Companies of the Fortum group were the biggest recipients of renewable energy subsidy and high-efficiency cogeneration subsidy in Estonia in April, getting 1.62 million euros of the total amount of 4.7 million euros paid out during the month, the transmission system operator Elering said.

Elering paid out 4.32 million euros in renewable energy subsidy and 384,516 euros in high-efficiency cogeneration subsidy in April, compared with respectively 4.13 million euros and 357,991 euros in March.

During the first four months of the year Elering paid electricity producers renewable energy subsidy in the amount of 15.1 million euros and high-efficiency cogeneration subsidy in the amount of 1.69 million euros, or altogether almost 16.8 million euros.

Companies of the Fortum group were paid 1.55 million euros in renewable energy and high-efficiency cogeneration subsidy in March and 2.95 million euros in the first four months of the year.

According to calculations by Elering, the renewable energy fee for consumers this year is 0.87 cents per kilowatt-hour, 10 percent less than in 2012. Through the renewable energy fee consumers finance the subsidy paid to producers of renewable energy and the fee is paid by all consumers in accordance with the volume of network service used by them, with Elering acting as the payment agency.

The governor of Estonia’s Saare County has returned to the Muhu municipal authorities for amendment a detailed plan for a wind generator in Voikula which in its present form may interfere with the defense forces’ air surveillance radar in Muhu Island, the regional newspaper Saarte Haal says.

In county governor Kaido Kaasik’s opinion the existing agreements between the Defense Ministry and the Sonajalg brothers who are planning the wind turbine are not sufficient to secure problem-free operation of the radar and defense interest. The Defense Ministry okayed the detailed plan for the wind generator in 2010 on the condition that the developer obtain endorsement of the construction plan as well.

The Sonajalgs also have promised that if malfunctions occur they will bear the cost of putting things right. The Defense Ministry said the wind energy developers are aware of potential risks and are proceeding with the project at their own risk, Saarte Haal said.

The county governor however took the view that the agreements between the ministry and the developers do not sufficiently secure the interests of the state and guarantee uninterrupted operation of the radar in the future, because the effect of the generator on the radar system may appear only after the turbine goes into operation.

In the county governor’s view the developer and the Defense Ministry ought to conclude prior to the adoption of the detailed plan an agreement setting out the parties’ rights and obligations in implementing the plan and ensuring the operation of the radar. The detailed plan also should give an overview of the measures to be taken to secure the functioning of the radar.

Wind energy employers are looking for project managers, sales managers and engineers above all. As most Wind Directions readers know from experience, the wind industry cre­ates jobs. Currently, around 240,000 peo­ple in Europe work in wind energy, directly or indirectly, and the number is growing, with over half a million jobs expected by 2020. But while it’s good to know that despite the crisis, ‘wind is hiring’, what specifically do you need on your CV to make the CEOs sit up? Greenfish, a specialist environmen­tal recruitment agency, researched the 10 most wanted profiles in the wind industry.

“In the past few years, we have seen a growing interest in jobs in renewables and wind energy in particular,” explains Lizhen Xu, Senior Project Manager at Greenfish. “But the skills gap and acute shortage of engineers make it difficult for companies to have projects implemented on time and budget.

“The most wanted profiles are based on three sources: responses to an EWEA member survey, a review of vacancies online, and Greenfish’s internal data”, says Xu.

The results were presented at the “Careers Day” held at EWEA 2013, but for those who couldn’t attend, Wind Directions brings you the details.

1. Senior project manager for offshore

What is the role? Manages the team’s resources, controls budgets and reviews the terms and condi­tions of consultancy agreements.

What do employers want? At least five years’ experience in wind or an offshore sector. Stress-resistant and good decision-making, planning, organisational and communication skills. Willingness to travel.

2. Experienced project manager for off­shore cables

What is the role? Ensures the implementation of cables-re­lated projects. Responsible for the team’s output, ensuring it is high quality, on time and on budget.

What do employers want? Knowledge of submarine and land cable system design, procurement and installa­tion. Experience with construction con­tracts and team leadership.

3. Sales and account manager

What is the role? Responsible for sales and development of key accounts. Can involve managing wind farm projects from initial steps to construc­tion permitting.

