Viido's Blog
Kuidas muuta päikese-energia eesti rahvale sobivaks?
Üks asi on kindel: energiaallikad pole kunagi allunud turumajanduse seadustele. Põlevkivist saadud energia omahind on alati ületanud taastuvenergiale antud toetusi. Valitsus soovib küll säilitada Eesti Energia status quo’d, aga ei taha samal määral korvata keskkonna- ja tervisekahjusid, mis on tingitud maavarade kasutamisega tekkinud saastamisest.
PLATO’s CAVE
Spring has sprung in Estonia. Right on schedule too! What is great about early April is, the optimism. Regardless of the weather, you know spring is here. Should the temperature drop to the sub zeros again, we know it is only temporary. The sun is back, it is still light even at nine pm. When the sun does come out after such a long cold winter, it is always a blessing. It reminds me of when I first came to Estonia and working at the General Staff Headquarters. Whenever the sun came out, regardless of season, everyone it seemed, left the building to walk in the sun.
Some early flowers are out already, even with the accompanying mud, it doesn’t take away from this feeling of joy. Early spring is 100% anticipation and promise of good things to come. It’s like when you first decide to do something. The first efforts are difficult but promise everything. When, years ago I entered the Eurovision Song competition, I managed to get my song completed and submitted by the deadline and that was it, nothing to do anymore but wait. With April, it’s the same. All we have to do is wait -summer will arrive. All those concerns about getting through the past winter have melted away with the thaw, in the end; there wasn’t much to worry about.
My wood stock got me through the worst of this winter. Of course, problems will arise, and not everything works out like I had hoped,
(I didn’t even get into the Eurovision competition finals) but I will deal with these as they come up.
Our solar project is right on schedule. If our Project engineer, Tõnu Jõgi had not insisted we pour the foundations for the eleven tracker towers while the ground was frozen, we could not have done it now until late summer. The ground is currently such a sucking muddy mess; I can understand how throughout history wars have stopped, wagons, trucks and even tanks were immobilized by our mud.
We have already starting paying out from our KIK (Estonian Environmental Agency) which is funding half the project, and KENA (Alternative Energy Agency) providing another 25%. Selista Builders have the concrete foundations, fence posts and the project shed already in place. The 11 Tracker towers have been ordered from Deger in Germany and will need only to be placed into place. We even had a Latvian investor visit our site this past weekend and we received confirmation, he is with us.
Ontario Power Authority has approved 40 renewable energy projects in Canada, including a solar farm for a site on Bishopsgate Road in Burford. Their project has the potential to produce eight megawatts or 8,000 kilowatts of solar power and is proposed for a site at 153 Bishopsgate Rd. While the project has been approved by the OPA, it will be at least a year or two before construction gets underway. Provincial government officials say the 40 new projects announced on Thursday will create 7,000 direct and indirect jobs and attract $3 billion in private sector investment.
These Canadian projects represent more than 872 megawatts of clean, renewable energy -enough to power more than 200,000 homes or a community the size of Burlington.
I was invited to speak in Võru at the Talu liit on April 1. When Ivar Rosenberg asked me to address the meeting, I first had to make sure it wasn’t an April fools joke. I have been wanting to speak to such a forum for some time. Who better than the Estonian farmer to understand the potential of solar? I presented how alternative energy in Estonia has not honestly been thought through yet. There are no rules in place to prevent anyone from participating in this upcoming energy revolution. Our local energy company is busy trying to get what support it can from the EU and the Estonian taxpayer for their global oil shale development projects.
I told them, the situation for solar is just like it was for me in Estonia in 1995, when anyone could open a bar or restaurant with a minimum of capital.There were no license fees, and almost no restrictions. Right now the Talu Liit should set their lobbyists to get the national wheels in motion and demand our politicians look into such options as cross border EU energy subsidies, and/or EU energy security subsidies etc. Once our public is aware, as is Germany already -that solar is the ultimate energy future, it may be too late. Then those same self interest groups currently feeding at the taxpayer tit -will suddenly devise all sorts of barriers and restrictions for solar development to exclude everyone else -and then continue to feed on our tax-euros, unabated.
