologies can accelerate innovation. -
Promote adoption and literacy across crews.
Training, familiarization, and trust-building are crucial in a “no mistakes” industry.
Achieving these objectives will require:
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Aggregated demand via joint procurement and advance market commitments
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Flagship pilots on major productions demonstrating reliability
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Innovative financing, insurance, and energy-as-a-service models
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Government incentives and shared charging/refueling infrastructure
Exhibit ES2 provides a detailed matrix of priority actions for studios, suppliers, producers, and crew across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons.
Why Mobile Power?
Production-related diesel generators represent a small share of global emissions, but a disproportionately large share of a production’s footprint. This makes mobile power a high-leverage decarbonization target.
The report notes that clean mobile power solutions can scale to adjacent sectors with similar power needs — such as live events, construction, disaster relief, commercial building backup power, and islanded microgrids — representing a combined $2.7 trillion market opportunity (as shown in Exhibit ES3).
The findings can be applied globally, with adaptations for regional infrastructure, grid access, and fuel availability.
Clean Mobile Power Production Guides
Given the complex network of stakeholders involved in any production, it can be challenging to assess where best to start. Each part of a successful production has a role to play in supporting the adoption of cleaner technologies on production, from conception to implementation.
Below, we provide stakeholder-specific guides that outline how best to overcome obstacles and drive toward clean mobile power:
- Production crew
- Studios
- Suppliers
- Line producers and unit production managers
- Executive producers, directors, and cast
- Unions, guilds, film commissions, and industry coalitions