Temporary Grid Access in Production: Survey Insights and Community Reflections

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Across the global screen industry, diesel generators have become the default power source for on-location film, television, and event production. This sometimes unnecessary reliance on fossil-fuelled temporary power contributes substantially to greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and inefficiency. Diesel generators can account for up to 30% of a production’s total carbon footprint depending on scale and location. Some productions consume over 20,000 litres of diesel, emitting more than 50 tonnes of CO₂e¹, figures that underscore the pressing need for cleaner alternatives. Mobile Power Units (MPUs) within London’s supplier fleet alone produce 64,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases (CO2e) every year². Similarly, in the U.S,. it was found that big-budget films emit around 2,996 metric tonnes of CO₂ each, with fuel use mainly from generators and transportation. This accounted for around 48–56% of total emissions in films and up to 58% in scripted TV dramas³. 

There is a significant global demand to address the need for more efficient power solutions, yet substantial hurdles remain. Compressed pre-production periods and complex stakeholder relationships continue to obstruct the implementation of alternative power solutions. The path forward requires standardised guidance, industry-wide alignment, and robust funding mechanisms to support greener, more resilient power infrastructure for the creative industries. This is not a peripheral concern, as clean energy and its accessibility will be fundamental for the industry’s operation in the case of a limited energy future. We are seeing anti-pollution, noise, and weight regulations coming in across the board, and while welcome, they will make our current way of working impossible; thus, it’s essential to be ahead of the curve.

1. BAFTA albert
2. The Shift Report from The Fuel Project, a collaboration between Creative Zero and Film London
3. Sustainable Production Alliance

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As sustainability professionals committed to driving change, Roxy Erickson (Creative Zero), Dörte Schneider Garcia (Green Consultants de Portugal), and the team at Leverage Point Entertainment, led by Zsófia Szemerédy, initiated a global collaboration. What began as informal conversations within a group chat evolved into a session focused on sharing best practices and supporting the industry’s transition to cleaner power solutions.

To gather insights and a better understanding of current procedures elsewhere, Dörte posed a simple question to the group: How does temporary grid access work in your country? Initially, the response was modest, but it soon evolved into a lively exchange, with many expressing interest and a willingness to collaborate, which Dörte, Roxy and Zsofia (the grid team) agreed to organise. 

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All contributions have been recorded as provided by participants. No independent verification or fact-checking of the statements, opinions, or data supplied has been undertaken.

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To better understand the challenges and opportunities, an informal survey was conducted that received responses from 26 industry professionals, including representatives from film funds, sustainability specialists, and technical crew members from across the sector and globe. The results revealed significant experience with temporary power access and highlighted persistent barriers. 

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Survey Results: How does temporary grid access work in your country?

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This table presents a broad overview of responses from individuals with “boots on the ground” experience, from specific locations/regions, reflecting varying stages of engagement and data availability. In some cases, columns are blank due to limited data.

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Drawing on case studies from Argentina, Canada, France, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, and with a goal to accelerate the transition to grid-based energy and advocate for stronger policy support, the grid team curated a knowledge-sharing session which brought together over 50 industry professionals to explore both the persistent challenges and scalable strategies for creating easy grid access across the globe.  Discussions took place via an open-floor format, and key learnings from the session are detailed below. 

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Special thank you to our panelists; Flor Nates, Katharine Pavoni, Joanna Gallardo, Gergő Balika, Louise Marie Smith, Neil Ashton 

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Argentina

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• National grid powered by hydro, thermal, solar, and nuclear (low emissions: 0.23 tCO₂/MWh).
• Temporary connections are easy to secure via local providers and are billed by usage.
• Supportive provincial film commissions streamline access across Córdoba and Buenos Aires.

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Canada (Vancouver)

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• Clean hydro grid; challenges remain for ad hoc connections.
• A Clean Energy Committee developed a grid tie-in map, diesel hotspot tracking, and cost calculators. https://reelgreen.ca/reel-green-grid-power-access-map/ 
• Five film power kiosks have been installed, although ongoing bureaucratic challenges remain. A film kiosk typically functions as a local power hub or power distribution point on a production set or base camp. It receives electricity, often through a tie-in to the local grid and distributes it safely and efficiently to lighting, cameras, trailers, and other electrical equipment. Proper placement of these kiosks is therefore essential to enable greener, grid-connected power solutions and to advance sustainable production practices.
• Emphasis on municipal collaboration and global resource sharing.

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France (Paris Region)

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• Strong grid, but historically slow administrative responses have hindered access.
• A new centralised request system and district-specific technical site visits have improved efficiency.
• A complementary mix of green technologies is emerging, supported by regulations and carbon reporting, but increasingly tight production schedules hinder proper planning and decision-making for sustainability.
• Olympic infrastructure upgrades are being adapted for film use.
• Collaboration with Enedis and EDF supports a low-emissions strategy under Ecoprod principles.

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Hungary (Budapest)

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• Fragmented municipal structures and slow national utility processes are a challenge.
• Specialised electrical contractors have improved timelines (8–10 days average).
• Diesel generators are still prevalent, though grid use is increasing due to cost/environmental benefits.
• Emerging trend: retaining infrastructure at recurring locations for future use.

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Spain

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• Bureaucratic complexity and unclear responsibilities around grid connections slow progress, while social behaviours such as overspending on excess and non-essential items, alongside ongoing cost concerns, remain barriers.
• Greater public awareness and clearer operational guidance are needed.

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United Kingdom (Southern England) 

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• Victoria Park Case Study:
  
  • A permanent grid cabinet saved over 50,000 litres of diesel and 140 tonnes of CO₂e in one year.
  • Data revealed consistent overestimation of power needs.
  • Administrative and heritage site barriers persist.
• Telemetry Innovation:
  
  • Fox Power tracks real-time energy use to reduce generator reliance.
  • Enabled full electrification of major productions and reduced fuel use at Glastonbury Music Festival by two-thirds.
  • Promotes data-led planning and collaboration as the path to scalable clean power.

