By the power of hydrogen: How clean tech powered the 'Masters of the Universe' set

Amazon MGM Studios worked to reduce on-set emissions during the filming of the movie, using transportable Hydrogen Power Units (HPUs) and electric vehicles. 

Key takeaways:

• Fuel consumption accounts for 34% to 65% of a film production's total carbon footprint, making the shift to hydrogen power and electric vehicles a significant step toward reducing the industry's largest source of on-set emissions. 
• GeoPura deployed HPUs throughout the production of the Masters of the Universe film to generate clean electricity for basecamp, catering, and electric vehicle charging.

"This is my home. I'm going to fight for it." That's He-Man's rallying cry in Masters of the Universe, but it could just as easily describe the sustainability team working behind the scenes of the Amazon MGM Studios film. During production outside London in the spring of 2025, the crew piloted a hydrogen-powered basecamp and electric vehicle fleet that showed what's possible when energy innovation meets blockbuster filmmaking. 

Masters of the Universe, directed by Travis Knight and starring Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam (He-Man) alongside Camila Mendes and Idris Elba, is now streaming on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. But months before cameras rolled, the production team collaborated with sustainability consultancy Neptune Sustainability and clean energy company GeoPura to tackle one of the film industry's biggest carbon challenges: on-set power. 

Fuel consumption is the leading source of emissions on film and television sets, accounting for 34% to 65% of a production's total carbon footprint. The Masters of the Universe team set out to change that by deploying three of GeoPura's HPUs, which are transportable hydrogen fuel cell generators that produce clean electricity with only one by-product: water and a little heat. 

 "What you've got here are actually three Hydrogen Power Units working together," said Alistar Gemmell, chief business development officer at GeoPura. "Each one contains a 100-kilowatt fuel cell and 250 kilowatt hours of battery, providing critical power on an industrial scale to support the production. The only exhaust from the system is pure water. And it makes very, very little noise, so it's ideal for film and TV applications.” 

The hydrogen units powered the production's basecamp—the central hub for makeup, wardrobe, catering, and crew operations. But the team went further, using the HPUs to charge a fleet of electric vehicles that transported cast to and from set, creating a fully integrated zero-exhaust-emission energy loop. 

"We have electric vehicles to transport our cast to and from set, and we are actually charging them with the fast charger that is plugged into the Hydrogen Power Unit," said Emma Johnson, sustainability lead at Neptune Sustainability. "It shows what we can do to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible, and it's a great way for us to promote cleaner, greener energy.” 

For Unit Production Manager James Grant, the pilot represents a shift in how the industry thinks about responsibility on location. "I film all over the world, and it's important that wherever you are, that you're respecting the environment," Grant said. "We all need to care about this. It affects everybody, and we've got to do this in a sustainable way.” 

The Masters of the Universe pilot builds on Amazon MGM Studios' growing track record of testing carbon-free energy on productions, including a solar-powered basecamp on the California desert set of Fallout Season Two. Together, these efforts reflect Amazon's goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. 

As He-Man himself might put it: "If we work together, we change our world.” 

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