The argument for nuclear in Estonia (because we can not live without it) is absurd. We are a small agricultural nation, as is Japan for the most part. No one today knows how this nuclear crisis will affect their futuure exports. The stigma of radiation has a tendency to have a long life. It has to be cheaper for Estonia to purchase energy off the EU grid when it becomes available. Should a nuclear reactor in Russia, (near us) have a problem, it will be Russia bearing the brunt of the stigma, not us or our exports. The same can be said for Finland’s nuclear.
If we were to start a nuclear power plant on Naissaar today, it would be ten or more years before it was ready for commissioning.
With Estonian and other world class scientists working round the clock on breakthroughs in solar and nano-solar development, it is as sure as amen in church the next ten years will produce some significant breakthroughs. What sense does it make for Estonians to invest such huge amounts of money and resources- just to create long term problems, i.e., radiation waste being only one? Estonia will require even more financial resources just to maintain the security and guard the plant from terrorists. Do we really need this? What is needed is for Estonia to be dragged out of Plato’s cave kicking and screaming into the light.
Viido Polikarpus
viido@energysmart.ee
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?
I came across this on the internet. On 8 April, 2010, five high-tech companies signed EU grant agreements with the
Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Lithuania at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the Vilnius University in Visoriai.
Together with foreign investors, these companies are setting up research and development centers for medicine,
bio-pharmaceuticals and solar energy technologies.
This is exactly what we at Energy Smart, Estonia have been lobbying our Estonian government to do for the past two years.
No one has yet put up a solar park in the Baltics. We still have the opportunity to be the first, but our government seems to
be locked into supporting oil shale or nuclear as the only viable solutions to Estonia’s energy needs.
Even with what is happening in Japan, our government thinks nuclear and oil shale is still the way to go.
Eesti Energia has had a banner year of profits this past year. Why do they need any more support?
If the Estonian tax payer really was aware of the many hidden costs involved with supporting EE and oil shale,
solar would be considered a bargain by comparisson.
Our Estonian government is hell bent on backing dinosaur fossil fuels, instead of investing in a real future –which,
by any intelligent assessment, is solar. The only thing more polluting than burning oil shale is burning Polish coal.
Nuclear fuels are getting as scarce and expensive as everything else, and only an idiot would claim nuclear would
save the rate payer money. At least solar costs are all up front. You never need to worry about the cost of raw
material and the life of a solar park is 40 years -as opposed to 15 years for a wind turbine.
Solar needs no high tech maintenance and if one panel dosen’t work, the whole project dosen’t stop as it does with wind.
When a panel dosen’t work you lose 200W, when a turbine stops, you lose a mega watt.
Our energy company has made so much money recently I am hoping they might start taking our solar project as seriously
as they now take wind. Five years ago Eesti Energia was fighting the wind lobby.
The main problem with solar is it can not easily be monopolized.
Everyone can become an energy producer and feed into the energy grid, power to the people!
If our energy company continues to earn these record profits perhaps I won’t need to wait much longer for them to
upgrade my meter box, at least to European standards.
Maybe our future electric bills might even come down instead of always going up?
Eesti Energia is an Estonian company, working for the good of the Estonian people.
Why should only EE shareholders reap the benefits of profits? We could at least go 50-50 with the gains thereby
getting some kind of a break on our energy bills.
UAB Baltic Solar Solutions and UAB Baltic Solar Energy in Lithuania secured 14.9 million and 9.5 million litas of EU support,
each respectively, for the setting up of a silicon power cells production research and development center.
Our government could have lobbied the same for Tallinn Technical which already has several solar cell patents.
How can anyone claim Estonia can not afford solar? Can we afford not to?
Energy Smart met with our Economics Minister, Juhan Parts, last year. He told us to first put up our 100kW park to prove it works.
