Bristol's Bottle Yard Studios wins Best Sustainability Initiative at 2023 Global Production Awards

Bristol's Bottle Yard Studios has been awarded the 2023 Global Production Award for Best Sustainability Initiative, at a prestigious ceremony on Monday night during the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

The award was made in recognition of the 1MWp community-owned rooftop solar array that powers TBY2, the Bristol studios’ new £12 million expansion facility, which opened last Autumn.

Working in partnership with Bristol City Council’s energy services team, and funded by Bristol Energy Cooperative, the array consists of more than 2,300 PV panels and is believed to be the largest community-owned rooftop array in the UK, and the biggest rooftop PV system in the UK studios sector.

Read more: Bristol's new Bottle Yard studio opens

Councillor Kye Dudd, Bristol City Council cabinet member for climate, ecology, waste and energy, said: “The Global Production Awards recognise the very best around the world working in the film and TV industry.

"Receiving the Sustainable Initiative Award is a major endorsement for The Bottle Yard Studio’s new TBY2 facility, which will create 1,000 jobs for our city, and further positions Bristol as a world leader in sustainability – setting new industry standards and benchmarks.

“I’d like to applaud all of those who have worked so hard on this project, including Bristol Energy Cooperative. Our collective efforts have all contributed to achieving a state-of-the-art, solar-powered studio at our Hollywood in Hengrove.

Read more: WECA invests £11.8 million to boost creative jobs with Bottle Yard Studios expansion

"This project, along with the many others, big and small, underway across the city, including our landmark City Leap Partnership, are supporting our ambition of building a climate resilient and carbon neutral city.

"I hope the award inspires others across our city and beyond to join us on our journey as we continue to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.”

Laura Aviles, Bristol City Council senior film manager, said: “The Bottle Yard team is hugely proud to accept this award. Receiving global recognition for our TBY2 solar array is an honour.

"By partnering with Bristol Energy Cooperative and Bristol City Council’s Energy Services team, we transformed TBY2’s vast roof into an incredible renewable energy asset that benefits not just the facility and its production clients, but also the wider city of Bristol as it moves towards carbon neutrality.

"The community ownership model is entirely replicable and directly empowers Bristol communities and local shareholders. We hope TBY2 can inspire others who are thinking innovatively and creatively about how solar energy can be further utilised by studios around the world.”

Andy O’Brien, co-director of Bristol Energy Cooperative, said: “This is brilliant news We are really excited that TBY2 has received this award.

"This rooftop installation is our largest to date and believed to be the biggest community-owned solar rooftop installation in the UK. It shows the power of community energy as a force for good, not only for the city of Bristol but for everyone enjoying the productions being filmed at TBY2.”

Presented by Screen International, the Global Production Awards were launched this year to celebrate outstanding and sustainable work in the field of film and TV production, locations and studios.

They are open to all organisations and companies working in the international film and TV industry including studios. production companies, film commissions, location, suppliers and manufacturers and any services involved in film and TV production.

The Global Production Award follows TBY2’s recent success in receiving the second-highest score out of 12 studios in the first cohort of BAFTA albert’s new Studio Sustainability Standard. It was one of five studios that received a ‘Very Good’ rating, the highest grade achieved in the group.

Launched in 2022, the global, voluntary scheme was designed by BAFTA albert alongside global engineering and consulting firm Arup, to help studios measure and reduce the environmental impact of their facilities. Participating studios commit to making year-on-year improvements to their sustainability going forward.

TBY2’s solar array was funded by community-owned enterprise Bristol Energy Cooperative (BEC) and is capable of generating enough energy to power more than 250 average households per year.

Bristol City Council, which owns and runs The Bottle Yard, initially planned to install a 283kWp solar array on the new expansion facility, but thanks to funding from BEC, the final array was three times larger than originally planned.

Energy produced at TBY2 will power the facility and over time, surplus energy will be utilised through the Bristol City Leap Sleeved Pool electricity supply model, which connects buildings and ‘sleeves’ energy generated from one to another, reducing energy consumption from non-renewables.

BEC’s community ownership model provides a return to its investor members, whilst surplus revenues go back to the local community through grants and investment into more local energy projects. BEC’s current share offer is open until 17 July 2023 and aims to raise a further £1 million to fund more ambitious rooftop solar installations.

Located less than half a mile from the main Bottle Yard site, the £12 million TBY2 facility offers three fully soundproofed stages measuring 20,000 sq ft, 16,500 sq ft and 7,000 sq ft, accompanied by 40,000 sq ft of ancillary space.

Other sustainable features include a sophisticated building management system that controls built-in heating, cooling and ventilation in all stages whilst optimising energy conservation.

The Bottle Yard Studios is owned and managed by Bristol City Council and backed by West of England Combined Authority investment. The opening of TBY2 last Autumn increased the total number of stages across The Bottle Yard’s two sites to 11 (154,000 sq ft).