STUDIO 47 Uses EU EENergy Funding for Energy Savings
As the only private regional broadcaster in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, STUDIO 47 has been offering a full program since 2006. The people in charge have made a name for themselves not only as pioneers in the development and implementation of editorial AI tools, but also aim to make their station more sustainable. To replace old spotlights, they are using an EU grant of 10,000 euros from the EENergy program. Editor-in-chief Sascha Devigne applied for the funds from the first program call together with the NRW.Europa team at ZENIT. The second call for applications ends on February 28, 2025.
The fact that things sometimes get heated in the STUDIO is not only due to the program for the broadcast area around Duisburg and the Lower Rhine. Around 87 percent of the total electricity consumption of 25 MWh in 2023 was due to the 40 high-powered studio spotlights, which are equipped with halogen lamps ranging from 500 to 1500 W. Funded through the EENergy grant of 10,000 euros, the old halogen lamps are currently being replaced with LED floodlights. Although the LEDs have half the power, they provide the same light quality. Sascha Devigne expects that the electricity savings for lighting will be around 43 percent. In addition, the LEDs reduce the energy demand of systems such as spotlight control and studio cooling.
“The EENergy funding and support from the NRW.Europa team provided us with the ideal foundation to implement our energy-saving measures. With the funding, we can replace our old halogen spotlights with energy-efficient LED lights, significantly reducing energy consumption in our TV production. A great opportunity to combine sustainability and efficiency.” Sascha Devigne, Editor-in-Chief of STUDIO 47
STUDIO 47 and ZENIT – a long, successful partnership
The teams from Duisburg and Mülheim had already met in 2011. That year, the broadcaster planned two program formats on European topics, and the EU representation in Bonn pointed out a funding opportunity for them. “At first, all of this was completely unfamiliar to us, and we didn’t know how to handle it,” recalls Sascha Devigne. However, help was quickly found. Both from Bonn and the EU advisory office Europe Direct in Duisburg came the tip to contact the NRW.Europa partner ZENIT. Thanks to their advice and the resulting positive funding approval, 60 percent of the production costs could be covered.