Then we can talk. Our little 100kW solar park needs to be a proof of concept project for our Economics Minister while in
Lithuania they are already putting up a research center, covering 10,000 sq. m, for solar power and digital optical storage technologies!
"The bulk of technologies and products developed in these new Visoriai projects (through collaboration with the Lithuania academia)
will be exported. The anticipated investments will significantly encourage involvement of business in Lithuania and serve
as an example to be followed by other integrated research, studys and business centers", says Mr. Saulius Arelis,
the director for VITP development
UAB ViaSolis has secured 14.3 million litas EU support for the implementation of innovative photoelectric module production line.
UAB Baltic Solar Solutions and UAB Baltic Solar Energy have secured 14.9 million and 9.5 million litas of EU support,
each respectively, for the setting up of a silicon power cells production research and development center.
EU funds will allow establishing a competitive world-level research and development centre for solar energy technologies in Visoriai.
By 2012, total investments into the center would amount to LTL 150 million. In 2015, the estimated turnover from the solar
cells developed in the center will reach LTL 415 million, while exports will account for more than 95%.
Aggregate turnover of the companies in the solar energy technology cluster is forecast to reach LTL 1.6 billion in
Lithuania in 2016-2018. Likewise, 500 new jobs are planned to be created in this sector by 2016-2018.“
What is happening here in Estonia? The Greens are under attack today for daring to suggest or for supporting something
other than nuclear or oil shale. The Estonian population is conned into believing alternative energy is too costly.
Look at Japan and ask yourself, what is the alternative?
Thanks to our environmental agency, KIK, and our Alternative Energy Agency, KENA we at Energy Smart are managing to
do at least something. We have already started building the first solar park in the Baltics, but we should be developing a
greater competitive stragedy for the future, much like Lithuania is doing, already.
Viido Polikarpus
Viido.polikarpus@energysmart.ee
3. detsembril tuli Sõmerpalu kooli üle 40 inimese, kelle Energy Smart oli kutsunud sinna selleks, et neile tutvustada uusi
võimalusi tänases majandusolukorras. Kohalike talunike kõrval oli kohal ka ajakirjanikke ja teadlasi.
Mõned päevad enne koosolekut sattus minu kätte Eesti Meteoroloogia ja Hüdroloogia Instituudi (EMHI) poolt välja antud teatmik. Raamatus olid graafikud ja diagrammid selle kohta, kui palju päikesevalgust saavad Eesti erinevad paigad iga päev.
Instituut on niisugust infot kogunud juba aastakümneid. Lugesin teatmikku ja võrdlesin selles toodud andmeid nende andmetega,
mida olime meie kasutanud oma kalkulatsioonides ja mida olime saanud NASAlt.
Nagu üks eestlane mulle hiljuti ütles – kui päikeseenergia on tulutoov, siis peavad need numbrid olema õiged.
Helistasin instituudi direktorile Jaan Saarele ja selgitasin talle, mis meil plaanis on, kutsudes ka teda Sõmerpallu koosolekule.
Hr. Saar vastas, et tal on hea meel meie soovi üle päikeseenergia kui taastuvenergia kasutamise tutvustamisel.
Ta avaldas meie jutuajamises arusaamatust, miks Eestis ollakse nii ükskõiksed päikeseenergia kasutamise võimaluste suhtes,
nagu oleks tegemist mingi poliitilise otsusega, sest isegi ühel diskussioonil, mis hiljuti antud teemal Tartus peeti,
räägiti vaid biomassist ja tuuleenergiast. Kuna hr. Saar ei saanud ise kohale tulla, palus ta osaleda Ain Kallisel,
oma kaastöötajal, kes oli ka üks eespool nimetatud teatmiku koostajatest.
Enne koosoleku algust võtsime Michaeli ja Suzannega, minu äripartneritega Energy Smart OÜst, auto peale Galina Rehkli,
kes elab samuti Kurenurmes ja on ka väga huvitatud antud teemast, tunneb kohalikku elanikkonda ja maaelu ning on alati
valmis meid aitama nõu ja jõuga.
