The European Commission has helped Ukraine to secure 5,876 solar panels to aid hospitals throughout the country via an agreement, according to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry.
Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been impacted by the Russo-Ukrainian war, with attacks from Russia increasingly causing instability and interruptions to Ukraine’s power.
Highlighting the impact of these interruptions, from May 15th Ukraine has implemented rolling blackouts to lessen the effect. In Ukraine’s energy crisis, the agreement with the European Commission has been dubbed a “Ray of Hope”.
Uninterrupted power
Viktor Liashko, Ukraine’s Health Minister said in a statement: “In the conditions of constant attacks by Russia on Ukraine’s energy system, the medical infrastructure becomes very vulnerable. Power outages affect the operation of hospitals.”
In a bid to reinforce hospitals’ access to electricity, and thereby stable access to medical care, Liashko explained that the country would move towards energy independence through alternative energy sources. This includes equipping the hospitals with solar panels.
The panels have been manufactured by Italian developer Enel and will provide a total capacity of around 2MW of electricity for several Ukrainian cities. After these, the number of hospitals receiving panels is expected to increase.
The Energy Ministry additionally stated that the equipment needed to install the panels will be funded by the international Ukraine Energy Support Fund.
In April, Solar & Storage Xtra spoke to Artem Semenyshyn from the RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation. Artem talked more about the state of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and how the international community has come to the country’s aid, as well as RePower’s important work within the country.
Read more here.
[Image: Ukraine’s shipment of solar panels. Image credit: Ukrainian Ministry of Energy]
