Renewable energy covered 21 per cent of total electricity consumption last year

A total of 1946 gigawatt-hours of power from renewable sources was generated last year in Estonia, and renewable energy output made up 21 per cent of total electricity consumption.

In Q4 of last year, renewable energy accounted for 23.3 per cent of total Estonian electricity consumption. During the same period in 2018, the figure was 18.7 per cent. During Q4, good wind conditions and somewhat warmer weather, which reduced consumption, played a role in the large proportion of renewable energy.

The amount of renewable energy subsidized grew by 7 per cent last year to 1698 gigawatt-hours.

Biomass, biogas and waste made up 61 per cent of total renewable energy output in 2019. A total of 1180 gigawatt-hours of power was produced from these sources during the year. In 2018, the quantity of energy generated from these sources was 1040 gigawatt-hours.

Wind energy made up 36 per cent of the total renewable output in 2019 and wind farms produced a total 690 gigawatt-hours of power. Similarly to 2018, the limit established on subsidized wind energy – 600 gigawatt-hours per calendar year – was not reached. Subsidized wind energy output was 565 gigawatt-hours, and thus output was 94 per cent of the limit.

Hydro power output was 22 gigawatt-hours last year. Compared to 2018, solar energy saw the greatest growth in 2018. The volume of electricity generated from hydro sources more than tripled to 54 gigawatt-hours and the support also increased in the same proportion, reaching more than 2.7 million euros overall for the year. Hydro energy was paid 734,000 euros in support in 2019.

Around 800 electricity producers with solar panels joined the grid last year and now solar power is generated by over 2,200 producers. The capacity of solar plants that meet the requirements and are registered with Elering as of the year's end was 88 megawatts; however, many projects are yet to be completed.

Somewhat less efficient co-generation support was paid in 2019 compared to 2018 – a total of 2.82 million euros. The quantity of electricity generated and subsidized in efficient co-generation mode was 94 gigawatt-hours.

A total of 91 million euros in renewable energy subsidies and efficient cogeneration support was paid in 2019 and 85 million euros in renewable energy fees was collected from consumers. In part, sums received as income from statistics trading between countries helped to finance the support scheme.

Jalus