Skip to main content

Resource

Power Source Options

From cleanest to most fuel-efficient.

Grid Power (aka House Power)

Benefits

  • Accessing grid power is always your best solution for cleaner power.
  • It is virtually silent.
  • It is used only as needed.

Challenges

Takes set-up time, which can vary from a simple conversation to an infrastructure upgrade.

Best Practices

  • Start the conversation early with all sites.
  • Have your electrical team inspect the potential tie-in as soon as possible.
  • Prioritize the sites that will offset the most fuel through the number of hours of use to eliminate the need to run a diesel generator.

Costs

  • Grid power is produced in bulk efficiently and is always less expensive than generator power.
  • The cost is based on consumption, so you pay for what you use.
  • Costs can include the price of electricity, site access fee, setup labor fees, and rental costs for equipment required to access grid power.
  • Savings can include avoiding generator rentals and associated fuel and site costs.

Battery Power

Benefits

  • Batteries are much quieter than generators and can be positioned close to set to reduce cabling and security costs.
  • Batteries can be more mobile than generators, and small ones can often be used in logistically difficult locations.

Challenges

  • Minimal inventory available for large batteries.
  • Batteries will need to be moved to a recharging point.
  • Batteries need to be recharged with either house power or generator power. Recharging with house power will have the lowest emissions. Recharging with a diesel generator will still save fuel and emissions as long as the diesel run times are reduced by using the battery.

Best Use Cases

  • Rightsizing the battery provides maximum use between recharging sessions.
  • Aim to rent a battery that will last multiple days for the specific power need.
  • Benefits for logistically challenging locations:
    • Offers quiet overnight power in sensitive areas.
    • Eliminates long cable runs.
    • Useful when cabling is not an option.

Cost Considerations and Savings

  • Batteries may have an initial cost premium. This may be offset by fuel savings and the elimination of generator and cabling rentals.
  • Additional cost savings can include site parking fees and prep fees for cabling.

Hybrid Battery/Solar Equipment

Benefits

  • The sun recharges the battery. These hybrids are usually mounted on a single vehicle.
  • The security of having a backup system in place.
  • The possibility of adding external power from a grid-tie in or generator to charge the battery.
  • Solar equipment does not always have a rental premium; however, there may be an additional cost for a large battery, hybrid generator, or diesel generator to act as a backup power.

Challenges

  • Hybrid units may be larger than the stand-alone diesel generator equivalent.
  • A backup generator is usually also ordered.

Best Use Cases

  • To achieve maximum fuel efficiency, the battery needs to run most of the time, running smaller loads than the generator capacity.
  • Example: Solar trailers are very effective in reducing generator fuel if:
    • There are enough solar trailers to produce enough solar to recharge the battery efficiently.
    • The solar system powers the entire trailer so that it can run independently with battery backup.
    • There is an external battery storage system to store excess solar energy produced.
  • Example: Solar camera trucks are effective in avoiding overnight generator use if:
    • There is adequate battery storage onboard that can provide power during non-solar hours.

Cost Analysis

  • Costs: Hybrid solar battery generators typically have a rental cost premium.
  • Savings: Fuel Savings + the cost of the generator that would have been rented.

Hybrid Battery/Generator

Benefits

  • These hybrids are usually mounted on a single vehicle.
  • The security of having a backup system in place.
  • Some systems automatically switch from battery to generator to minimize fuel consumption.

Challenges

  • Hybrid units may be larger than the stand-alone diesel generator equivalent.
  • Although the battery is quiet, the generator is not.
  • The generator run times may need to be controlled by the operator.

Best Use Cases

  • To achieve maximum fuel efficiency, the battery needs to run most of the time, running smaller loads than the generator capacity.
  • Example: A medium-sized hybrid battery/generator will work on smaller loads (e.g., Catering, equipment trucks) as the battery will power the majority of running time. If this same unit is used for higher power needs/loads like large air conditioning units, then the battery will run out very quickly, requiring the generator to kick in for the majority of the running time.

Cost Analysis

  • Costs: Hybrid battery generators typically have a rental cost premium.
  • Savings: Fuel Savings + the cost of the generator that would have been rented.

Generator Power

Benefits

  • Unlimited power, as generators can be refueled in place.
  • Available in all jurisdictions.

Challenges

  • Generators are typically running close to idle, as the generally accepted practice has been to rent the largest unit possible to be prepared for anything. There is a minimum fuel consumption of 15% of the size of the generator/idle rate, regardless of how much power you are actually using. This is significant in the larger-sized generators, as they often run below idle, which increases the cost of the electricity produced.
  • For example, a 1000-amp generator idles at the equivalent of 150-amp load, which is between 2.1 and 2.9 gal/hour.
  • Generator noise and pollution concerns can restrict location filming choices and generate complaints.
  • Generators are used within 200 ft of the power need. Beyond that, there is a potential voltage drop, which could affect the power supply. This results in multiple generators being used due to distances.

Best Practices

  • The variance in consumption is based on the fuel efficiency of the generator engine or tier. The higher the tier, the more fuel-efficient the engine is.
  • For example, a 1000-amp Tier 1 generator idles at the equivalent of a 150-amp load, approximately 2.9 gal/hour.
  • For example, a 1000-amp Tier 4 generator idles at the equivalent of 150-amp load, approximately 2.1 gal/hour.
  • Consolidating power needs to within 200 ft of the generator can reduce the need for multiple generators.
  • Refuel with renewable diesel (R100) to lower emissions.

View more best practices from Reel Green.

Cost-Benefit

  • Costs can include diesel generator rental equipment costs, and always include fuel consumption. This calculator (The Emissions/Cost Optimizer; Excel spreadsheet download) will give you an idea of those costs.
  • Other associated costs may include cable, security, and site rental fees.
  • Savings: Fuel savings can be realized if higher-tier generators are rented.
  • Consolidating power needs can reduce the need for multiple generators and associated equipment and fuel costs.

Renewable Diesel

  • Renewable Diesel is a drop-in fuel that uses current carbon, instead of fossilized carbon, lowering the emissions factor by 75-85%.
  • It is widely available in California and currently available at specific pumps in NYC, Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto.