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How Disney and Netflix are getting rid of diesel on production sets

These Hollywood giants formed the Clean Mobile Power Initiative as a startup accelerator to test battery energy storage, hydrogen generators and other clean energy technologies that can be used off grid. Read More

(Updated on October 23, 2024)
An aerial view of the Clean Mobile Power Initiative demo day in late 2023. Source: Clean Mobile Power Initiative/Sesame Solar

Netflix and The Walt Disney Co. are providing funding to movie and TV production crews to reduce fuel consumption, with the goal of eliminating diesel generators. 

The moves complement the Clean Mobile Power Initiative, which the two are co-funding through spring. The program is testing seven battery energy storage systems, two hydrogen-power generators, and a hybrid system combining solar, batteries, green hydrogen, an optional wind turbine and on-site water generation. They’re being used to support everything from dressing room trailers to cameras and lighting.

Diesel generators account for an estimated 700,000 tons of emissions annually across the film and television industry; they produce more emissions per kilowatt-hour of electricity than coal

Scale beyond individual experiments

Disney and Netflix have introduced these technologies to their sets but are seeking to scale adoption. “We want more of this stuff, but because we aren’t the purchasers, it has been difficult to influence,” said Lisa Day, senior manager of sustainable productions for Disney. The two companies, along with others, were already sharing best practices. They teamed on this venture because of a shared desired to accelerate progress, she said.

Both companies usually rent this sort of equipment from specialized suppliers. Three are facilitating the tests: MBS Group, Sunbelt Rentals and Quixote by Sunset Studios.

“Being able to test the technology in real-world conditions is something we actually have to arrange for them,” said Emma Stewart, chief sustainability officer at Netflix.

Disney and Netflix aren’t alone in their interest. Half the clients working with Earth Angel, a consulting firm that supports the media and entertainment sector, are using some clean energy technologies on their sets. “The tricky part is getting from trial to scale,” said Emellie O’Brien, founder and CEO of Earth Angel. “Crews and workers need to get comfortable with using it.”

The carbon budget of media production

Greenhouse gas emissions from film production typically account for more than half of Netflix’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, although that percentage declined to one-third in 2023 because of the writers and actors guild strikes, according to the $34 billion company’s 2023 ESG report. Livestreaming contributes 5 to 6 percent of Netflix’s carbon footprint, said Stewart.

The picture is more complicated for Disney, a $96 billion company that owns theme parks, resorts and cruise ships alongside its media and entertainment properties. Media production activities, however, are one of the company’s top sources of supply chain emissions, according to Disney’s 2023 sustainability and social impact report. Sort of blown away by this as cruise ships and theme parks seem like huge polluters.

For both companies, using lower-carbon fuels is discussed as a significant opportunity to reduce emissions. That transition probably won’t reach a tipping point until late 2026 when equipment becomes more widely available and personnel are more comfortable with the changes they might require, said Disney’s Day. “We need to solve for different things,” she said.  

What Netflix and Disney are studying

The 10 companies participating in the Clean Mobile Power Initiative tests were selected from more than 50 applicants, said Caroline Winslow, manager of clean energy technology at Third Derivative, an RMI climate tech startup accelerator program. Here are some characteristics their technologies share:

  • A capacity of 140-220 kilowatts of three-phase power for up to up to 14 hours
  • Small enough to fit into a 9-foot-by-18-foot parking space
  • Can be towed by a Class 4 or 5 truck mounted on a vehicle
  • At least two full-time employees and a working prototype
  • Ability operate “independently from a stationary fuel source or electricity supply”
  • Will be cost-competitive with diesel generators by 2030

RMI will test the systems with Disney and Netflix in as-yet-unnamed locations to gauge their performance in low temperatures and adverse weather conditions. They’ll be used to power lighting set-ups, base camps and other on-set resources that require electricity.

The hope is to end the evaluations with a list of equipment from these companies Disney and Netflix can confidently suggest for productions, said Day.

Most crews are interested in these new technologies because they are quieter and don’t emit the fumes that diesel generators created but are reluctant to commit entirely. They want to understand the safety net, she said. 

“I think of it as a beachhead,” said Netflix’s Stewart. “We don’t have 100 percent coverage. Not every vehicle is electrified, not every single diesel generator has been eliminated. But every single production now has some experience with these technologies and has some experience with renewable energy.” 

Dedicated funds for new technology

To encourage use of non-diesel technologies, Netflix pays a fuel reduction allowance in addition to the standard budget; that money is part of the company’s budget for sustainability investments. The money must specifically be spent for that use. 

Some productions, including “Stranger Things,” have embraced a wide range of technologies including solar campers, solar-powered base camps and batteries. “Bridgerton” has been using hydrogen-power units in London, and “Virgin River” has been using batteries.

“They’re really feeling out all the edges of what a sustainable production could look like,” Stewart said.

Disney likewise covers some expenses with research and development and fuel innovation funds. Part of the Clean Mobile Power Initiative’s mandate is to explore and define the economics associated with this transition. Batteries, for example, can cost up to five times the legacy alternatives, Day said. “Once we get scale, the costs will come down,” she said.

Vancouver and London encourage clean production principles

There is some urgency. Vancouver, one of the largest sites for film and TV productions outside of Los Angeles, is pushing hard for the industry to ditch diesel generators. It considered banning their use outright, but opted for incentives including clean energy kiosks deliver hydropower-generated electricity to sets. 

Three kiosks were installed in June 2023 in Northeast False Creek, which typically hosts more than 200 generators annually, and Vancouver is planning a city-wide network that will offer plug-in power at popular filming locations.

London is likewise investing in clean power at common production locations to discourage diesel generators. “It would appear that actually investing in the tech and being very explicit with the vendors as to what our collective specifications look like is going to grow that supply faster than the potential perverse consequences of just telling the industry to stop using this when there isn’t an alternative available,” said Stewart. 

Training, new skills needed

Both Netflix and Disney should educate the wide range of trade workers who staff production locations, said Zena Harris, president of Green Spark Group, which consults on sustainable production techniques. “Folks want to know that the equipment works, what it is capable of,” she said. “They want to know more about the context in which it can be used, so that they have more confidence.”

Training should cover not just individuals using the new equipment but others who require on-site power, such as the catering crew, Harris said. “What is really needed is workforce development around this,” she said. 

Disney and Netflix are already holding educational and equipment demonstration sessions. One in late 2023 during the industry strikes was attended by almost 800 production crew workers, double the anticipated number, said Day.  

Producers also need to embrace and enforce this behavior. Netflix is hiring senior executives who understand production budgets and have experience with clean technologies, who advise unit production managers.

Having someone in a creative role advocating for these technologies, such as the director, executive producer or top talent, is important, said Earth Angel’s O’Brien. “Nobody wants to be the guinea pig,” she said. “Someone at the top needs to take the risk.”  

[Join the decarbonization conversation at VERGE 24 (Oct. 29-31, San Jose), the hub for professionals driving transformative, profitable change in operations and supply chains.]

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