Flagship nature show completes successful live transmission powered entirely by green hydrogen fuel and energy saving batteries
The BBC's Winterwatch series has recorded what is thought to be a broadcasting first with the transmission of a 60 minute episode powered entirely by green hydrogen and batteries.
The BBC announced today that a hydrogen generator has been deployed at Winterwatch's outside broadcasting hub at BBC Bristol and is helping to replace the use of a diesel powered generator. Meanwhile, at the show's presenter locations across the country the production team has installed batteries powered by intelligent hybrid generator systems which use spare energy to charge batteries, significantly minimising the use of diesel fuel and CO2 emissions.
The technology - which was provided by Siemens Energy and Geopura and works using green hydrogen gas that has made by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity generated by solar and wind power - has allowed the team to complete a full 60 minute show without firing up any of its diesel generators.
The BBC said using green hydrogen and the energy saving batteries instead of diesel twinset generators during one live episode of Winterwatch had allowed it to avoid 3.3 tonnes of carbon emissions.
The move was welcomed by Julian Hector, head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, who said "everyone at Winterwatch and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit is punching the air at the prospect of finding a way to make our productions more sustainable".
"This is a superb development for us and the environment, and exactly the kind of thing we want to do more of," he added.
The hydrogen generator will now remain at BBC Bristol's outside broadcasting hub for the duration of the latestWinterwatch series, and plans are already in place to bring back the use of green hydrogen for future series.
The hope is that the new system could provide a template for other broadcasts to follow. The TV and film industry remains heavily reliant on carbon intensive and polluting diesel generators, while BAFTA's industry-wide sustainability initiative Albert estimates that an average hour of TV results in 9.2 tonnes of carbon emissions.
However, there is growing evidence hydrogen fuel cell generators and battery systems, potentially alongside onsite renewables technologies, can provide a reliable alternative to diesel generators following a number of successful trials across both the broadcast, events, and construction industries.
Meanwhile, the BBC is poised to ramp up its emissions reduction efforts after Director-General Tim Davie confirmed at the start of this year that the corporation would soon set a target to deliver net zero emissions by 2030.
In other hydrogen news, the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) announced today it is collaborating with Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) to decarbonise heat and power at Kirkwall Airport through the use of green hydrogen technology.
Funded by the Scottish Government via Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the innovative project will see a hydrogen combustion engine provided by Doosan Babcock installed and demonstrated at Kirkwall Airport in Orkney this year.
"Hydrogen is rapidly emerging as a sustainable solution for the decarbonisation of the economy and a key piece of the energy transition picture," said Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse. "This exciting project, the first of its kind in the UK, demonstrates the introduction of hydrogen in novel ways, using innovative equipment from Doosan Babcock's plant in Renfrewshire to decarbonise the airport at Kirkwall, and has the potential to be replicated by airports across Scotland as we seek to decarbonise the aviation sector in Scotland."