What do employers want? Technical expertise and market knowledge. Client-minded, business and relational intelligence. Ten to 15 years in a sales environment, preferably in wind sector. Multilingual; ready to travel.

4. Project and offshore wind installation engineers

What is the role? Responsible for getting offshore turbines installed, for the team’s work schedule and checking engineering work. Provides engineering technical support.

What do employers want? Degree in engineering or naval architec­ture; five years’ experience in marine, subsea construction and/or offshore wind installation. Familiarity with offshore transportation and installation rules, and relevant software.

5. Production system engineer

What is the role? Designs and studies the manufactur­ing process to reduce labour cost and increase effi ciency of process.

What do employers want? Manufacturing or mechanical engineering de­gree; four to seven years in industrial opera­tions management with a large international, technological or industrial organisation.

6. Production manager – wind turbine blades

What is the role? In charge of blade manufacturing. Ensures quality and safety in production operations.

What do employers want? Background in manufacturing and op­erations with supervisory experience, at least eight years’ directly related experi­ence – previous work with wind turbines preferred.

7. Control engineer – wind turbine components

What is the role? Designs control engineering parts/compo­nents for wind turbines. Improves existing control engineering equipment. Takes new designs to certification.

What do employers want? Degree in electrical engineering. Five years in turbine control engineering and designing control engineering equipment. Fluency in English and German.

8. Onshore wind farm development engineer

What is the role? Assesses technical viability of wind pro­jects, plans project stages and manages the implementing team of engineers.

What do employers want? Experience in civil engineering; an appro­priate degree. Good communication skills; if possible understanding of specialist software.

9. Offshore site manager

What is the role? Guarantees compliance with site specifi c arrangements to ensure safety manage­ment. Plans and coordinates site person-nel and resources, carrying out installa­tion, maintenance and service tasks.

What do employers want? A successful track record working as supervisor or manager in an international environment with customer and opera­tional focus. Fluent English.

10. Environmental coordinator

What is the role? Ensures that site specifi c arrangements are in place to mitigate environmental risks. Supervises and coaches the opera­tional teams in implementing the environ­mental requirements.

What do employers want? An engineering degree and seven to ten years’ experience in environmental man­agement systems. Project management skills and a hands-on attitude. Ability to motivate.

Janne Põlluaas

On the opposite shore of Laulasmaa beach there is Parki peninsula. Little by little, wind turbines started appearing, so when Janne goes to her favourite beach she counts them again and again. “Wind turbines have become an inseparable part of my beach view and quite often caught in my camera’s eye,” says Põlluaas.

“Wind turbines have always fascinated me with their gigantic size, grace, and relationships with nature. The wind, which starts the motion of fragile but yet so vigorous wind turbines and the energy that comes out of them is awesome!,” explains Põlluaas why she finds the wind turbines captivating.

Põlluaas has photographed Paldiski wind farm through several seasons and from several sides – from Laulasmaa beach, from Nabe island, from the sea when passing the top of the peninsula by a boat, from Little-Pakri island, being in Parki peninsula in the middle of wind turbines.

One day, Põlluaas sent one of the photos from her large personal collection to the Estonian Wind Power Association and was then after receiving positive feedback, was encouraged to once again send pictures. As a result of this, an idea was born to make a calendar out of these photos—an idea that Põlluaas found promising as it was a new challenging opportunity that encouraged her to find new angles and lighting.

“The desire to capture natures’ simple uniqueness, the thousand faces of the sea and the picturesque charm of landscapes has me reaching for my camera time and time again. The four seasons of Estonia and natural diversity offers many great opportunities that you have to notice” says Põlluaas.

In all 261 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy was produced in Estonia in the first quarter of this year, one- third less than during the same period in 2012, the transmission system operator Elering said.

The biggest reductions were recorded in the amounts generated using biomass and biogas, and hydro energy, which declined respectively by 50 percent to 133 GWh and by 42 percent to 6 GWh.

The amount generated using wind energy meanwhile increased 10 percent to 122 GWh.

Renewable energy accounted for 9.6 percent of the total amount of energy consumed in Estonia in the first quarter.

