Although late compared to other countries, the roofs of the warehouses of the industrial estates are gradually being filled with solar panels for self-consumption. “The large companies were the first to bet on these facilities. With the rise in electricity prices, small and medium-sized companies began to do so. Now, the shared self-consumption models are going to make many more companies join”, says Alberto Barriga, energy law lawyer at the consulting firm Schlaich Dauss. Marta Morera, director of the Institut Català d’Energia (Icaen), agrees: “There is increasing interest from the industrial sector, especially after the increase in electricity prices and the reduction in the costs of photovoltaic panels.”
The Agro-Reus industrial estate is in the process of building what they say will be the largest energy community in Catalonia. Solar panels will be installed in various warehouses, with a total power of 4.2 MW. The electricity generated will be consumed by companies in the energy community, and the surplus will be managed by the local retailer Reus Energia and will be used for consumption in municipal buildings and homes in vulnerable situations. The project has received a grant of two million euros from the Next Generation Funds.
The companies from the Bufalvent industrial estate in Manresa have also stepped up, promoting the creation of the Manresa Il·lumina Business Energy Community. In a first phase they want to install 900 kWp of power in solar panels for shared self-consumption of electricity. The panels are located on roofs, like those planned for a second phase, in which it is expected to double the installed power. The project also incorporates the creation of a 120 kW mini wind farm, also self-consumption.
The Business Association of the Les Comes Industrial Estate (Aepic) of Igualada is launching the Les Comes Genera energy community. The cooperative’s raison d’être is to design a self-consumption model of renewable energy for companies in the estate that join the initiative.
While waiting for these projects to materialize, one of the most famous examples of the untapped potential of industrial estates in the energy field is that of Rubí Brilla, of which Marta Morera was one of the promoters. In addition to promoting the aggregate purchase of electricity, which allows for better prices, Morera explains that the initiative has opted for the installation of solar panels for self-consumption and for the introduction of the figure of the energy manager, which helps companies to optimize the use of energy.
Despite these flourishing initiatives, Joan Vila, president of the Energy commission of the employers’ association of micro, small and medium-sized companies in Catalonia (Pimec), denounces that “the blockages of the distribution company are still very important”. Vila also warns that from a technical point of view it is better to bet on the construction of self-consumption solar parks on the ground, which can inject the electricity generated directly at high voltage into the electricity grid. “These facilities, located on nearby land, also benefit from economies of scale,” adds the industrial engineer, owner of the LC Paper 1881 company. Finally, the expert points out the need to deploy the figure of the energy manager, as they have done in Rubí Brilla.
