Distributed generation: a brighter future? is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, sponsored by E.ON. In this paper, The Economist Intelligence Unit examines the growth in distributed generation, as an increasing number of UK businesses are meeting a greater proportion of their energy needs through electricity generated themselves, on-site. This report seeks to examine the impact that distributed generation could have on UK businesses.

To do so, we surveyed 450 senior executives with familiarity of their companies’ energy strategies in April-May 2018. The survey focused exclusively on executives from energy-intensive industries: manufacturing, transport and logistics, hospitality and retail. Half of the respondents are either members of their companies’ boards or hold C-level positions; the remainder are other senior managers and executives. All are from UK businesses with annual revenue exceeding £100m.