Production of PGA Championship to be powered by green hydrogen
Televised broadcasts of the 2023 BMW Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship this month will be powered using green hydrogen, as the golfing body DP World Tour gears up to reach net-zero emissions.
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Andy Cunningham, Dan Bradbury of England, Sally Wood and Andrew Lynch pose in front of the Green Drive container on the 6th hole, that is housing hydrogen powered technology and produces drinking water prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 12, 2023 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
The 2023 BMW PGA Championship takes place at Wentworth Club, Surrey, from 14-17 September. As part of broadcast agreements between European Tour Productions, which produces the live coverage for DP World Tour events around the world, televised coverage will be powered by green hydrogen.
European Tour Productions, the DP World Tour’s in-house production company, and its exclusive production and distribution partner, IMG, are working with UK-based clean energy company, GeoPura, to supply two hydrogen-powered generators (HPUs) that will be positioned on the fairway of the 6th hole at Wentworth Club.
It is estimated that the HPUs will save more than 16 tonnes of CO2 compared to last year’s tournament by swapping out diesel generators.
For the first time, golf buggies used at the tournament will also be recharged using electricity generated via hydrogen.
European Tour Productions’ managing director Richard Bunn said: “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.
“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.”
European Tour Productions produces the live coverage for DP World Tour events around the world, and works with mainstream media brands including NBC and Sky Sports on the coverage.
The latest innovation builds into DP World Tour’s Green Drive initiative, which features a headline goal to become the first professional golf Tour to commit to being fully net-zero carbon by 2040.
DP World Tour is currently trialling remote productions to reduce emissions. Already, five tournaments on the 2023 schedule have been produced remotely at Stockley Park in the UK, which is powered by 100% renewables. By reducing the need for staff to travel to tournaments, each remote production has saved approximately 87 tonnes of CO2.
And where does the extra electricity to make the hydrogen come from? … burning more gas. If I have the numbers about right, every ton of gas saved requires the burning of 2 tons of gas to make the electricity.