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Nonetheless, pioneering efforts, such as Vancouver’s film power kiosks, demonstrate tangible environmental and economic gains, effectively dispelling the myth that sustainable solutions are too costly. Argentina’s adaptable ‘plug and play’ grid infrastructure further emerged as a promising model that other regions might emulate to achieve similar results.

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Open to the Floor: Key Takeaways

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After the specific case studies were presented, the floor was opened to contributions from all professionals in the session. The following summarises some of the key takeaways from the discussion.

Strategic Energy Planning and Infrastructure

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• A range of diverse and complementary technical solutions is required to achieve sustainable power provision; no single approach is sufficient.
  
• Strategically locating power supplies in areas with concentrated power needs, like spaces that are used for community events and as a film locations,  optimises energy use, reduces excessive cable runs, and enhances overall efficiency on set.
  
• Data collection can identify high-demand zones and indicate where the power kiosks, or the temporary and semi-permanent distribution units, should be placed and from where power should be distributed.
  
• Power planning helps prevent the overestimation of power requirements, thereby minimising unnecessary fuel consumption and equipment rental. 
• Accurate data from production is necessary to strategise for near-future industry energy use.
  
  

Regional and Structural Challenges

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• There are pronounced regional disparities and complex local dynamics that continue to hinder the broader adoption of low-carbon energy infrastructure.
  
• Aligning key stakeholders - such as government authorities, screen agencies, production executives from independent to broadcast, studio level - ensuring a coherent understanding across all parties, is a significant challenge. Misalignment among these groups can delay logistics and disrupt the implementation of sustainable practices. Developing resources and protocols to support their participation would likely improve access and efficiency in implementing grid tie-ins and infrastructure upgrades.
  
  

Communication and Coordination

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• Productions benefit significantly from centralised coordination of power, which streamlines communication, improves access to the grid and power-use efficiency.
  
• Addressing the gap between sustainability advice and the knowledge of the crew can limit obstacles. Establishing straightforward guidance can help bridge communication challenges between sustainability teams and location owners that persist, ensuring that critical data is shared transparently rather than filtered through multiple departments. This approach would support smoother adoption of sustainable power and other environmentally responsible measures on set.
  
  

Technology and Energy Alternatives

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• Many diesel generator suppliers now offer electric battery units (Battery Energy Storage System “BESS” systems) as alternatives.
  
• Batteries, hybrids and grid tie-ins should be preferred for low-noise, cleaner operations and economic savings, in the long term.
  
• Generator usage prevails in short productions due to its perceived ease and affordability.
  
  

Budgeting and Labour Considerations

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• Labour is the primary financial factor for grid connections; cables and consumables are relatively low in cost. Grid power itself is often cheaper than generator rental.
  
• While grid tie-ins shift labour from physical tasks to planning, overall crew employment levels likely remain stable.
  
• Production budgeting needs to acknowledge fuel use as part of the rental costs of traditional generators for like-for-like comparisons.

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The diversity of experiences shared by panellists and participants highlights a shared challenge: while grid-based energy solutions exist across global production hubs, their implementation remains uneven due to regulation, logistics, and knowledge gaps. Momentum is building, with scalable models emerging from permanent infrastructure in the UK to public-private partnerships in Canada.

However, true change requires power planning to be integrated from the script stage through to production wrap. This includes location recces that assess not only grid access but also the proportion of renewable energy in the local national grid, a critical factor in reducing carbon impact.

Production budgeting must prioritise fuel efficiency as a cost-saving imperative, recognising that investing upfront in sustainable power reduces ongoing fuel and rental expenses. Equally important is ensuring productions have a power-literate crew capable of managing energy use effectively on set.

Cross-sector collaboration is essential to maximise the impact of grid connections. 

Ultimately, a sustainable energy transition in production power demands early planning, data-driven decisions, strong communication, and industry-wide coordination. Producers, crew, suppliers, commissioners and industry and governmental policymakers must act decisively and often collectively to align goals and secure a cleaner, more efficient future for film and TV production.

Now is the moment for industry leaders to align and lead a just, sustainable transition to fossil-free production power, one that is, in the words of IPCC author scientists, swift and urgent.

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Relevant to sister sectors such as music, events, and culture, Grid Tie-Ins does not only relate to the film and TV industry, thus making it a shared interest for the wider creative community to explore viable solutions, in key.

Through shared commitment and technical knowledge exchange, we can achieve a cleaner, more efficient future for all productions. Prioritising grid-based power in film, television, and events is no longer just a technical goal but an environmental, economic, and ethical necessity.

Continue to engage with the organisers’ insights by watching the full podcast discussion here: The Tie-In: S2, E29: Special “Grid Survey” Panel Episode

• ‍BAFTA albert. Sustainability in the Screen Industries. 
• Creative Zero and Film London (2024). The Shift Report: Clean Energy for the Creative Industries. 
• Creative Zero. Power Planning in Film & TV‍
• Sustainable Production Alliance ‍
• Global Temporary Grid Connections (2025). Survey and Panel Discussion 

We extend our sincere thanks to the panellists whose insight and contributions were central to this initiative: Flor Nates, Katharine Pavoni, Joanna Gallardo, Gergő Balika, Louise Marie Smith, and Neil Ashton. And all the panel participants who shared their thoughts and concerns.

Special thanks are also due to the individuals who played a key role in organising and supporting this work: Zsófia Szemerédy, Roxy Erickson, Dörte Schneider Garcia and Margot Maritz.

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