Estonia – Co2mmunity

Community energy ambitions in the city of Tartu

The city of Tartu has set ambitious goals for a full transition to renewable energy, with energy communities being seen as an efficient and appropriate way to implement these plans. Tartu city, in cooperation with the Tartu Regional Energy Agency (TREA), aims to establish the first functioning urban energy cooperatives with participation of citizens as an example for others. A recent newspaper article about these developments introduces the nature of energy cooperatives, describes different models and lists the benefits for community members and citizens in general.

Here is the link to article (in Estonian, with paywall).

Knowledge exchange at finish-estonian partner meeting

Staying with the topic of international cooperation and exchange: partners from our projects in Finland and Estonia also met last week in a webinar to report on their successes and challenges and how they might learn from each other. The Finnish partners from “Green Net Finland“ are in the process of establishing a new community in the municipality of Lapinjärvi and are currently investigating the best ways of how to provide the community with geothermal heating.

The Estonian partners from “Tartu Regional Energy Agency” (TREA) are working with the Tartu municipality to create Estonia’s first energy community through a community-owned solar PV park on the roof of an apartment building. The engagement of local municipalities provided a great base for discussion: While in Estonia, Tartu municipality is one of the main initiators of the project and the first one to do so, in Finland it is already more established for municipalities to be owners of local energy plants, and thus they’re operating mostly in a commercial interest.

Another shared issue in both projects is the profitability of investments into community energy. A recent study commissioned by Green Net Finland has shown that more energy consumption generally leads to more profitability as well as cost and CO2-emission savings, with individual heat pumps in fact being most profitable. Also TREA reports that consuming self-produced energy as opposed to selling it to the grid is more lucrative. The partners agreed that more involvement of the regional and national governments is necessary to support the further development of community energy and guarantee its profitability.

Progress for the Estonian Pilot: PV panels for a kindergarden

Active preparations are underway in Tartu, Estonia for the establishment of a solar park to be installed on the renovated Pääsupesa kindergarden. Close cooperation between the city and the kindergarten has led to efficient planning, with experts from the Tartu Region Energy Agency (TREA) now working on the cooperative’s operational model.

Next month, TREA will offer the first public information day which will focus on future plans, and specifically on this pilot project created by Energize Co2mmunity. The aim is to reach all ages, raise awareness and highlight the benefits of such energy cooperatives.

Several exciting events are planned up until Autumn 2021, and during this time the residents of Tartu will have the opportunity to become members of the newly established energy cooperative.

RENCOP seminar in Tartu, Estonia, December 4, 2019

The next Estonian RENCOP seminar was held in Tartu, Estonia on 4th of December 2019. 20 participants from mainly South-Estonian regions attended representing potential CE initiatives, apartment associations, NGOs, local stakeholders, and local municipalities.

The first part of the seminar was about community energy, the steps carried out so far in this field in Estonia, the Co2mmunity project and the RENCOP approach as well as good examples of CE in Estonia and neighbouring countries (Germany, Denmark, Finland).

The core topic of the first part was about renewable energy communities, the amended renewable energy directive, and the adoption of Estonian law from a national point of view presented by the Energy department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication.

The second interactive part of the seminar was dedicated to the CE country specific handbook (developed under the Co2mmunity project). Responsible experts introduced the nature, content and main topics of the handbook. Following the handbook, main topics under common discussion were:

main current obstacles, what specifically prevents you from setting up a community energy project?
what would be solutions?
what can municipalities do to support community renewable energy projects?
other hot local practical topics related to energy cooperatives (how to distribute produced energy internally within community, maintenance, CE in rural areas etc).

Results and findings from the discussion will be reflected during upcoming seminars and meetings. Some information will be used in the handbook under development. Activities agreed upon during the discussion will be implemented.

At least one additional expert joined the Estonian expert-driven RENCOP.

Estonia: Co2mmunity presented on paper and in person

Co2mmunity has been presented at the annual meeting of Estonian eco-communities on 12th January 2019 by Ülo Kask from the Tartu Renewable Energy Agency (TREA). The photo shows Ülo Kask during his presentation of Co2mmunity, the RENCOP model and the opportunities for eco-communities to engage the topic. (photo by Paavo Eensalu)

Additionally, TREA has published an article in the Estonian Biomass Association’s annual magazine ‘Combustible and non-combustible energy resources 2018/2019‘. The article is in Estoniana and the whole issue is published on the homepage of the Estonian Biomass Association (external link).

Estonia: TREA engages the “Small Footprint” Community Mõisamaa

In December 2018, two Tartu Regional Energy Agency (TREA) employees met with five community members of Mõisamaa village of a Väike Jalajälg, which translates to “small footprint” community. Mõisamaa village is a RENCOP community and is one of ten communities taking part in the mentorship program within Estonia. The ERDF funded Estonian Energy Cooperatives Mentor Programme supports Estonian start-ups and their development through workshops, peer-to-peer learning, and mentorship programs. The community is home to 20 people, and they are currently exploring alternative forms for the community’s future energy production and consumption. It is for this reason that TREA visited them. This informal meeting was a way for community members to establish initial contact and trust and for the TREA employees, and for the TREA employees to gather a preliminary understanding of the community’s day-to-day activities.

Currently all buildings in Mõisamaa are locally heated by boilers and regular wood logs stoves totalling 28 stoves, with electricity being provided by the public grid. The community’s vision is to replace oil boilers with more sustainable solutions, varying from building renovations, to PV stations, to bio-gas. TREA will be working with the community to develop the best solutions to satisfy their energy needs.

Mõisamaa’s main motivations and drivers for a community energy project is to reduce their energy costs and to become independent from energy imports and the public grid. As per the discussions, the community can also envision selling their sustainably generated energy to close neighbours, however this is not their primary goal.

A follow up meeting will take place in mid December for TREA to gather energy consumption data on the eco-village. The meeting will be with both citizens and farmers, along with any other interested and potential buyers. More information regarding the small footprint community can be found at http://vaikejalajalg.ee/en/