The television production of this year’s 2023 BMW PGA Championship was powered on green hydrogen. The sporting event which took place between Thursday the 14th of September to Sunday the 17th of September at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, is the first sporting event that has been televised using green hydrogen through the production company, European Tour Productions.
The BMW PGA Championship is part of the Green Drive: DP World Tour, which is working towards its promising Green Drive Initiative. The initiative has been put in place to reduce emissions, to avoid producing unnecessary waste, and to protect the environment within the world of golfing.
The first sporting event that has been televised
through green hydrogen.
Both European Tour Productions and IMG, an American global sports, events, and talent management company, decided to work alongside GeoPura, a company that produces sustainable and clean energy in order to produce content from the golfing tournament for television. The production team and energy company set up two green hydrogen powered generators, or HPUs, which were set to save the championship from producing 16.4 tonnes of CO2, when compared to the emissions that were released during the 2022 BMW PGA Championship. The two generators were placed on the sixth hole’s fairway.
These generators emit zero emissions as they do not rely on diesel to run, meaning there is no greenhouse gases emitted. The only by product created from these green hydrogen generators is water. The green hydrogen used was sourced from renewable energy sources, which kept the electricity generated free. This free electricity was then used to power the production equipment and broadcast it onto our television screens.
The production of the broadcasting was not the only section of the championship that was being powered by green hydrogen. The buggies that were used to move those taking part in the event, as well as the equipment, throughout the course were also powered and recharged by the electricity generated through the use green hydrogen.
European Tour Productions’ Managing Director, Richard Bunn stated that:
“We are always on the lookout 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.
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.”
The DP World Tour under their Green Drive Initiative hope to be the first professional golf tour that by 2040 will have reached net zero.
What is Green Hydrogen?
Green hydrogen is produced during the process of electrolysis, this is where water is split into its hydrogen and oxygen atoms using a renewable electricity source. Using a renewable energy source means that no greenhouse gas emissions are released during the splitting of the water molecule.
Green hydrogen can then be used as a sustainable
alternative for fossil fuels.
Usually, hydrogen is produced by splitting water molecules using greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels to generate the electricity needed. Therefore, the production of green hydrogen significantly reduces the amount of greenhouse gas being emitted into the atmosphere.
Green hydrogen can then be used as a sustainable alternative for fossil fuels. It can be used to produce electricity, power transportation, and to produce heat to heat up our homes.
There are disadvantages, however, as the production of green hydrogen requires much more energy. Therefore, it is important that a renewable energy source is used in conjunction with the production of green hydrogen.
