Hydrogen-powered TV production first at Wentworth

The initiative will produce zero emissions for the duration of the event, which is currently taking place at Wentworth Club in Surrey, UK, and will conclude on Sunday.

European Tour Productions, the DP World Tour’s in-house production company, and its production and distribution partner IMG are working with UK-based clean energy provider GeoPura.

Under the initiative, two hydrogen-powered generators – used in place of diesel generators – are positioned on the fairway of the sixth hole, saving an estimated 16.4 tonnes of CO2 in comparison with the 2022 event.

The GeoPura HPU works by utilising green hydrogen, produced through renewable energy sources, to generate emission-free electricity that is then used to power the broadcast compound.

In addition, the golf buggies used at the tournament to transfer people and equipment across the site are also being recharged using electricity generated via hydrogen for the first time.

These initiatives form part of the DP World Tour’s Green Drive initiative, which has seen the Tour become the first professional golf tour to commit to being fully net zero by 2040. This commitment is a key pillar of the tour’s Golf for Good programme, which focuses on ensuring a positive long-term impact on the courses, countries and the communities that are visited every season.

Furthermore, so far this year, five tournaments on the DP World Tour schedule have been produced remotely from the European Tour Productions headquarters at IMG Studios in Stockley Park, UK. Each remote production has saved approximately 87 tonnes of CO2.

“We are always on the look-out for new technologies that will us get to net zero carbon by 2040. Hydrogen is the future of power distribution and has the added benefit of being more resilient than diesel units because they have fewer moving parts,” said Richard Bunn, Managing Director of European Tour Productions.

“Taking this leap, a first for our industry, at such a high-profile Rolex Series tournament is a big statement. This is just the start, and the plan is to roll-out hydrogen power across multiple tournaments in 2024. We also want to share what we have learnt with our industry peers, as tackling the climate emergency must be a collective effort.”

Mary-Claire Gill, Head of Production for European Tour Productions at IMG, added: “This is another example of how we’re continually looking to improve the sustainability of our live event production, in addition to introducing remote production for the DP World Tour this year. Not only is this a world-first for sport, but it shows how the media industry can innovate to bring change and both European Tour Productions and the DP World Tour have been fantastic partners with us on this journey.”