Effects of Renewable Energies and Big Data on the Biggest Spanish Energy Power Companies’ Business Models

Abstract

Since the emergence of renewable energy sources and thanks to the encouragement of governments and the interest of citizens in an economical, environmentally friendly and sustainable system, the electricity sector is in a transition to renewable energy. Renewable energy is not simply the cornerstone of a transaction, but an entire electric revolution. Literature review reveals the following question: How will their business models evolve accordingly? Interviews were conducted with innovation managers of the biggest power companies in Spain to shed some light on the effects of two innovation sources on business models: Renewables energies and big data. Research revealed that renewable energy represents a complete paradigm shift. Until now, the system's net energy balance is achieved by adjusting the power generation to the demand for it. However, in a renewable system the generation cannot be controlled and, then, it is the energy consumption that must be adjusted to the generation. Renewable energy and big data involve the replacement of traditional generation resources with the resource of information, increasingly necessary to predict the generation and consumption of electricity.