- E-distribución, Endesa's Networks subsidiary, managed almost 150,000 self-consumption accesses to the network.
Endesa, through its Network subsidiary, e-distribución, increased the number of new self-consumption accesses to the network by 226% last year compared to 2021. In a single year, e-distribución managed access to the network for about 81,800 self-consumption installations compared to the 25,000 activated in 2021. This growth in 2022 means that 115,192 active self-consumption installations have been connected to Endesa's distribution network which operates as a distributor in Andalusia, Extremadura, Catalonia, Aragón, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
These more than 115,000 installation have a combined installed capacity of 2.48 GW, 47% of the total power for active self-consumption installations in Spain in 2022 and their production would be equivalent to 57.7% of the energy produced in the existing coal-fired plants in Spain during the past year, which represents avoiding the emission into the atmosphere of 2,128,300 tons of CO2 per year.
These figures show the significant growth of self-consumption in Spain, accelerated within the context of high prices as a result of the war in Ukraine. In a single year, the number of active self-consumption installations in the e-distribución network multiplied by 2.4 times compared to the accumulated total in the previous four years. And in the first two months of 2023, the volume continued to grow and has now reached 150,000 active installations with a capacity of 2.68 GW.
Of the total, about 99% are self-consumption with surpluses, which send the energy they have left over into the network and the remaining 1% are self-consumption without surpluses. The vast majority are individual self-consumption installations, and there are 161 collective self-consumption installations.
Provisional calculations for the energy discharged into the grid during the past year by self-consumption installations with compensation registered in Endesa's distribution network amount to 248,000 MWh, the equivalent of the consumption by 71,000 homes, a figure that does not include that of the installations that sell their surplus directly to the market.
By regions, Andalusia and Catalonia concentrate 86% of active self-consumption in the e-distribución area and 74% of installed power. The Canary Islands and Aragón experienced the highest year-on-year increases, with increases of more than 300%, and the Balearic Islands one of the highest ratios, with one self-consumption installation per 190 inhabitants.
The electricity distribution networks are immersed in a process of transformation and modernisation to develop their new role as facilitators in the energy transition process and make these objectives a reality, since they are the ones that will favour both the development of self-consumption and the integration of renewable energies, as well as the deployment of the electric car. This is why Endesa includes the development of the networks among its strategic priorities, with an investment of €2,600 million in the period 2023-2025. Three quarters of that amount will go to digitalising the grid and increasing quality and resilience, the rest will enable the increase in distributed generation installations.
According to data from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF in Spanish), new installed capacity in self-consumption increased by 108% in the last year in Spain to reach 5.29 GW. The Self-Consumption Roadmap prepared by the Government foresees an installed capacity of between 9 GW and 14 GW by 2030, although the objectives could be achieved much sooner if the current growth rate is maintained. Already by 2025, the Spanish Securities Market Commission (CNMC) calculates that supplies with self-consumption in Spain will amount to about one million.
What types of self-consumption are there?
- Individual/collective: Self-consumption can be classified as individual when there is a single consumer associated with the generation, and collective when a group of consumers agree to be supplied with electricity from a production installation. The energy generated will be distributed among the participants based on distribution coefficients. This energy will be paid for in accordance with the consumption associated with each of the supplies.
- Connection via installations near an internal network / via installations through distribution network: Self-consumption both can be through a consumer's internal network or through the internal network of the community of owners. Connection can also be made through the distribution network provided that the conditions established for this are met.
- With/without surpluses: The modality without surpluses occurs when there is an anti-spill mechanism that prevents the discharge of generated electricity into the grid. In the with surplus modality, installations not only supply energy for self-consumption, they discharge any surplus electricity generated into the grid. Within this modality, there are two categories:
- With surpluses for which there is compensation: Where the surplus energy is valued at the hourly price agreed between the contract holder and the retailer, except for those covered by the PVPC which will be based on the average hourly market price and With surpluses for which there is no compensation: Where surplus energy is discharged into the grid under the same terms and conditions as those for any producer.
The processing of self-consumption is a process involving a number of agents. The distributors are directly involved in accessing and connecting to the grid, and this is a regulated procedure. Additional information on self-consumption and its processing.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. A new business line has also been created, Endesa X Way, fully dedicated to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribution and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR-related matters. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, Europe’s largest electricity group.