Renewable energy support was paid on 77 percent of the renewable energy produced during the period. In all 10.8 million euros was paid out in subsidies during the three months, 42 percent less than in the same period a year ago.

The biggest reduction took place in subsidies for energy generated using biomass, which fell 52 percent mainly as a result of the fact that the Narva power plants of Eesti Energia no longer were paid a subsidy for burning biofuel, Elering said.

Payments declined also on wind energy and hydro energy, whereas for electric energy generated from biogas a bigger amount of money was paid out.

Despite the fact that several new wind farms have been launched in Estonia since the first quarter of last year and the amount of wind energy generated has grown, the amount of subsidy paid out on wind energy fell by one-tenth year on year. According to Elering, the reason for this may be that according to measurements conducted on the Pakri peninsula and at Virtsu, where several of the wind farms receiving a subsidy are situated, the average speed of wind this year was 16 percent lower than year ago.

Applications for high-efficiency cogeneration support were filed for 1.3 million euros overall, one-tenth less than a year ago. The amount of subsidized energy generated in high-efficiency cogeneration declined from 45 GWh in the first quarter of last year to 41 GWh this year.

As analysts are predicting a decline for the price of carbon emission credits in the near term, a lower price of carbon credits would mean also lower price of electricity, CEO of the transmission system operator Taavi Veskimagi says.

Veskimagi said in his remarks to Aripaev that the price of carbon credits dropping by one euro per ton means for the Estonian oil shale fueled power plants in Narva a change in the price of electric power by approximately one euro per megawatt-hour. “A lower price of carbon credits means lower price of electricity in Estonia,” he said.

The current price level of carbon credits at three euros has significantly improved the competitive position of the Narva power plants on the Nordic-Baltic market, at least as far as hydro, wind and nuclear power plants are concerned which do not need to buy quotas, said Veskimagi.

Einari Kisel, senior fellow with the World Energy Council (WEC), told the newspaper that the present quota price accounts for up to one-tenth of the price of electricity. “It means that oil shale electricity is fully competitive in the Baltic region compared with earlier forecasts,” Kisel said.

A further reduction in the price of emission quotas could also bring down the price of electricity on the power exchange.

Since the European Parliament recently voted down a proposal of the Commission to temporarily remove a part of the emission credits from the market to reduce oversupply, analysts predict that the price of emission credits will continue to decline. Some analysts believe that the price could drop as low as one euro as a result of a speculative wave of selling in the coming few months.

“Changes in the price of carbon dioxide influence the price of electric energy sold in Estonia via the market price, but as a rule our power plants aren’t the ones that make the market price,” said Helen Tiits, head of the analysis department at the retail unit of Eesti Energia.

“How favorably priced, or how expensive, is carbon dioxide has an effect on the threshold that our power plants must climb to enter the market,” Tiits said. “When, for instance, the price of carbon dioxide is high and there’s a lot of hydro energy available in the Nordic countries at the same time, as a result of which the market price of electricity is lower, volumes at the Narva power plants will be reduced.”

In March the operator of the Vao combined heat and power plant outside the Estonian capital, Tallinna Elektrijaam (Tallinn Power Plant), received the most renewable energy support, it appears from the figures provided by the transmission network operator Elering.

Tallinna Elektrijaam was paid a subsidy totaling 822,717 euros last month. In February it received 753,415 euros. Payouts to Tallinna Elektrijaam totaled 2.41 million euros in the first three months of the year.

Elering disbursed a total of 3.73 million euros in renewable energy subsidies and 357,991 euros in support for high efficiency cogeneration in March. In February the sums were respectively 3.03 million and 468,193 euros. The subsidies paid to renewable energy companies in the first quarter of the year totaled 10.8 million euros and high efficiency cogeneration support was 1.3 million euros, adding up to more than 12 million euros in all.

Companies of the Fortum group were paid subsidies totaling 1.5 million euros in March and 4.49 million euros in the first quarter.

The Tartu-based thermal energy provider Anne Soojus owned by Fortum received last month 729,345 euros in renewable energy support and 92,919 euros in high efficiency cogeneration support. Fortum Eesti received a renewable energy subsidy of 670,015 euros and was paid 39,112 euros in high efficiency cogeneration support.

