Production Power Calculator

Greener sets. Lower bills. Better story.

Your generator is likely one of the biggest contributors to your production's carbon footprint. This tool calculates the damage — and shows exactly what battery power would change. Useful for sustainability reporting, albert certification, and making the financial case to your producer.

📊 The scale of the problem across UK film & TV

3m litres

Fossil fuel burned in 2024

UK productions burned over 3 million litres of fossil fuel in generators in 2024 alone (BAFTA albert SPARK, 2025)

>50%

Productions on fossil fuels

More than half of all UK productions relied almost entirely on fossil fuels in 2024 (BAFTA albert SPARK, 2025)

2030

Phase-out target

SPARK calls for a permanent phase-out of fossil fuel generators across all UK production genres before 2030

🌿

BAFTA albert & the SPARK roadmap BAFTA albert is the screen industry's sustainability programme. In 2025 it published SPARK: Clean Temporary Power by 2030 — a UK-wide roadmap for phasing out fossil fuel generators across all production genres. Validated by Imperial College London, SPARK identifies battery technology and grid power as the priority clean solutions. Generators are to be phased out before 2030. Visit wearealbert.org for full certification guidance. This GreenShoots calculator is a planning tool — it is not a substitute for the official albert Carbon Calculator.

What kind of production?

Each type has very different power profiles. We've built in realistic defaults for each — adjust them on the next page.

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Lighting & Sound

Studio or location production lighting rigs, camera power, monitors, sound mixing. Typically a sustained but moderate load — not as high as base camp when running all day.

Typical: 60–150 kVA · 50–65% load

🏕️

Base Camp

Hair, makeup, costume, artiste trailers, production offices, security, welfare. Long hours, heavy draw from multiple HVACs and electric systems. Often the largest single load on a location.

Typical: 100–200 kVA · 60–75% load

🍽️

Catering Truck

On-location catering unit — breakfast service, lunch, hot drinks all day. High spikes when ovens, kettles and coffee machines all run simultaneously; very low load between services.

Typical: 40–80 kVA · 25–40% average load

🎵

Sound Stage / Live Event

Live music events, concert production, PA systems, full lighting rig, pyrotechnics power supply. Highest sustained demand — large stages can exceed 500 kVA at peak.

Typical: 200–500 kVA · 55–75% load

Your generator setup

Move the sliders to match your production. We've pre-filled sensible defaults for your production type — adjust as needed.

Generator capacity (total kVA)

150 kVA

10 kVA500 kVA

Number of generators running

Average load factor (% of rated capacity)

55%

15% (very lightly loaded)90%

Running hours per day

12 hrs

4h (short call)20h (overnight shoot)

Length of production (total days)

40 days

1 day (commercial)200 days (long series)

Diesel price per litre

£1.28

£0.90£1.80

Default: UK commercial diesel average, May 2026

🎬 For full production carbon accounting: This calculator covers your mobile power generators. For a complete production carbon footprint including travel, accommodation, catering supply chain and facilities, use the official albert Carbon Calculator as your primary reporting tool.

🌍 CO₂ Saved — This Production

tonnes of CO₂

By switching from diesel to battery power for this production run

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✈️

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Long-haul flights

London → New York return (each ~1.1t CO₂)

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UK homes powered

For one full year (avg 2.7t CO₂/home/yr)

🚗

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Miles driven

In an average petrol car (0.21 kg/mile)

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Trees to offset it

At 22 kg CO₂ absorbed per tree per year over a decade

☕

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Cuppas' worth of energy

0.025 kWh each — that's a lot of tea on set

📺

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Hours of HD streaming

At ~0.036 kg CO₂ per hour of Netflix

£0

Diesel Cost Saved

For this production

Litres Not Burned

— litres/day

⚡ Recommended System

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Hire vs diesel

per-day comparison

Key assumptions: Generator fuel efficiency uses a load-dependent curve derived from published genset specs. At 55% load: ~0.31 L/kWh; at 30% load (catering): ~0.38 L/kWh; at 70% load (base camp): ~0.28 L/kWh. CO₂ factor: DEFRA 2024 — 2.68 kg/litre of diesel. BESS hire rate: indicative at ~£350–550/day depending on system size. Purchase payback annualised from production days and daily diesel cost.

🎬 BAFTA albert, SPARK & your production

In 2025, BAFTA albert published SPARK: Clean Temporary Power by 2030 — a UK-wide roadmap developed with industry stakeholders and validated independently by Imperial College London. SPARK calls for a permanent phase-out of fossil fuel generators across all UK productions — scripted, unscripted, sport, and outside broadcasts — before 2030. Transitional solutions such as HVO and hybrid systems are acknowledged, but battery technology and grid power are the priority clean solutions.

SPARK confirms that UK productions burned over 3 million litres of fossil fuel in generators in 2024, and that more than half of all productions relied almost entirely on fossil fuels. It sets out three pillars of action: Reduce (cut energy demand), Retool (upgrade to clean technology), and Reskill (equip teams to use it). Battery BESS sits at the heart of the Retool pillar.

Switching from diesel generators to battery power removes Scope 1 emissions from your production footprint entirely — the single highest-impact action most productions can take on temporary power. Even a transitional approach (HVO + hybrid) is explicitly recommended in SPARK as a stepping stone.

The albert Carbon Calculator is the tool you need for official certification. GreenShoots is designed to help you model the numbers and make the case internally — use albert's tool for your formal submission and certification.

⚠️ Important: GreenShoots is an independent estimation tool. It is not affiliated with, certified by, or endorsed by BAFTA or the albert programme. SPARK data referenced here is sourced from SPARK: Clean Temporary Power by 2030 (BAFTA albert, 2025). For official carbon certification, use the albert Carbon Calculator at wearealbert.org.

Why does this matter right now?

The screen industry is under increasing scrutiny from commissioners, broadcasters, and audiences on sustainability. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and major streamers now include sustainability requirements in their commissioning criteria. Netflix and Sky co-funded The Fuel Project research. BAFTA albert's SPARK roadmap has backing across the industry. If you produce for any of them, your temporary power choices matter to your business relationships.

Diesel generators are among the most visible — and most solvable — parts of the problem. Unlike supply chain emissions or international travel, generator diesel is something you have direct control over. The solutions are available today, and the financial case often stacks up on its own.

2030

SPARK target: phase-out of fossil fuel generators across all UK productions (BAFTA albert, 2025)

3m litres

Fossil fuel burned in UK production generators in 2024 alone — that's roughly 8,000 tonnes of CO₂

>50%

Of all UK productions relied almost entirely on fossil fuels in 2024 — the shift is happening, but not fast enough

Make Your Next Production Greener

Fill in your details and a specialist will contact you with a production-specific quote, carbon assessment, and hire vs. purchase comparison.

All figures indicative. Fuel efficiency from published genset curves. CO₂: DEFRA 2024 (2.68 kg/litre diesel). Equivalences: long-haul flight 1.1t CO₂ return; UK home 2.7t/yr; petrol car 0.21 kg/mile; tree 22 kg/yr over 10 years; streaming 0.036 kg/hr. This tool is not affiliated with BAFTA albert. Use the official albert Carbon Calculator for certification purposes.