Motion Picture & Television Production Industry
Q: What is the City’s clean energy incentive for film production?
A: The clean energy incentive provides a 50% discount on certain film permitting fees when a production company can reduce their use of generators.
Q: What permit fees is the 50% discount applied to?
A: The discount is applied to the daily permit fee as well as the late night/early morning surcharge. (please visit www.vancouver.ca/film for a list of current fees)
Q: What are the qualification for the incentive?
A: The current qualifications are that at least one curbside diesel generator (400 amp minimum) must be replaced with a clean energy source in order to qualify. For example, if you would typically require three curbside diesel generators but were able to reduce that to two generators and one clean energy source, you would qualify.
Q: What do you mean by a curbside diesel generator?
A: We are referring to the large diesel generators. They are usually towable, or mounted on a work truck such as the electrics work truck.
Q: What about smaller portable generators? Does eliminating any of these qualify for the incentive?
A: Eliminating smaller portable generators does not qualify you for the incentive.
Q: What type of clean energy sources can be used to replace a diesel generator?
A: There are many options currently and more to come in the future, at this time, two of the most common are direct tie-ins to the power grid and large portable battery systems available from companies such as Portable Electric, SIM, and William F White.
Q: Does a tie in for interior filming qualify, for example when filming on a high floor of an office building?
A: Historically tie-ins have always been a part of filming on the high floors of building and does not reduce the use of curbside generators. This would be considered business as usual and not qualify for the incentive.
Q: I was planning to have two generators, one on each side of a street so that I don’t need to cable across the street; but, if I eliminate one and then cable across the street, does that qualify for the incentive.
A: If it is possible to safely cable across the street then you should. Contrary to common belief, there is no universal “ban” on cabling across many streets, if it can be done safely, then it should be done. As permitting conditions are the same regardless of the type of energy source, this would be considered business as usual and not qualify for the incentive.
