LOW ENERGY LIGHTING & RENEWABLE POWER GUIDE
One of the big parts of a production’s carbon footprint is likely to be power. Consume less by bringing in less power hungry lighting options, or power them with renewables! Here are some options to consider…
LED LIGHTING & PLANT BASED CONSUMABLES
ARRI MEDIA
Their low energy range includes L-Series LED Fresnels and the Sky Panel, an LED soft light, with tuneable colour temperatures, that can also be run on battery power.
PANALUX
Their energy-efficient offerings include the HiLo and the Tektile2, a low energy, low profile bi-colour soft light. The LDX90 is available as a daylight or tungsten balanced unit, running on battery or mains power – a great alternative to tungsten redheads and 1ks. DP Vanessa Whyte also developed the NessLED Kit with in conjunction with Panalux’s engineering team, ahead of the shoot for ‘Because I’m a Girl’, where a small team headed to remote locations without electricity in Thailand and Mali. Read more about the development of the kit here.
GREENKIT
Traditional poly takes at least 500 years to degrade – some suggest it never really does at all. It can’t be recycled as it’s been painted on one side, therefore it’s best avoided all together. As well as supplying a range of low energy lighting, they also stock a plant-based alternative to poly – check out their website here.
VERSION 2
Lighting company with extensive experience with low-energy lighting. The company has a propriety SMART mains distribution system, which features an energy saving calculator. They are a modern, young technology driven company who are not weighed down with the burden of legacy equipment, and are continuously researching and investing in new LED technologies.
REFLECTRIC
Specialising in the latest reflectors and lighting technology from CRLS & Dedo. The Dedo PB70 lamps, although only 1.2Kw, can outperform an 18Kw if used directly without Reflectors. Two lamps can be powered easily from a domestic consumer unit. When used with their reflectors, they can create multiple ‘light sources’ from the same lamp. Reflectric also carry Dedo’s Parallel Beam Intensifiers: glass lenses that sit in front of the lamp which can increase the light output by up to 600%. They can also supply a production support vehicle, fitted with two 2.5Kw lithium power supplies. More info on the website.
OTHER CONSUMABLES
We should try to be less wasteful – croc clips can be sent back to the lighting company for rebagging. Why not set up a small bucket on set for any used ones to be returned too? You can also print our sign to help with an on set collection. Any large gel offcuts can be sent back to the lighting company for use by students.
RENEWABLE POWER OPTIONS
Before contacting the below, you might also like to check out the suppliers listed on the albert website – filter by ‘power’.
GREEN VOLTAGE (UK DISTRIBUTOR FOR PORTABLE ELECTRIC)
Portable Electric make renewable energy units out of Vancouver, and Green Voltage is their UK distributor. Their 2k, 5k and 20k VOLTstack units are perfect for small setups, or for supporting other departments (video village, unit bases etc) on bigger projects. More about their products on our Green Production Get Together blog.
FIREFLY
Working with clients from the TV, Film and Radio industries, Firefly understand the importance of flexibility and working to tight deadlines. Their ZERO noise, ZERO vibration and ZERO carbon emission power systems are ideal for location shoots and outside broadcasts. Their Hybrid Power Generators will provide a greener source of energy for powering location and unit bases facilities, including honey wagons, camera trucks, dining trailers and OB units.
CREATIVE ENERGY @ ALBERT
albert’s Creative Energy project seeks to facilitate the industry’s transition to renewable electricity. If your organisation would like to make the switch to renewable energy supply, click here to answer a few questions on your current consumption and the team will get back to you.