Estonian Utility Enters Solar Business

• Eesti Energia of Estonia has announced that it will engage in the distributed solar power business
• It will offer its customers to consume solar power provided by Eesti Energia
• Another option is for businesses to become solar power generators and consumers
• Eesti Energia will take care for the paperwork and permits, equipment and installation of the PV systems

Eesti Energia of Estonia has stepped into the solar energy business. To its customers, it will now provide the option of consuming solar energy without self-financing with Eesti installing the solar power system. Alternately, customers can acquire a complete solution from Eesti Energia and become solar power generators.

With this scheme, Eesti aims to increase the proportion of local electricity production in the portfolio of Eesti Energia. The overarching goal of the utility is to increase the share of renewable and alternative sources of energy in electricity production to 40% by 2020.

Eesti offers commercial customers to set up solar power systems by providing them requisite equipment and also installation services. All necessary building permits, documentation work and activity licenses will also be procured by Eesti Energia.

Eesti will set up the first solar power plant on the roof of a dairy farm of OÜ Estonia in Järva county through its renewable energy subsidiary Taastuvenergia.

More details about the utility's solar plans are available on the website of Eesti Energia.

This is the first foray of Eesti into solar, which is already active in the renewables field. The 44 wind turbines of Eesti Energia generate about 210 GWh of clean energy annually. Eesti is also engaged in biofuel, hydropower and waste-to-energy production.