Sõmerpalu koolis olid mõned huvilised meie sinna jõudes juba kohal. Michaelil oli kaasas kaks LED-tänavavalgustuslampi,
mille me panime kiiresti üles. Üks 25-vatine lamp oli sama ere kui 500W pirn – see ei lähe kuumaks, ei lõhke ja kestab 15 aastat.
Meie meelest oli oluline inimestele näidata selliseid lampe ja seda, et nad saaksid neid oma käega katsuda ning mõista,
kui erinevad on need tavapärastest säästupirnidest.
Meil oli väga hea meel, et kohale jõudis ka Ain Kallis, kes võttis esimesena sõna. Oma kõnes kinnitas ta,
et EMHI arvutused vastavad meie omadele, mis me olime saanud NASAlt ja et NASA omakorda saab kliimaandmed EMHIlt.
Ka on mõõtmised tõestanud, et Eestis peegeldab talvel pilvise ilmaga maas olev lumi rohkem valgust tagasi, kui juhul,
mil taevas oleks pilvitu ja päike paistaks. See tähendab aga, et päikeseenergial on talve tingimustes veelgi suurem tulevik,
kui me seni olime lootnud.
Ain Kallis esitas küsimuse päikesejälgijate usaldusväärsuse kohta, arvates, et need nõuavad kompuutreid, mis jälgiksid päikest,
Maa liikumist etc. Michael selgitas talle, et me ei mõõda mitte päikese kiirgust, vaid püüame kinni tema energiat.
Meie jälgijatel ei ole mingeid arvuteid, sest midagi pole vaja siin arvutiga teha. Meie jälgijad vajavad ainult sensoreid,
mis pööravad päikesepaneelid sinna, kus on kõige rohkem valgust. Selle selgitusega jäi rahule ka Ain Kallis.
Pärast koosolekut kohtusime mõnede talunikega ja meil oli hea meel kuulda, kui paljud juba kasutasid päikeseenergiat
vee soojendamiseks, aga ka tuuleenergiat biomassi tootmiseks. Seega on Euroopa Liidu rahad juba sellelgi alal
talumeesteni jõudnud. Julgustasime talunikke kasutama jõudsalt Eesti saadikuid Brüsselis ja ka Toompeal,
et Eesti kasutaks maksimaalselt ära ELi toetusrahade võimalusi päikeseenergia valdkonnas.
Eestis on meie andmete järgi rohkem päikesevalgust kui Ida-Saksamaal või Poolas, aga me pole sammugi liikunud selles suunas,
et seda energiat kasutada. Saksamaa ja Poola teevad seda aga hoogsalt. Raha liigub energiavõrgustikku pidi,
mille lõpus on pärast Poolat, Leedut ja Lätit Eesti. Talunikud peaksid eurorahade taotlemisel just järgmisel aastal eriti
aktiivsed olema, mil taastuvenergiale on EL kavandanud rohkesti toetusraha.
Kõige tähtsam ongi meeles pidada, et talunikule ei tule anda mitte kala, vaid tuleb ulatada õng.
Kuidas Viido Polikarpus naabritüdrukule energia säästmisest ja alternatiivenergiast rääkis.
Kõik Euroopa Liidu liikmesriigid on nõustunud sellega, et aastaks 2020 tuleb alandada süsihappegaasi õhku paiskamist
fossiilkütuste põletamise tagajärjel 20% võrra. Järelikult peab ka Eesti mahtuma selle kriteeriumi alla,
mis toob päevakorda alternatiivenergia probleemi. Isegi Kurenurme lapsed, kes käivad kohalikus Osula koolis,
arutasid tunnis taastuvenergia küsimuse üle.
Kui minu naabritüdruk Kristin viimati meil külas oli, lehitses ta läbi suure hulga reklaambrošüüre,
mis ma olin Hamburgist päikeseenergia konverentsilt toonud. Ta küsis, kuidas see kõik toimib. Isegi täiskasvanud,
kes küll mõistavad, et päikeselt saab energiat, ei tea enamasti, kuidas seda kasutada saab.
