ERR in Kyiv: Residents brace for power outages using solar energy
Ukraine is bracing for a harsh winter ahead, as more than half of the country's energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian missile and drone attacks. To at least partially shield themselves from power outages, some Ukrainians are turning to the sun.
In one high-rise apartment building in Kyiv, the elevators are powered by solar panels installed on the roof. The panels were installed this summer, to provide electricity to residents during outages.
"We use solar energy every day," acknowledged Igor Kondenko, one of the residents of the building. "Despite it being mid-fall, today is a sunny day. Today we're using only solar energy. We also managed to charge the batteries, and after sundown, our building will be powered solely by these batteries."
The installation of this solar power plant would not have been possible without support from the Ukrainian Energy Efficiency Fund (EEF).
"Our funding covers up to 70 percent of the cost of equipment, but not more than one million hryvnia [€25,000]," explained Ukrainian EEF director Yegor Fareniuk.
"We also cover the costs of energy audits before and after the installation of the solar power plant," he continued. "This provides the opportunity to use solar energy to maintain the building: to light stairwells and ensure the operation of the water pumps and elevators and so on."
But what about in the apartments themselves?
"You can install an inverter and batteries in the apartment," Kondenko noted. "Many residents have done so, myself included. This way you can cover the apartment's electricity needs from four hours to an entire day or even more."
A couple of floors below the roof is the solar plant's control center.
"Behind me is the heart of this system, of the solar power plant," demonstrated Ukrainian EEF technical director Dmytro Syrykh. "It consists of three main parts – solar panels, a hybrid inverter and batteries."
Five years ago, the Energy Efficiency Fund was established with the goal of supporting the green transition, but the war has changed those plans.
"I'll be honest, the current goal of this program is to help people survive the harsh winter in their homes – that's goal number one," Syrykh explained. "Goal number two is to support the green transition and energy production from clean sources. This program partly contributes to that goal too."
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Editor: Merili Nael, Aili Vahtla
