From car to grid: the Bon Preu Group and the future of energy flexibility

In Catalonia, the shift towards a more sustainable electricity system is progressing rapidly, but it's often forgotten that the revolution can also begin in everyday places like a supermarket. The Bon Preu Group wants to demonstrate this: demand flexibility—the ability to adapt when and how we consume energy—is key to balancing the system and making better use of renewable resources. Transforming our stores into energy players is not just a technological commitment; it's also a commitment to sustainability, as it encourages greater consumption of energy from renewable sources, enabling us to realize the energy future we all envision.

The project's origin is clear: renewable generation is not controllable. You can't order more sun or wind when the system needs it. This reality causes price fluctuations in the market, with very cheap hours—even with negative prices—and very expensive ones. If production cannot be controlled, the solution is obvious: better control consumption.

At the Bon Preu Group, they have decided to seize this opportunity from within. Through its energy supplier, BonpreuEsclat Energia, they have implemented a smart energy management project at the Balenyà logistics center and three selected supermarkets. All three share two elements with high energy demands and, at the same time, room for flexibility: air conditioning and commercial refrigeration.

How does the smart energy management project work?

The project is based on leveraging the operational flexibility of the systems to adjust demand according to the quarter-hourly electricity market price signal. By managing the thermal inertia of the equipment, always within established temperature ranges, the aim is to optimize consumption by taking advantage of the significant price differences in quarter-hour intervals. Currently, volatility between quarter-hours is high, allowing for short 15-minute activations to shift loads and generate energy. This set of small decisions, repeated daily and controlled by algorithms with technical supervision, generates direct savings on the bill. This is what is called implicit flexibility: taking advantage of off-peak hours and avoiding expensive ones. But the project doesn't stop there. The next step, already underway, is to certify these assets to participate in the explicit flexibility markets, managed by Red Eléctrica (the Spanish electricity grid operator). In this scenario, Grup Bon Preu, through BonpreuEsclat Energia, will be able to act as an aggregator: combining the flexibility of various establishments and making it available to the grid. Sometimes the grid will require reduced consumption, and other times, interestingly, it will require increased consumption to absorb surplus renewable generation. In both cases, the company will be compensated. This transforms what was previously just a space for consumption (a supermarket, a cold storage facility, a logistics warehouse) into a valuable energy asset for the country. And at the same time, it strengthens the group's competitiveness, as it allows for cost reductions and the generation of new revenue streams.

The pilot test has confirmed three fundamental elements: first, that flexibility is technically feasible, since the refrigeration and air conditioning systems respond well to modulations; second, that the savings are significant and recurring; and third, that the project is scalable to the rest of the group's establishments. But perhaps the most relevant aspect is that the group is paving the way in an area that will be essential for the Catalan electricity system.

Better consumption management: the key to the energy transition

The Bon Preu Group understands that the energy transition depends not only on building generation capacity, but also on better managing consumption. And the project aims to demonstrate this with concrete examples: flexibility can transform a supermarket into an ally of the system, reduce costs, maximize the use of renewables, and make the transition more sustainable, intelligent, and robust. What is happening in the Bon Preu Group's supermarkets and logistics center is a good indicator of the future of the energy sector: not only are large infrastructures necessary, but intelligent consumption patterns can also have a significant impact, as the food company explained in ARA. If flexibility becomes established, Catalonia can move towards a more stable and sustainable system, and commerce can also play a role that until now seemed unimaginable.