en.Wedoany.com Reported - South Africa's film and live events industry has gained an alternative to diesel generators: Cinergy Mobile Power has launched a smart mobile power platform designed for film, television, and outdoor events, which the company claims is the first of its kind in South Africa.
This solution aligns with the ongoing decline in battery costs. Over the past 15 years, battery prices have dropped significantly, and according to an analysis by Maarten Vinkhuyzen, they are expected to fall by a further 70% over the next five years. This cost reduction has not only transformed the economics of electric vehicles but has also made diesel-free stationary power commercially viable in industries long reliant on generators, such as film, television, and outdoor events. In these sectors, diesel generators have historically driven up operational costs.
Cinergy's modular solar hybrid and battery systems are designed to directly replace diesel generators, providing silent, zero-emission, grid-independent power with real-time performance monitoring. The systems are engineered to integrate into existing production workflows without requiring changes to planning or operations by production companies. Co-founder Abe Cambridge stated that energy has become a strategic production variable, impacting schedules, locations, sound, crew well-being, permits, and budgets; Cinergy is a practical alternative to diesel, operating in a manner consistent with how production companies and event organizers already work, but with lower emissions, less noise, higher reliability, and data-driven insights to maximize efficiency.
The company's most notable deployment to date was on Netflix's second season of "One Piece" – the largest production ever filmed in Africa. The Cinergy system powered the continent's first solar-powered film set camp: a 400 kWh CineVault battery paired with a 150 kW CineRay solar photovoltaic system powered the camp at Cape Town Film Studios for 24 weeks, avoiding approximately 78 tonnes of CO2 emissions; a smaller CineSprint 90 kWh battery and 60 kW CineRay system powered eight weeks of off-site filming, supplying construction site equipment and electronics, avoiding an additional 15 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Cinergy staff monitored both systems throughout the deployment, generating energy consumption data and emissions reduction figures.
Subsequently, Cinergy provided power for an ITV Studios reality show production in Mpumalanga, using fuel-free batteries and solar power to supply an outdoor temporary studio (including lighting, air conditioning, and cameras) for an entire week. Phil Holdgate, Head of Production Sustainability at ITV, stated that this deployment changed the studio's perspective on clean power on location, proving that clean power is viable on set, not just as a sustainability goal but as a cost-effective and feasible solution.
Cinergy's impact has extended beyond the studio system. At the 2025 AfrikaBurn event in Tankwa Karoo, Cinergy's solar hybrid and battery systems provided continuous power during nearly six weeks of build-up, event, and teardown, requiring generators only briefly during peak demand. This deployment reduced noise, fuel logistics, and on-site emissions while providing organizers with usable energy data, demonstrating the platform's ability to support large, complex off-grid events in demanding environments.
The business case is supported by the scale of South Africa's film economy. A 2024 report cited foreign film production investment in the country at R2.52 billion, with every rand spent generating an additional R2.50 in broader economic activity, while power supply alone is estimated to account for 10-15% of that expenditure. With stricter local filming regulations, growing community sensitivity to noise and emissions, and increasingly stringent sustainability requirements from international studios, clean mobile power is shifting from a preference to an operational necessity for production companies to remain globally competitive.
Cinergy's expansion is backed by climate-focused venture capital firm Holocene, which is its first seed investor, committing approximately R8 million to the company. Joshua Romisher, General Partner at Holocene, stated that Cinergy is a smart enterprise solving a real, widespread problem with better technology; diesel generators are a significant and largely overlooked source of emissions, and Cinergy is replacing them with cleaner, quieter systems that actually save production costs. With proven traction among major international studios and a founding team that knows how to scale climate technology in Africa, he believes this is just the first act.
The company is also building local supply chain depth, sourcing high-performance batteries from Freedom Won, one of South Africa's leading energy storage manufacturers—a detail that directly links the company's growth to the domestic clean energy manufacturing base, rather than relying solely on imported technology.
