Timo Tatar, outgoing undersecretary for energy and raw materials of the Ministry of Climate, said that Estonia has more active renewables developers than ever before and that half of operational solar farms have been built without subsidies.
According to Tatar, Estonia's renewable energy production has seen significant growth over the last decade, placing us fifth among EU countries. In the production of heat, the share of renewable energy in Estonia has risen to 65 percent, making Estonia second among EU countries.
Tatar acknowledged that for years, renewable energy development in electricity production was hindered by national defense restrictions and opposition from local residents and municipalities to wind farms.
"I am very pleased that we were able to find working solutions to both issues within the country, and investments in renewable electricity production have now actually started," he added.
"Establishment of new solar parks (of which there are currently about 850 megawatts (MW) worth in the Estonian electricity network, with an equal amount to be added in the coming years) has become daily news. News about new wind parks is also becoming more frequent. Last year, the number of wind turbines in the Estonian electricity network grew by more than 30 percent to 450 MW, and by the end of the year, there will be more than 700 MW of wind parks in the Estonian electricity network. In just two years, the capacity of Estonian wind parks in our electricity network will triple," Tatar explained.
He stated that energy policy must constantly seek balance between supply security, affordability and environmental sustainability. "The World Energy Council assesses countries through this lens. In recent years, we have made rapid progress in this ranking, rising to ninth place among countries worldwide. This week, we heard that our position will improve by a couple of places in the soon-to-be-published ranking," Tatar added.
Tatar confirmed that Estonian renewable energy developers are active and there are enough projects under development to cover any increase in consumption locally.
"News of new investments in wind, solar and storage has become daily. A large part of these are made against the market. The circle of Estonian renewable energy developers has expanded and is active. For example, nearly half of Estonia's more than 850 MW of solar parks have been built without any subsidies. The largest battery park in Europe is under construction," Tatar said.
"Energy is doing its part – whatever the consumption growth, there are enough projects in active development in Estonia to supply it with local renewable electricity. For starters, the land [onshore wind and solar] is enough. If future consumption is as high as the forecasts of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EISA) show, then the sea [offshore wind] will be added," Tatar added.
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