Ecology, Energy, Estonia, Good for Business

"The solar power plant will reduce the electricity costs of the Uuemoisa mast by a third, and the payback period for a plant constructed without subsidies is from seven to eight years," Chairman of the Board of AS Levira Tiit Tammiste said.

He said that the plant at Uuemoisa, not far from the northwestern city of Haapsalu, is a pilot project. As the next step, Levira plans to establish solar power plants at the Rakvere and Viljandi masts, and also at the larger masts at Koeru or Valgjarve, next year.

Tammiste highlighted the environmental aspect of the project, as thanks to the use of solar power, nearly 30 tons of carbon dioxide would not be emitted into the air in a year and 43.5 tons of oil shale would be saved.

Levira's annual energy consumption is 11,500 megawatt-hours, making it one of the largest energy consumers in Estonia after industrial enterprises.

All Levira masts are equipped with UPS backup power supply systems and all major masts have diesel generators, which allows them to keep 90% of Estonia's TV and radio broadcasting in operation during a blackout.

"Solar power helps increase the operational security of the masts. This is especially important in emergency situations like natural disasters, where FM radio may be the only channel for forwarding urgent messages to the population. Levira has created conditions for the uninterrupted operation of its masts under all circumstances," Tammiste added.

The annual power output of the new solar power plant at Uuemoisa, installed by Taastuvenergia OU, is around 29 megawatt-hours. The power generated by the plant will be used for the maintenance of the mast, while it is also possible to sell electricity to the customers of Levira using the services of the mast.

Levira's telecommunications masts are the tallest in Estonia, measuring up to 349 meters in height. In total, Levira has 22 masts across Estonia, which are used by all Estonian telecommunications companies, TV stations operating in Estonia and most Estonian radio stations, as well as security companies and various state and research institutions.

Levira is the main TV and radio network operator in Estonia and the owner of one of the largest data centers in Estonia.