Cinergy Mobile Power Debuts Smart, Clean Mobile Energy Solutions for South Africa’s Film and Live Events Industries
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Battery prices have fallen significantly over the past 15 years, making battery electric vehicles more competitive. Maarten Vinkhuyzen wrote that he still expects that battery prices will drop even further, by 70% in the next five years. This will have an effect on the retail prices the carmakers set to the benefit of global consumers. Another area that will benefit from lower battery prices is stationary power services for film, television, and outdoor event industries. These industries currently rely heavily on diesel generators, pushing up operational costs. Catalysed by lower-cost LFP batteries, diesel-free, intelligent power systems offer quieter, lower-emissions alternatives to generators for productions, events, and other temporary power applications. A South African company, Cinergy Mobile Power, recently launched smart, diesel-free mobile power solutions in South Africa, introducing a new generation of clean, intelligent, temporary energy systems for the country’s film, television and live outdoor events industries.
Cinergy Mobile Power says it is the first company in South Africa focused on delivering purpose-built smart mobile power solutions for the African film and entertainment sectors. Designed to replace diesel generators, Cinergy’s modular solar-hybrid and battery systems provide silent, cost-effective, zero-emissions, grid-independent energy with real-time performance monitoring and data insights. The solutions are designed to integrate with existing workstreams, so productions and event organisers don’t need to change how they plan or operate.
“Energy has become a strategic production variable, affecting schedules, locations, sound, crew well-being, permitting, and budgets. Cinergy is a practical replacement for diesel that works the way productions and event organisers already operate, but with lower emissions, less noise, greater reliability, and data-backed insights to maximise efficiency,” said Abe Cambridge, Co-Founder, Cinergy Mobile Power. “Cinergy combines our team’s deep leadership experience in clean energy and logistics with a genuine personal passion for film and live events. We want to help industries we care about operate at the higher standards that audiences increasingly expect.”
Netflix has already used Cinergy Mobile Power solutions for season two of its One Piece series, which is their biggest production ever filmed in Africa. Here are the details for Netflix’s One Piece Season 2 and Cinergy collaboration:
- Thanks to Cinergy, One Piece S2 had the first solar-powered base camp for a film shoot in Africa.
- Cinergy’s CineVault 400 kWh battery + 150 kW CineRay solar PV system powered the base camp at Cape Town Film Studios for 24 weeks, avoiding an estimated 78 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
- Cinergy’s CineSprint 90 kWh battery + 60 kW CineRay solar PV system powered off-site portions of the film shoot for 8 weeks. Powered appliances and electronics at the construction site avoided an estimated 15 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
- Cinergy staff actively monitored and managed the systems to ensure optimal performance throughout.
- The Cinergy systems also provided valuable energy usage insights throughout the deployment process.
Globally, a number of film studios and live event producers are reducing diesel use and adopting alternative mobile power systems to meet emissions targets, reduce the cost of power provision, enable quieter operations, and improve logistical flexibility. Cinergy now makes these solutions accessible in South Africa. The South Africa’s film industry is a major contributor to the local economy, supporting tens of thousands of jobs. Reports from 2024 cited ZAR 2.52 billion in foreign film production investment into South Africa, with every rand spent generating an additional R2.50 in wider economic activity. Estimates suggest that power provision alone accounts for 10–15% of this investment. However, the sector is under pressure due to rising operational and diesel costs, mounting regulatory complexities, and increasingly stringent sustainability requirements from international studios. With stricter filming by-laws locally and increased community sensitivity to noise and air pollution, clean and quiet mobile power is rapidly shifting from a sustainability preference to an operational requirement, essential for the local film industry to remain globally competitive. The recent advances in stationary battery storage and resulting price drops have presented the perfect opportunity for the industry to reduce operational costs during film shoots.
Cinergy says its mobile systems replace diesel generators with modular solar-hybrid and battery-based platforms configurable for applications ranging from small commercial shoots to large productions and multi-stage outdoor festivals. Features include:
- Silent and zero emissions at point of use.
- Remote monitoring for real-time optimisation.
- Energy usage insights to improve efficiency in real-time and for future projects.
- Rapidly deployable across multiple locations.
- Low maintenance, with no refuelling requirements.
- Designed to integrate seamlessly into existing workflows.
- Comparable or lower overall costs than traditional fossil fuel solutions.
- Real-world proof on set and on stage.
Cinergy’s systems also recently powered an ITV Studios reality television production in Mpumalanga, South Africa, using fuel-free battery and solar systems to operate an outdoor temporary studio, including lighting, air conditioning, and cameras, for an entire week.
“Productions are looking for innovative solutions that reduce emissions without compromising on reliability or resilience,” said Phil Holdgate, Head of Production Sustainability, ITV Studios. “Cinergy showed that clean power can be practical on location and not just a sustainability goal, but a cost-effective and workable solution.”
Beyond film, Cinergy also provided temporary clean power infrastructure at the 2025 AfrikaBurn event in Tankwa Karoo, one of the world’s best known off-grid cultural festivals and the largest official regional Burning Man gathering. For nearly six weeks, including build, event, and strike, solar-hybrid and battery systems supplied continuous electricity to power all operations in a remote desert environment, with generators only required for a limited period during peak demand at the main event. The deployment reduced noise, fuel logistics, and onsite emissions while also providing useful energy use insights to organisers. The project demonstrated that smart mobile energy can support complex, large, off-grid live events even in challenging environments while improving both environmental performance and attendee experience.
Cinergy’s expansion is supported by climate-focused venture capital firm Holocene, its first seed investor, which committed approximately ZAR 8 million to the company. “Cinergy is exactly the kind of practical climate innovation we look for at Holocene — a smart business solving a real, widespread problem with technology that simply works better,” said Joshua Romisher, General Partner, Holocene Ventures. “Diesel generators are a significant and largely overlooked emissions source, and Cinergy replaces them with systems that are cleaner, quieter, and actually save production money. With proven traction across major international studios and a founder team that knows how to scale climate tech in Africa, we’re confident this is just act one.”
Cinergy is also working with local solution providers, further unlocking value around South Africa’s energy ecosystem. Cinergy’s systems use high-performance locally manufactured battery solutions from Freedom Won, one of South Africa’s leading energy storage producers.
Images courtesy of Cinergy
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