The Trump administration may roll back broad environmental protections. But with fuel prices fluctuating amid the war in Iran, the White House has, perhaps unwittingly, presented the opportunity for sustainable energy alternatives to gain a greater foothold — at least in film and television production.
With the price of diesel changing by the minute but trending higher overall (about $2 higher than it was one year ago according to AAA), the entertainment industry has the opportunity to overcome the unpredictability of cost fluctuations by switching to greener energy sources, say sustainability advocates in Hollywood.
When it comes to greener choices on set, “A lot of times, people think it’s about doing the right thing, which it certainly is, but it’s also increasingly about doing the smart thing,” says Sam Reed, executive director of the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance, a group that includes The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment. Discovery, A24, and Hollywood’s environmentally focused film and television academies. “This is an area where we are seeing a lot of progress.”
Although diesel generators have long been as standard in production as clapboards, alternative on-site energy solutions such as mobile battery systems, solar energy and hydrogen power modules have increasingly begun to appear in recent years. Take Amazon Prime’s second season as examples He falls And the first season of Netflix Ransom Canyonwhich made headlines last year by supplying their base camps with solar energy. Electric and hybrid vehicles are beginning to replace some traditional gas- and diesel-powered production vehicles, and are appearing behind the scenes in projects like the Peacock series It’s all her fault And the international film for him.
Using these alternatives can have a real impact, as fuel consumption from production vehicles and generators has been found to be the largest contributor to carbon emissions in cinema and television sets. The latest emissions report from the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance said that fuel accounts for 66 percent of emissions on large film sets and 60 percent of emissions in one-hour scripted dramas.
It is unclear how many products are currently adopting these new technologies due to unpredictable fuel prices. Gail Webster, owner of solar-powered company GreenLite Trailers, whose products have been used in both He falls and Ransom Canyon Collections – He says he has yet to receive calls from creatives complaining about fuel prices. He sees a “big uptick” in business at the end of this month going into May, but feels “this is not driven by fuel costs, but by tax incentives.” [in California] That started.” In other words, the potential savings on fuel costs is just an added bonus.
Additional sources say it’s too early to tell whether fuel prices are pushing more groups toward more sustainable alternatives to diesel generators.
But at least one company has noticed a trend toward sustainable solutions since fuel prices began their general upward climb in late February. “We have noticed a real shift in the entertainment industry toward greener business practices,” says Garren Josey, director of operations for the film and television division of equipment rental and production services company Sunbelt Rentals, in a statement. “Production companies are looking for more sustainable ways to operate, and this is driving a greater focus on electrical equipment solutions,” Josie adds.
One traditional barrier to production adopting these alternatives more widely is that they can be more expensive up front than diesel generators. An analysis published in late 2025 from the Clean Mobile Energy Initiative, RMI, and Third Derivative found that battery storage systems can be up to twice the cost of a traditional diesel generator and hydrogen power units can be up to three times more expensive.
True Detective: Night Country Producer Mary Jo Winkler, co-chair of the Producers Guild of America’s Sustainability Task Force, notes that production “may be hit by the cost of a solar-powered trailer versus a gas-powered trailer.” She adds: “But when they see what they will save in fuel, there is a greater compensation today than there was three months ago.”
Another problem historically is the limited supply of these systems. When demand rises, supply rises as well, proponents say, and economies of scale will kick in and help bring down initial prices. “When you don’t have as much supply, prices are higher, and it’s a real chicken and egg situation [situation] Because we have to show demand to get them to innovate Queen of Katwe Producer Lydia Belcher, Winkler’s fellow co-chair of the Producers Guild Sustainability Task Force.
In the meantime, there are additional sustainable options that could also help Hollywood’s bottom line. At a time when budgets remain tight, reducing catering meat, going paperless and encouraging reusable water bottles are easy ways for the group to keep costs low while also being environmentally friendly.
Reusing materials – whether they are costumes, props, materials or sets, for example – is a classic option that allows projects to save money and reduce waste. M. Woods, co-chair of the Green Committee of the Arts Directors Guild, points out that “in 99 percent of cases” it is less expensive to reuse a set than to create a new set. “I would rather pay a construction coordinator to lengthen or modify the set than to build something completely new from scratch, even though that might be more hassle for those people,” says the production designer and art director.
Production designer Anu Schwartz points to his experience with both Apple TV seasons Your friends and neighbors. This show used a lot of “swing sets” that can be reused in multiple ways while Schwartz, who is also chair of the Sustainability Committee for United Scenic Artists, Local 829, also made sure to reuse (read: last longer) the stand sets in new ways. “Transportation costs are expensive,” he points out. “So, if you reuse or give it away at the end of production, it can help reduce transportation costs. As with material costs.”
In the absence of the federal government incentivizing businesses to make greener choices, state and/or local policies may also provide a way forward. This year, Illinois became the first state to offer a sustainability boost in its Film and Television Tax Incentives Program, implementing a 5 percent credit for productions that meet green standards set by the Motion Picture Bureau and the Department of Commerce.
In addition to encouraging more productions that take into account the environment, “this kind of [policy] “This means that more batteries will be available at that location because they know more people will want them,” the Sustainable Recreation Alliance report notes — which could ultimately drive down the costs of those batteries.
Even as the US government reinvests in fossil fuels, price differentials may offer some real temptation for the entertainment industry to break old habits and move in a more environmentally friendly direction.
This story appears in “Hollywood Reporter”Sustainability issue for 2026. Click here to read more.
