Cooperating and Collaborating for Clean Energy

Co-Authored by Zena Harris, Andrew Robinson and Samantha Leigh

Introduction

In our last article, we highlighted how studios and productions could engage and work with vendors and the supply chain to enable the range and scale of options required to meet carbon reduction goals. Engagement and collaboration must not stop there. Our second article noted how our industry can provide a clear market signal to municipalities to help expand access to clean power. In our fourth article on clean energy, we dive into how productions and studios can simply and effectively cooperate and collaborate with municipalities to accelerate clean energy solutions for mutual and collective benefit.     

Clean Energy is a Common Goal

Decarbonization to reduce the potential impacts related to the climate crisis is increasingly a common objective for studios, broadcasters, productions, and municipalities. As previously noted, more than 2,000 jurisdictions and local governments in 40 countries have declared a climate emergency, broadcasters such as CBC, BBC, and ITV have all announced carbon reduction goals, and studios such as Netflix, Disney, Sony Pictures and NBCUniversal, among others, have set their sights on carbon neutrality and/or net zero emissions. 

With broad alignment on a climate agenda across cities, productions, and studio facilities, this common goal provides important points of cooperation amongst these stakeholders for advancing clean energy technologies and infrastructure. Specifically, Linda Breggin (Environmental Law Institute) noted that synergies can be explored between cities and productions in areas including electric vehicles (EVs), developing or expanding access to a clean energy grid, and improved standards and regulations for energy efficient buildings. “Cities need to do more to quantify and communicate the co-benefits of these [carbon] reductions,” she noted, so that all stakeholders are incentivized to collaborate and share solutions. 

Through engagement, cooperation, and collaboration with supply chains and city governments that host our productions, industry stakeholders help develop momentum and action on clean energy.

Phil Holdgate (ITV Studios) echoed Linda’s statement, adding that “working with cities, film funds and other key players is really going to be important to ensure that mains power supplies are available” for film and television productions. 

No single industry stakeholder can implement clean energy solutions by itself or at the scale and speed the climate emergency requires. Through engagement, cooperation, and collaboration with supply chains and city governments that host our productions, industry stakeholders help develop momentum and action on clean energy technologies and infrastructure. But what does this engagement and cooperation look like? 

Data Sharing is Key

Municipal representatives and other SPF panelists have highlighted two specific ways that productions and industry stakeholders can meaningfully collaborate. First, productions and studios need to clearly articulate their commitment to clean energy targets. Second, to support the development of municipal clean energy infrastructure, productions and studios can easily cooperate with city governments by sharing relevant data. 

It is often said that ‘what gets measured gets managed’. Therefore, energy and fuel consumption data from film and TV productions are a vital piece that contribute to clean energy investment decisions and priorities set by municipalities. “The more data [we have access to], the better decisions we can make” noted Geoff Teoli (Vancouver Film Office). In Vancouver, for instance, the Film Office uses data on generator use, power consumption, and location to inform key investment priorities for the location and number of grid tie-ins to be developed. 

The more data we have access to, the better decisions we can make.

Productions and production companies may also meaningfully engage as a collective stakeholder group through regional film commissions. In jurisdictions where filming is a large part of the economy, film commissions exist to liaise between the industry and the rest of the government. Toronto, for instance, installed its first power hubs for film crews last September. “The industry was very involved in those [planning] conversations because they’re the ones that are going to be using it” noted Bobby Donches (City of Toronto) . 

Cooperation and information sharing is also important because, “for [clean energy infrastructure] to be successful, all the equipment, all the connection points, have to be the same in every city that [film and TV productions] produce in. So we can’t do it alone.” noted as Geoff Teoli (Vancouver Film Office). 

Information also flows both ways. Bobby Donches (City of Toronto) noted that they have a shared goal to create information packages so that productions can be made “fully aware of the locations, the timing [of grid-tie in development], and the cost of everything, in advance.” In this way, productions doubly benefit through increased access to clean power, as well as relevant information to help productions plan and budget more effectively. 

Conclusion

Cooperation and involvement with city planning is an important way for the entertainment industry to support clean energy infrastructure. By sharing a collective commitment to clean energy and the relevant data needed to support infrastructure investment planning and decisions, cities and the entertainment industry can ensure that clean energy benefits are realized across sectors. 

By sharing a collective commitment to clean energy…cities and the entertainment industry can ensure that clean energy benefits are realized across sectors. 

Given competing priorities within municipal planning, clean energy development requires a collective and cooperative approach across motion-picture industry stakeholders. This ensures a consistent and cohesive message, supported by industry data, to facilitate the prioritization of clean infrastructure planning which will benefit our industry, the cities we film in, and the needs of the planet.  

This article was informed by discussions between experts and panelists at previous SPF events, notably during the “Getting to 2030! No Excuses!” and “Clean Energy Cities” panels at SPF21. Stay tuned as the industry continues to plug in to clean energy in the coming years.

Curious to know more? Green Spark Group has released all SPF sessions on its YouTube channel. Please dive in and catch them all!  As ever, please reach out to us with any comments or questions at hello@sustainableproductionforum.com.