The Aulepa wind farm of the state-owned energy group Eesti Energia was paid 300,830 euros in March and a total of 707,007 euros in the first quarter.

The March subsidies to wind farms owned by Nelja Energia were 268,280 euros for Aseriaru, 225,696 euros for Pakri and 140,855 euros for Tooma.

A delegation of companies from the Jilin province of China is about to visit Estonia as a follow-up to an investment and cooperation agreement signed with the Enterprise Estonia foundation in September 2012 that sets out the wish of the Chinese side to invest 130 million euros in the renewable energy sector of Estonia.

The official delegation led by Jilin province’s Vice Governor Zhu Yanfeng and a business delegation accompanying it are scheduled to arrive here on Sunday at the invitation of Enterprise Estonia.

Meetings have been scheduled with Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Communications Juhan Parts and Minister of Environment Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, chair of the Riigikogu economic affairs committee Kaja Kallas and deputy secretary general of the Foreign Ministry Vaino Reinart, Enterprise Estonia said.

The official delegation will be in Estonia until April 9. The business delegation made up of entrepreneurs in the renewable energy sector and bankers will stay longer to look at the opportunities offered by the Estonian renewables sector.

In the first phase of the investment project the plan is to focus on biomass, that is, wood pellets and alternative fuels from biomass.

In phase two and phase three wind energy and peat extraction would be added.

The contract partner for Enterprise Estonia, Jilin Province New Energy Investment Co. Ltd., has chosen Estonia as the location of its headquarters for renewable energy projects in Europe. It is acting in conjunction with the provincial government and cooperation partners having long-term and extensive experience in renewable energy in China. The project is financed by the China Development Bank.

Materialization of the investments and its speed depend on the effectiveness of the work of the parties and possibilities of the Estonian renewable energy sector, Enterprise Estonia said.

Baltic Blue Energy OU, a company owned by Estonian business tycoon Endel Siff, has filed a building rights application with a view to setting up a wind farm between the western islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, the regional newspaper Saarte Haal said.

The offshore wind farm is to be built in the coastal sea between the southwestern coast of Hiiumaa and northern coast of Saaremaa.

While the application names 388 wind generators with a total capacity of 2,716 megawatts, the actual plan is to build 1,999 megawatts of capacity, the paper said.

Karl Magi, the planner of the wind farm, said the application concerns a bigger capacity and a larger area in order to be able to conduct wind surveys and choose the best locations. If some areas prove not suitable they will be left out of the final development plan and the wind farm’s eventual size and capacity may turn out different as a result. Magi said at least five years will probably be needed before construction can start.

“What will become of the project after the procedure of approvals and wind surveys is too early to say yet. How much the project will be cut back at the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Environment, to what extent agreements will be reached with municipalities – it’s a very long road,” Siff, a former high-profile oil transit businessman, said.

Another Estonian wind capacity developer, Andres Sonajalg, has recently told the media that as a rule the creation of one megawatt of wind generating capacity now costs from 1.3 million to 1.5 million euros. AS Roheline Elekter, a holding of the Sonajalg family, is planning to build a wind farm with a capacity of 255 megawatts in the territory of the Vaivara municipality in northeastern Estonia.

The Estonian alternative energy producer Roheline Elekter AS is planning to start building a 255 megawatt wind farm in the territory of the Vaivara municipality in northeastern Estonia in the coming couple of years.

The regional environment authority has approved the wind farm’s environmental impact assessment report, said Andres Sonajalg, member of the Sonajalg family who own Roheline Elekter AS.

Commenting on the uncertainty related to renewable energy payments, Sonajalg said that while the company expects the legal environment to improve by the time the work starts it doesn’t intend to put off things specially because of that.

The exact size of the investment is difficult to tell at this point, but generally the cost of one kilowatt of generating capacity ranges from 1.3 million to 1.5 million euros, Sonajalg told BNS.

According to the environmental impact assessment report, the wind farm would be laid out on almost two thousand hectares in the area of Mustanina village. It would consist of 85 wind generators of 3 megawatt capacity each, one 20/110/330 kilovolt substation, three 20/110 kilovolt substations, power lines and access roads.