Kõigepealt selgitasin ma Kristinile, et ka põlevkivi on tekkinud päikeseenergiast, aga miljoneid aastaid tagasi.
Kui ma aga liigselt füüsikasse süvenesin, siis nägin, kuidas Kristini silmist peegeldus tahe kiiresti minu jutu eest plehku panna.
Nõnda pidin ma muutma oma taktikat. Palusin tal energia asemel mõtelda vee peale. Kujutame ette, et kogu Kurenurme saaks
oma vee Keema järvest. Keema järv on 36 meetrit sügav, üks sügavamaid Eestis. Võib juhtuda, et hästi palju inimesi läheb
järve suplema ja võtab sealt nii palju vett pesu pesemiseks, et järv hakkab kuivama. Tulevad kohale eksperdid, kes ütlevad,
et kui vee raiskamine jätkub, siis pole tulevikus lastel ja lastelastel enam kohta, kust vett võtta. Nüüd tulevad kõik laste
isad Kurenurmes kokku ja mõtlevad, mida peale hakata, et vesi otsa ei lõppeks. Üks tarkpea soovitab panna majade
katustele veeanumad, kuhu koguneks vihmavesi, talvel ka lumi, sellega kaetaks kõik vajadused vee järele ja järvevett
ei peaks enam kasutamagi. Mõte tundus päris toredana, kuni üks ema küsis, mis juhtub siis, kui vihma ei saja või kui
seda tuleb liiga palju, nii et vesi ujutab kogu maja üle. Probleemile leiti lahendus veetorude abil, mis üleliigse vee
katuselt ära otse järve juhiksid. Nüüd meeldis see mõte kõigile lastevanematele.
„Kas me peame vee eest ikka maksma?“ küsiti veel.
Üks veemõõtja mõõdab vee hulka, mis tuleb reservuaarist majja. Veemõõtja võib panna ka veetorusse, mis juhib vee katuselt
reservuaari. Esimesel juhul on tegemist kogusega, mille eest tuleb maksta, teise puhul aga antakse krediiti.
Kuu lõpul tuleb ametnik ja paneb need kaks numbrit kokku. Kui järve oli lastud 100 gallonit (3,79 liitrit - toim) vett,
aga tarbitud 60, siis maksab Kurenurme veekompanii tarbijale vaheraha. Nii võib teenida kasumit,
kuigi inimene ise on võib-olla kuskil kaugel maal puhkamas. Vähene kasutamine pole mitte kokkuhoid, vaid see on teenistus!
Sellise süsteemi kasutegur on silmaga näha – Keema järve mitte ei tühjendata, vaid see päästetakse.
Ka ei pea minema naabrite juurde uurima, kas nemad ei lubaks oma veereservuaarist vett võtta.
Naabrid võivad sinult nii palju raha küsida, et sul pole võimalik nendega kokkuleppele jõuda.
Võib juhtuda, et neil ei jätku vett enda jaokski. Ja pole tähtsuseta lisada, et sõdu on peetud väiksemategi asjade pärast.
Meie jaoks on tähtis hoida oma rahvuslikke loodusvarasid. Miks ei võiks Eestist saada Saudi Araabia sarnane riik
päikeseenergia küsimuses Põhja-Euroopas? Eestis on lauskmaad 80% pindalast.
Kui kunagi mõeldakse välja mingi parem energia saamise viis, siis on lihtne päikesepatareid maha võtta,
meie maad ja loodusvarasid ei ole keegi kuidagi kahjustatud. Päikesefarm võiks olla liidetud Euroopa energiavõrgustikuga,
nii et kõik teeniksid raha, kui päike paistab. Isegi lumi peegeldab nii palju energiat, et meie päikesepaneelid oleksid töös ka talvel.
Kristinile meeldisid minu mõttekäigud, aga ta kahtles tõsiselt, kas ujumine on lastele tõesti kõige olulisem asi.