Benefits of Industrial Energy Communities for Spanish SMEs
Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises are currently the backbone of the national economy, representing a crucial source of employment and added value. According to data from the Ministry of Industry, they account for 99.8% of the total number of companies in the country, generating more than 62% of Gross Value Added and almost 70% of total business employment.
However, within the framework of an increasingly demanding and competitive economic environment, they face significant challenges every day that limit their ability to compete on equal terms with large corporations.
One of these is the lack of access to economies of scale, especially in the field of energy, where they face costs that can represent a significant part of their operating expenses. This situation leads companies to the constant need to innovate and seek solutions that allow them to maintain and improve their market position.
In this framework, a strategic solution to improve the competitiveness of SMEs emerges: industrial energy communities, which have the potential to reduce these costs and also promote sustainability and the democratisation of energy.
What are Energy communities?
In simple terms, an energy community is a cooperative entity in which its members, whether individuals, public entities or companies, come together to produce, manage and consume energy jointly.
In Spain, current legislation recognises two types of energy communities:
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- Renewable Energy Community (REC), provided for by Directive 2018/2001. Aimed at promoting the use of energy from renewable sources, they allow local SMEs with less than 250 employees, an annual turnover of less than EUR 50 million per year and a balance sheet total of less than EUR 43 million to join.
- Citizen Energy Community (CEC), provided for by Directive 2019/944. They aim to ensure the rights and freedoms of access to the network under conditions of equality and non-discrimination; and, in this case, they only allow the presence of micro and small enterprises with no more than 50 employees.
These conditions allow almost 99% of national SMEs to participate in either of the two types of communities. In fact, in Spain, there are already examples of company-driven energy communities, especially in industrial estates. It is in these spaces that the perfect conditions exist to implement this type of initiative for two main reasons, the first being the agglomeration of companies in the same space, which facilitates cooperation and the creation of synergies between them. The second reason is the ease of having large areas, such as the roofs of the warehouses, which offer an ideal space for the installation of renewable energy infrastructures.
These characteristics allow companies to make the most of the available resources and generate their own energy in an efficient and sustainable way.
Energy communities’ benefits for SMEs.
First of all, one of the most tangible and immediate benefits has to do with the aforementioned cost issue, and that is that these communities allow for a reduction of energy costs. By sharing resources and participating in the generation of renewable energy, companies can access more competitive rates than those offered by the traditional market, achieving reductions of between 20% and 40%.
These savings not only improve operating margins, but also free up resources that can be reinvested in other areas of the company. The economic impact goes beyond mere cost reduction. In an economy where energy prices are volatile and sometimes difficult to forecast, participation in an energy community allows companies to benefit from more stable prices, facilitating more accurate financial planning while reducing associated risks.
Not to mention that if there is one thing that characterises energy communities, it is the possibility to make decisions and actively participate in their governance, unlike large energy corporations where they have no decision-making power. Thus, they have the opportunity to directly influence crucial aspects such as the type of energy to be used, the investments to be made in infrastructure and the distribution of benefits. This decision-making power not only strengthens the company’s autonomy over its energy supply, but also allows them to influence long-term energy strategies, aligning them with their own business and sustainability objectives.
Another benefit is the reduction of environmental impact and the boosting of social cohesion at local level. By participating in energy communities, companies reduce their dependence on traditional fossil fuels and consequently improve their carbon footprint.
Clean energy can be a crucial differentiator as this aspect is increasingly valued by consumers and business partners alike.
On the other hand, companies participating in the communities often create collaborative networks among themselves, fostering synergies that go beyond the energy sphere. Indeed, opportunities are generated to share knowledge, develop joint projects and improve the global competitiveness. Moreover, as they are open participation initiatives, the communities also help to promote new formulas for inter-cooperation at local level between citizens, public administrations and SMEs.