Film London today (13 June) officially launched the Grid Project, a pilot supplying renewable energy to productions in the capital that will reduce air pollution, CO2 emissions, and noise pollution.

Led by Film London, the Grid Project introduces the supply of green energy via the mains network, installing an electrical feeder pillar at a key unit base in Victoria Park, London. Industry leaders across film, environment and policy have supported the pilot, with funding from the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund supported through the London Economic Action Partnership; NBCUniversal; Interreg Europe’s Green Screen and the British Film Commission.

The Victoria Park pilot has been co-delivered with Tower Hamlets Council and The Film Office, engineering consultant ARUP,UKPN, contractor Ingenious Power and bespoke power distribution pillar specialist Lucy Zodion. 100% renewable energy will be supplied by Ecotricity.

When filming on location, productions usually plug into diesel or petrol generators at unit bases for energy supply. Detailed analysis completed by ARUP for Victoria Park estimated that during 2018, production generators consumed 64,082 litres of diesel and 1,656 litres of petrol. The estimated CO2 emitted by the generators was 169,556kg. The Estimated annual particulate matter (based on 0.03g/kWh) was 7.43kg. Estimated annual Nitrous Oxide produced from diesel and petrol was 2,393 kg.

The installation of electrical feeder pillars that productions can plug into will reduce CO2 emissions and air pollutants from Particulate Matter and Nitrogen Dioxide by 100% at point of use, as well as significantly reducing noise pollution. The power cabinets are also available for use during events held in the park, reducing diesel generator usage from other industries.

As part of the industry’s efforts to reduce emissions, this follows the launch of The Fuel Project, a report funded by Interreg Europe’s Green Screen and delivered by Film London, in partnership with creative business consultants Creative Zero. The report provides practical information, steps and support to film and TV production suppliers as they make the move toward new, low carbon technologies, helping drive down emissions in the industry as a whole.

Attendees at the launch in Victoria Park, London, included Rob Huber, MD UK & Ireland, Universal Pictures International; Shirley Rodrigues, London’s Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy; Andy Harries, Chief Executive and co-founder of Left Bank Pictures, and Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive, Film London.

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said:

“I am thrilled to launch the Grid Project today in Victoria Park. This is a never before done and innovative project in the UK, which we hope creates a template for future developments. We are fully committed to making our screen industries as sustainable as possible, and initiatives like the Grid Project are a brilliant way of guaranteeing lower levels of emissions and noise pollution.

We are very proud to have led on the project, and I hope that the initiative can encourage new projects to enact similar sustainable solutions throughout London and the UK. Working together to address environmental challenges is crucial, and I would like to thank all our partners at NBCUniversal, the GLA and Interreg Europe who have been so valuable in supporting the launch of the project.’’

Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, said:

“The Grid Project is an innovative new pilot that will help reduce air and noise pollution in a new way, ensuring the film industry has access to green, sustainable energy and reducing the carbon footprint left by productions. It will make a big difference to people visiting Victoria Park, and will help pave the way for other projects to follow suit. I’m delighted to support Film London in leading the way on greening Britain’s film industry.”

Rob Huber, MD UK & Ireland, Universal Pictures International, said:

“NBCUniversal’s film and TV productions work to reduce our environmental impact globally by integrating sustainable best practices working with our local partners. We’re grateful to Film London and our co-sponsors for spearheading the Grid Project and look forward to watching its positive impact across London.”

Anne Rocheteau, Finance Officer for European Projects / Brume Delaunay, Policy Officer, Interreg Europe Joint Secretariat:

“We are delighted to witness the Grid Project official launch in Victoria Park. This pilot action contributes to leading the path to a greener audio-visual industry. It has been inspired by the knowledge of eight European partners and made possible with the support of the European Union via the Interreg Europe project, Green Screen. It is an excellent example of how interregional exchanges can contribute to decarbonising our continent. We hope that project results will inspire policymakers and audio-visual industry stakeholders from all around Europe.”

Andy Harries, Chief Executive and co-founder of Left Bank Pictures, said:

“This is a terrific development and another small but significant step towards ensuring the television and film business is as green as possible and climate focussed.”

Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:

“As a designated Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), this project expresses our commitment to improving the quality of air for residents and visitors through the installation of renewable energy technology. I am pleased that our award-winning Victoria Park is piloting the project which will reduce the carbon emissions of filming.”

The Grid Project is supported by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund and receives EU funding from Interreg Europe under the European Regional Development Fund, and NBCUniversal.

For more information on the Grid Project visit:

• https://filmlondon.org.uk/latest/green-filmmaking-the-grid-project
• https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/tx_tevprojects/library/file_1586182008.pdf

Paul Sands, Chief Growth Officer, Ecotricity:

“We’re delighted to be supplying this creative project with beautiful deep green energy. It’s great to know it will not only be making filming on location greener, but the project will also contribute to Ecotricity building a more renewable generation in the future too. We hope this inspires a lot more green innovation across the film industry.”

Dominic Reeve-Tucker, Managing Director of The Film Office, said:

“We are proud to co-deliver this project demonstrating our commitment in helping our industry reduce the environmental impact of filming in both Tower Hamlets and London. This green energy supply in the iconic Victoria Park will support more sustainable production and creative activity in the area by improving air quality and achieving significant reductions in emissions and noise for the benefit of all parties. A huge thank you for all the hard work and efforts by all involved in helping to transition to a cleaner and more sustainable future.”