estonia-2030_en

utilisation of local resources and the development of micro-energy, priority is with the increasedutilisation of smart grids 8 and the creation of the appropriate infrastructure in households for consolidatingexcess energy into a single grid. This will also support decentralised energy production.Allocating resources to smart grids will produce the best result in economic terms if the technologyneeded for it is developed in Estonia.At the moment, it is economically efficient and conceivable in terms of energy security to utiliseturbine power plants running on natural gas primarily as emergency backup plants or for producingpeak energy. As units producing basic energy, they will be feasible only after an additional supplysource is created – for instance, the construction of an LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal in Estonia(in Paldiski or Muuga) or the connection of our natural-gas network to a single network shared withthe neighbouring nations. Biogas with a purity matching Estonian-produced bio-methane could alsobe supplied into the general gas network.One of the future trends in energy might be the construction of a nuclear power plant on the northcoast of Estonia. If it goes forward, the location of the nuclear power plant will be selected based ondedicated investigations, planning and an environmental impact assessment. A county or thematicplan will need to be initiated. Before a nuclear power plant is constructed, the risks of a majoraccident and its impact on settlement in Estonia and its neighbouring nations will need to beassessed.The productivity of a nuclear power plant will clearly exceed the needs of the internal market, as aresult of which the state will need to weigh up seriously the expediency of the investments to bemade, the load that will impact on external connections, security of supply, risks, dependence on asingle producer and so on. At the same time, the cost of the disposal of nuclear waste is not known.In a critical situation, the nuclear power plant may entail a major risk and the need for an extensiveevacuation of residents.Currently, heat energy is being produced from local fuels (wood, peat and other biomass) or importedfossil fuels (gas, liquid fuels and coal). Although the consumption of fossil fuels will remain significantin larger urban communities in the near future, the share of heat energy produced from local fuels andwaste (rubbish, wastewater and others) will increase. In areas with water-filled mine shafts, nearbodies of water and in areas with shifting groundwater, it would make sense to consider utilisingEarth-heat pumps for supplying the heat needs of urban regions.To increase the efficiency of the utilisation of heat energy, settlement structure, the compactness ofurban regions and multi-functionality need to be kept in mind. Considering these features will supply478 A smart grid is an electrical network that consolidates the behaviour and activity patterns of all the usersconnected to it in order to ensure a sustainable, economically efficient and reliable electricity supply (Eurelectric).