Estonian TSO: Renewables account for nearly third of Q3 energy consumption
In the third quarter of 2022, Estonian power plants generated 572 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy, down 5 percent on year. Electricity from renewable sources accounted for 30 percent of the country's electricity consumption, transmission system operator (TSO) Elering said Tuesday.
From January through September of this year, renewable energy accounted for 29 percent of electricity consumption and 35 percent of Estonian electricity production, Elering said in a press release.
The decrease in gross renewable energy production in the third quarter was due to a smaller volume of wind and biomass energy. The volume and proportion of solar energy, however, increased meanwhile.
Electricity produced from biomass, biogas and waste constituted 47 percent of renewable energy in the third quarter. From July through September, these fuel types were used to generate 273 gigawatt-hours of electricity, and €8.4 million in subsidies were paid.
In the third quarter, a total of 197 gigawatt-hours of electricity from solar panels was fed into the network, with subsidies amounting to €10.1 million. Both production and subsidies have increased by half on year thanks to both the addition of new solar panels and very sunny summer months.
The number of solar panel owners receiving subsidies will continue to grow in the years ahead, as the winners of reverse auctions have generally been solar parks and the construction of new solar parks is expected as well.
Wind energy made up 17 percent, or 101 gigawatt-hours, of the renewable energy generated in the third quarter, down 35 percent on year. Last quarter, 63 percent of generated wind energy met subsidy conditions, for which a total of €3.5 million in subsidies were paid.
Since the beginning of 2022, payments have been made in the extent of 55 percent of the annual limit of 600 gigawatt-hours of wind energy, and according to Elering, it is projected that this limit will not be met this year.
Only one gigawatt-hour of hydroelectric power was generated in the third quarter this year, with subsidies totaling €40,000.
From July through September, renewable energy producers received a total of €22 million in subsidies, which is within the same range as the third quarter of last year. Subsidies for high-efficiency cogeneration, meanwhile, totaled €381,000, down by half on year.
Subsidies for renewable energy and high-efficiency cogeneration are financed by electricity consumers via the renewable energy charge. This year, Elering has collected charges in the amount of €66.1 million and paid out €72.4 million in subsidies.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
