Towards energy self-sufficiency in large metropolitan areas: Business opportunities on renewable electricity in Madrid

Large metropolitan areas are generally associated with high energy demand but low energy production, thus acting as vast energy drains. Reducing energy import levels in this type of region may bring about relevant business opportunities. Given the increasingly significant role of green (low-carbon) energy in current and future energy policies, these opportunities are expected to be closely linked to renewable energy. In this chapter, the energy system model of the region of Madrid (Spain) is used to evaluate novel energy scenarios to 2050 based on alternative electricity import levels. As indigenous electricity supply increases, wider market horizons arise for renewable energy technologies as a plausible option. Overall, through the case study of Madrid, it is shown that the path towards clean energy self-sufficiency has the potential to act as an effective catalyst for business opportunities on renewables in large metropolitan areas.