Renewable energy accounts for 17.2 per cent of electricity consumed in Q2

In Q2, Estonia’s power plants generated 376 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy and renewable energy made up 17.2 per cent of total power consumption in Estonia. Estonia has set a renewable energy target level of 16.1 per cent for this year.

In Q2 of last year, renewable energy covered 17.8 per cent of total consumption; in the same period in 2016, the figure was 14.6 per cent.

The quantity of renewable energy in Q2 was on par with that of Q1, but compared to a year ago, a lower volume of wind energy did result in a certain decrease in the quantity and percentage of renewable energy - last year wind accounted for 33 per cent of total renewable energy consumption in the second quarter and a total 125 gigawatt-hours of wind energy were generated, which was over 10 per cent less than in the same period in the year before.

Producers received 5.4 million euros in subsidies for wind energy from April to June, which is 11 per cent more than in the same period last year. A total of 83 per cent of wind energy generated was subsidized and over the half-year, 35 per cent of the wind energy subsidies forecasted for 2018 had been paid. Of the wind energy output set forth in legislation as being supported by subsidies, (600 gigawatt-hours), 37 percent – 223 gigawatt-hours – had been generated by the half-year mark.

Electricity generated from biomass, biogas and waste made up 63 per cent of renewable energy output in Q2 of this year. From these fuel categories, 239 gigawatt-hours of electricity was generated in those three months - the same amount as in Q2 of last year. The electricity generated from biomass, biogas and waste was paid 12 million euros in subsidies in Q2 this year.

Seven gigawatt-hours of electricity was produced from hydro resources in Q2, and the subsidies for this category amounted to 176,000 euros.

The number of solar panel owners receiving subsidies continues to grow at a fast pace and in Q2 of this year, the quantity of electricity generated by solar panels and fed into the grid was 5 gigawatt-hours. Bolstered by the additional solar panels and thanks to the fact that the weather service data indicated there was 16 per cent more sunshine on average than during the same period last year, this indicator has more than tripled year over year. As most of the solar energy generated is consumed by micro-producers themselves on site, the total amount of electricity generated using solar panels might be as much as 4-5 times bigger than the quantity that was fed into the grid and subsidized.

Only half as much in efficient co-generation support was paid this Q2 compared to last year at the same time – 604,000 euros. Nineteen gigawatt-hours of electricity was generated in efficient co-generation mode.

The renewable energy and efficient co-generation subsidies are financed by power consumers through the renewable energy charge. During Q2, Elering garnered 16.5 million euros in renewable energy charges, and paid 18.4 million euros in subsidies. More detailed information about the figures for the renewable subsidy is available on Elering’s website.