In what it calls a UK first, Sky is trialling a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery solution at its Sky Studios Elstree site to replace the diesel generators typically used on TV and film sets. The Sky sustainability move is part of the broadcaster’s broader ambition to halve its emissions across all scopes by 2030, from a 2018 baseline. With mobile diesel generators accounting for up to 15 percent of a high-budget production’s total carbon footprint, the implications of a scalable alternative are significant, not just for Sky, but for the wider creative and production sectors grappling with the climate challenge.
What has Sky done – and why does it matter?
This corporate sustainability trial involves using a mobile power solution combining green hydrogen fuel cells with sodium batteries. This is a novel setup designed to deliver reliable power while reducing both noise pollution and direct emissions on set.
The hybrid unit can operate on- or off-grid, making it suitable for a wide range of filming environments. Importantly, Sky is sourcing low-carbon green hydrogen, ensuring that the lifecycle emissions of the technology are kept to a minimum. Unlike traditional generators, hydrogen emits only water vapour at the point of use.
Fiona Ball, Sky’s director of Bigger Picture and sustainability, emphasised the need for innovation that meets real production demands while driving emissions reductions: “It’s a practical solution that supports our journey to a low-carbon world and shows what’s possible when we embed sustainability into everything we do.”
This is about more than cleaner energy; it’s about making sustainability more operationally viable and functional for on-the-ground teams. This is particularly the case in logistics-heavy, high-pressure environments like media production.
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What are the wider implications for business and media?
The Sky sustainability initiative highlights the growing pressure on organisations to decarbonise complex operational areas, including those traditionally seen as hard to abate. Media production, with its high energy use, transport demands, and temporary infrastructure, has often struggled to find workable low-carbon alternatives.
Hydrogen power may not be a universal solution, but this trial points to its potential in specialised, mobile applications, particularly where grid access is limited. It also signals a shift in how companies like Sky are aligning business goals with environmental impact, with implications for how suppliers, production partners, and even regulators respond. Additionally, the trial underlines a broader truth: sustainability innovation needs to be both ambitious and actionable.
Conclusion: Practical innovation rooted in strategic vision
While the hydrogen generator trial remains in its early stages, it reflects the kind of business-led sustainability experimentation that will be essential for meeting net-zero targets. By linking operational needs with environmental performance, Sky is demonstrating how sustainability can be embedded not just in strategy, but in the everyday realities of business.
For organisations looking to take similarly practical steps, it starts with knowledge. At ISS, we provide corporate sustainability training that empowers teams to lead change from within – with practical tools, up-to-date guidance, and the strategic insight needed to act with confidence. Explore our range of online, self-paced courses to start embedding sustainability into your organisation today.
Dedicated to harnessing the power of storytelling to raise awareness, demystify, and drive behavioural change, Bronagh works as the Communications & Content Manager at the Institute of Sustainability Studies. Alongside her work with ISS, Bronagh contributes articles to several news media publications on sustainability and mental health.
