Tucked into Molins de Rei’s industrial park outside Barcelona, Schneider Electric’s switch-gear factory now runs on its own miniature power system. The project—designed, financed, and operated by Iberdrola—pairs a half-megawatt rooftop solar array with a lithium-ion battery, fast-acting controls, and five on-site EV chargers. Together they let the plant ride through grid outages, shave demand peaks, and contribute to the site’s verified 2 250-tonne annual CO₂-reduction target—all without Schneider spending a euro of capital.
From PPA to Microgrid-as-a-Service
Instead of buying equipment outright, Schneider signed a 20-year Microgrid-as-a-Service agreement. Iberdrola owns the hardware and guarantees a fixed, below-tariff electricity price; Schneider pays only for the energy it uses. The structure eliminates up-front cost while giving the utility a long-term, revenue-producing asset.
What runs behind the fence
- Solar generation – 500 kW of roof-mounted PV (990 panels) producing ~670 MWh per year—enough to cover most daylight production loads.
- Battery storage – 216 kWh lithium-ion unit that smooths PV fluctuations and trims demand charges.
- Fast islanding – Grid-forming controls enable sub-second transfer to island mode; Schneider keeps critical lines energised during tests (exact load figures not publicly disclosed).
- EV charging – Five Level-2 chargers powered primarily by the rooftop array.
- Smart dispatch – EcoStruxure™ Microgrid Advisor weighs day-ahead prices, CO₂ intensity, and battery state-of-charge to decide when to self-consume, store, or export.
Why this matters beyond one factory
- Manufacturing-grade resilience without diesel – Batteries and PV meet strict power-quality and motor-start demands, eliminating genset fuel and emissions.
- A working template for industrial MaaS – Iberdrola absorbs CapEx and O&M risk, proving utilities can turn microgrids into a service line while customers lock in energy costs.
- Potential new grid revenue – Grid-forming inverters could register to provide frequency and voltage support, monetising capabilities that once went unpaid.
- Scalable carbon impact – Widespread adoption of similar models across Spain’s medium-sized factories would materially cut industrial Scope-2 emissions.
For professionals looking to skill up quickly, the Microgrid Systems Certificate Program from Telepath Systems and Cleveland State University packs the essentials into six weeks—covering microgrid evolution, model-based design with Digital Twin simulation, and the modern grid’s capabilities and limits. Graduates earn two credentials: a Certificate of Completion in Microgrid Systems from CSU and the INCOSE Associate Systems Engineering Professional (ASEP) designation.