The industry that generates its own light: Six axes to unblock self-consumption of renewable energy
A study by EsadeGeo proposes six axes for European industry to harness the full potential of carbon-free energy generation at its own facilities: fewer administrative hurdles, better grid access and greater social acceptance in the local area.
The decarbonization of industry is one of the great challenges of Europe's energy transition. One way to achieve it is for factories, logistics centers and production plants themselves to produce the electricity they consume in a sustainable and renewable way.
This is the starting point of the report Industrial self-consumption as a lever for strategic autonomy, climate neutrality and electrification, prepared by EsadeGeo, Esade's center for the global economy and geopolitics, with the support of Amazon.
An academic and business collaboration initiative aimed at identifying the main obstacles limiting the deployment of self-consumption projects in Europe and proposing solutions to maximize their use.
A fossil dependence that weighs heavily
The report starts from one figure: fossil fuels and non-renewable waste account for almost half (49.9%) of the final energy consumption of European Union industry, and natural gas alone for around 31.9%. Renewables and biofuels barely reach 11.3%.
The European Commission has proposed the indicative target of raising the electrification rate from the current 23% to 46% by 2040, in its Electrification Action Plan. For the authors, renewable industrial self-consumption fits squarely within that strategy, especially in certain low- and medium-temperature processes, where electricity can efficiently replace gas.
More than savings on the bill
Industrial self-consumption is a strategic asset for competitiveness, and not just a way to save money. It reduces emissions directly and measurably, provides long-term cost predictability and protects against price volatility.
It also generates benefits that go beyond the company:
- Fewer grid losses, because electricity is produced where it is consumed.
- Lower environmental impact, by making use of rooftops, parking lots and land that has already been developed.
- Flexibility for the power system, especially when combined with storage and active demand management.
- Territorial competitiveness, attracting investment and local jobs.
This model does not eliminate all dependencies, since panels, batteries and management systems are mostly manufactured outside the EU. For this reason, the most logical option would be to develop a European industrial value chain.
Spain faces the challenge of boosting industrial self-consumption
The report welcomes Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, which extends the geographic limit of self-consumption through the grid, introduces technological neutrality and simplifies the processing of storage and hybridization. Even so, it warns that structural barriers persist.
Six axes for action
The proposals are organized into six axes. The first three cover the enabling conditions and the other three, the technical issues.
- Administrative processing and coordination. The report calls for coordinated action among administrations, with parallel processing of reports and one-stop shops. It also proposes legally recognizing the strategic nature of industrial self-consumption and declaring the necessary to be of public utility.
- Municipal framework and territorial governance. It proposes model ordinances for voluntary adoption, technical guides and training for municipal staff. It also proposes simplifying and coordinating the processing of the three key local taxes (IBI, IAE and ICIO), which today often generate a heavy bureaucratic burden.
- Social participation and acceptance. It recommends early collaboration with local communities, visible return mechanisms, such as donating surpluses to public buildings, and institutional campaigns on the benefits of self-consumption.
- Grid access and connection. It calls for a specific methodology for industrial self-consumption, more transparency on available capacity, the extension of capacity release to the distribution grid and progress on flexible access.
- Surplus management and sales. It proposes a simple and proportionate regime for those who sell surpluses, as well as a transparent and, where appropriate, compensated framework for curtailment of feed-in.
- Optimization of the energy generated. It recommends sizing installations properly, adapting production processes to the hours of highest generation, incorporating storage and recognizing the value of industrial self-consumption as a flexible resource for the system.
A practical case: the logistics center BCN4, by Amazon
The report illustrates these barriers with real cases. One of them is the Amazon logistics center in El Far d'Empordà (BCN4), an advanced case of hybrid self-consumption that combines rooftop and carport photovoltaic generation with a 2.2 MW wind turbine (on-site generation currently under construction) and an 8 MWh battery storage system. Its main distinguishing feature is that it is not limited to adding renewable capacity, but articulates a smart demand management model aimed at reducing dependence on the grid, helping to ease strain on it and to prevent surpluses from becoming a regulatory and operational bottleneck. According to estimates provided by the company itself, the combination of solar, wind and storage makes it possible to reach a 76% annual self-sufficiency.
A competitive advantage for those who move first
The final message is clear: the territory that decisively facilitates industrial self-consumption will attract industry, investment and jobs. Regulation must, however, allocate costs properly and avoid cross-subsidies, so that self-consumption reaches a socially optimal level and regulatory burdens do not cancel out its benefits.