Prosumerism in Practice: A New Paradigm for Industrial Energy Stakeholders
In the context of an increasingly urgent energy transition, companies face a strategic choice: continue absorbing the costs and uncertainties of the energy market, or become active players in driving change. This is where the concept of the prosumer comes into play, a model that redefines the role of businesses within the energy system.
What Is an Energy Prosumer?
The term prosumer is a fusion of producer and consumer, and refers to companies that generate and consume their energy. Thanks to the integration of renewable energy systems, storage solutions, and smart energy management platforms, businesses can now transform production sites, warehouses, and offices into autonomous, interconnected energy hubs.
Being a prosumer means reducing dependence on the grid, lowering operational costs, and actively contributing to decarbonization. But what does this mean in practice for businesses?
Corporate prosumerism is a true industrial strategy. Companies that choose to generate energy on-site through photovoltaics, cogeneration, or biomass plants evolve from mere users of the system to active energy players, able to interact with the grid and participate in local energy markets.
This transformation enables businesses to increase energy self-sufficiency, monitor consumption in real time, and improve both operational efficiency and environmental sustainability. It applies to both SMEs and large industries, delivering tangible benefits in terms of cost savings, sustainability, and competitiveness.
Moreover, under the European regulatory framework with the implementation of the RED II Directive and the Clean Energy Package, the role of prosumers is officially recognized and protected, encouraging self-generation and collective self-consumption models, even within industrial contexts.
Benefits of the Prosumer Model
Adopting the prosumer model means embracing a smarter, integrated, and strategic energy vision. Companies taking this approach gain significant economic, operational, and environmental advantages.
Cost Savings
One of the most immediate benefits is lower energy costs. Producing energy directly on-site, for example, through photovoltaic systems with 70–90% self-consumption rates, reduces reliance on the grid and mitigates exposure to energy price volatility, as seen in 2022–2023 when prices spiked over €400/MWh.
Additionally, exemption from grid charges for self-consumed energy (in SEU or CER models) increases the net financial benefit. In the medium-to-long term, this results in a real return on energy investments and greater financial stability.
Operational Efficiency
A decentralized energy system, intelligently managed, enables optimization of energy flows and reduction of inefficiencies. The adoption of advanced Energy Management Systems (EMS) and AI-based predictive technologies makes it possible to analyze loads, forecast consumption, adjust production cycles based on renewable energy availability, and improve the performance ratio of systems.
Energy Resilience
Having an internal energy source makes companies more resilient to service interruptions, blackouts, or grid instability. In a context marked by extreme weather events, geopolitical crises, and infrastructure shortages, direct control over energy production ensures operational continuity.
Integrating storage systems further guarantees continuity during prolonged outages. In critical sectors like pharmaceuticals, automotive, or agri-food, a single hour of downtime can cause losses exceeding €50,000, making energy reliability a strategic priority.
Environmental Sustainability
Prosumerism enables companies to integrate renewable sources into their energy mix, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Every MWh produced from solar PV avoids on average 0.4 tons of CO₂, helping companies monitor and improve their ESG KPIs, such as carbon footprint and energy intensity index.
This approach aligns perfectly with the EU Green Deal and the CSRD Directive, which makes non-financial reporting mandatory for an increasing number of businesses.
How VEIL Energy Enables Corporate Prosumerism
VEIL Energy serves as a technological partner for companies seeking to adopt prosumerism. Through e·boost, its intelligent platform for monitoring and controlling energy consumption, VEIL helps increase energy efficiency without compromising productivity. Specifically, the platform enables:
- Monitor real-time production, demand, and storage
- Automate and optimize energy flow management with IoT and machine learning systems
- Reduce power peaks and optimize the load curve
- Support participation in energy communities and local energy markets
In a context where energy is becoming an increasingly critical factor for business competitiveness and sustainability, the prosumer model offers a concrete and innovative approach to improve operational autonomy, reduce environmental impact, and generate long-term economic value.
Through VEIL Energy’s integrated solutions, companies can take an active role in the energy transition, becoming agents of change.
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