Greenpeace Showcases Energy Resilience in Ukraine: Hybrid Solar Systems for Schools and Clinics
Greenpeace Showcases Energy Resilience in Ukraine: Hybrid Solar Systems for Schools and Clinics
Hostomel, Mykolaiv, 27th March 2024 - To reduce negative impacts and costs of emergency diesel generators, Greenpeace installed two hybrid batteries and solar systems in Ukrainian public facilities. Installations in a school in the Hostomel community in Kyiv Oblast and an outpatient clinic in Mykolaiv should reduce the use of generators, and provide more security for the citizens even in the face of the new Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. The system will help Ukrainians to study and receive medical care even during potential power outages. After this approach is successfully tested, such a project can be scaled up to more schools and public facilities in Ukraine, especially those close to the frontline and with a fragile energy supply. This project is another example of the huge potential and benefits of solar energy.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine called the Russian shelling on March 22, 2024 one the largest attack on energy facilities in Ukraine since the beginning of a full-scale war. Given the increase in missile attacks and the unpredictability of their consequences, Greenpeace seeks to support the energy sustainability of Ukrainians in the most effective and ecological way.
Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been under relentless attack during the ongoing war, with Russian forces targeting power plants, distribution substations, and combined heat and power facilities. The consequences have been dire: Ukrainians were often left without electricity, heat, water, and communication. According to the Kyiv School of Economics, direct damage to the Ukrainian energy sector reached a staggering $8.8 billion by June 2023.
During blackouts, Ukrainians faced immense challenges. To keep essential services functioning – from government offices and businesses to schools and kindergartens – hundreds of thousands of diesel generators were imported, connected with huge costs and negative side effects.
Greenpeace’s initiative persists to prove that Ukrainians can have reliable and uninterrupted electricity during power outages by combining solar panels with battery storage, which reduces dependence on the unreliable grid. The systems are funded by Greenpeace Germany and Greenpeace Germany Environmental Foundation, to showcase that even in the face of aggression, Ukrainian citizens can have access to essential services.
“Such an additional hybrid system with solar panels can significantly reduce the amount of diesel and its negative impacts, such as running costs, pollution and noise. Besides positive environmental impacts, the investment can become economic, and at the same time offer increased energy security for the public facilities. So far this untapped potential and huge benefits of solar energy has been highly underrated by the Ukrainian Government and the international community”, said Polina Kolodiazhna, project manager Green reconstruction of Ukraine.
Greenpeace aimed to demonstrate that solar energy is the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to increase energy security and resilience in Ukraine municipalities in the short term, while calling on the Ukrainian government to scale up ambitions accordingly. Progressive municipalities need to be put in the center of the strategy to guide the way towards decarbonization and sustainable practices. On the path to reach so much needed independence, resilience and security, Ukraine has an opportunity to set an example and become a leader of new solutions and technologies, a lighthouse for renewable energy and a sustainable future.


