In our 7th article in our series on the Baltic States, we take a look at the prospects for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy production and explore recent proposed solar projects in the Baltic States.
Solar Landscape Not Forgotten?
Wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass resources dominate renewable electricity generation in the Baltic States [1]. In previous articles within the Baltics States Series, we have understood the potential for wind energy is significant. In particular, Latvia’s offshore wind capacity is potentially 15 GW [2]. The energy capacity of wind will exceed the demands of these states, and methods of exporting this energy will need to be explored in the coming years to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure is in place, whether this be stored as hydrogen or in batteries or exported to the EU via an upgraded electricity grid network.
The excess of energy and domination of wind has not entirely deterred solar energy development in the Baltic States. It is true that the Baltic States rank very low in terms of the energy potential for solar PV [3]. However, Ireland and the UK also rank very low and despite this UK solar capacity has reached 15 GW as of last year [4]. Whilst the Baltic States potentially show the UK how high-speed rail is done right in the years to come with Rail Baltica, the Baltic States may also benefit from lessons learned in the UK from doing solar and wind right.
Solar PV Power Potential [5]
Ignitis Renewables and Sunly Leading the Way for Solar in the Baltics?
In February 2024, Ignitis Renewables announced that it had made the final investment decision on a 239MW solar portfolio in Latvia. Stated as being the largest solar development in the Baltic States and construction beginning in Q1 2024.
‘Latvia is a part of our home market, where Ignitis Renewables is actively expanding its activities and sees great growth opportunities. A third of our total project pipeline is in Latvia. The decision to move forward with construction marks an important step in our expansion within the Baltic states and its broader strategy for green energy development’. – Thierry Aelens, CEO, Ignitis Renewables.’
The solar portfolio is broken up into three solar sites. A 94MW solar site in the Vārme parish, Kuldīgas county, and two solar sites making up 145 MW in Barbele and Stelpe parishes, Bauskas county. It is stated that it will meet the energy demands of approximately 100,000 homes.
In March 2024, Sunly also announced that they were constructing a 244MW solar development in Risti, Estonia, consisting of 350,000 solar panels and stated to cover the energy demands of 55,000 homes. Construction will begin Q2 2024 and be completed in 2026.
‘For us, this is the first major example of a hybrid park project where different types of electricity generation and storage are located behind the same connection point.’ – Klaus Pilar, country manager of Sunly Estonia. [6]
Conclusions
All of the Baltic state governments are encouraging domestic households to install rooftop solar panels. Lithuania has set a goal for a third of households to generate their own electricity by 2030. Estonia has solar energy capacity of 530MW, and Lithuania with 570MW [7] as of 2021. In Estonia, 10,000 small solar producers contributed to nearly 500MW of solar energy in 2022 [8]. In Lithuania, regulation is being stripped, ‘Solar power plants now no longer require screening and a full environmental impact assessment and, like hybrid power plants, can be built on agricultural land without changing its land usage type or limiting the size of the plant.’ [9]
The prospect for wind energy is well established in the Baltic States; however, the potential for future investment in solar energy is also looking bright and sunny.
Pager Power
Pager Power has worked on glint and glare assessments for solar developments and building facades with respect to the impact upon aviation, road, and railway safety and residential amenity internationally. Pager Power is a dedicated technical consultancy that has been providing independent guidance and advice regarding solar developments, wind farms, and building developments internationally since 2002. Pager Power has completed over 1,300 glint and glare assessments and over 1,000 aviation/radar impact assessments.
If you require assistance for one of your projects, please get in touch on our website or call us on +44 (0)1787 319001.
References
[1] https://www.eiu.com/n/baltic-states-ramp-up-investment-in-energy-sector/
[2] https://balticwind.eu/lwea-unlocking-the-potential-of-latvian-offshore-wind/
[3] https://globalsolaratlas.info/global-pv-potential-study
[4] https://heatable.co.uk/solar/advice/solar-statistics
[5] https://globalsolaratlas.info/
[6] https://www.powerengineeringint.com/solar/sunly-constructing-244mw-solar-park-in-the-baltics/
[7] https://ember-climate.org/data-catalogue/yearly-electricity-data/
[8] https://www.roedl.com/insights/baltic-states-estonia-latvia-lithuania-projects-renewable-energy
[9] https://www.roedl.com/insights/baltic-states-estonia-latvia-lithuania-projects-renewable-energy
Thumbnail image accreditation: Kamran Abdullayev (2023) from unsplash.com Last accessed on 19th April 2024. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-row-of-solar-panels-sitting-on-top-of-a-lush-green-field-yCIjKOlOLRY
