At April’s Solar & Storage Live London, which took place at ExCeL London, the Xtra team interviewed Artem Semenyshyn, RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation.
Artem discussed RePower Ukraine’s hard work following the war in Ukraine, the support the foundation received at the show, and how the energy industry can help to support Ukraine during this time.
Artem Semenyshyn, RePower Ukraine Charitable Foundation
“Energy is everything; it’s light, internet, Wi-Fi, the phone. If you don’t have energy, you are completely shut down from life – not just from what you need.”
Xtra: What is the latest from RePower Ukraine’s foundation?
Artem: RePower Ukrainian is taking part in this amazing event, and this is the first time we have represented the Foundation in the UK.
We are grateful for this opportunity to talk about the situation in Ukraine, its energy sphere and energy dimension, and to raise the question about energy poverty which has occurred in Ukraine because of the war.
Today we are representing, not only the foundation but also our country, as RePower Ukraine is the only spot in this exhibition that’s represented by Ukrainians.
We have received a lot of visits from different people to give their support for our country and RePower’s fight for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. To help municipalities get their own electricity back supply from the rooftop panels and to also have backup storage for that.
I will also be using this opportunity to be grateful to Terrapinn who invited us to take part [today], for supporting us and our visit here as participants at this amazing event.
I personally understand that this year is very crucial for Ukrainian resilience and for energy backup systems. In March and April 2024, a lot of damage has been done to our energy infrastructure. Also, there are not enough electricity production capacities in [other] countries. Solar and storage are the best answer to the issue.
We also promote Ukraine as a destination for investments, for donors, and we hope that these people will also become our friends as we together rebuild Ukraine better. This is the principle: ‘Build Back Better’.
Xtra: What conversations are you excited to have at Solar & Storage Live London?
Artem: First of all, there are very interesting discussions here at [the show’s] sessions, and there are also a lot of interesting talks with companies that actually represent the solar energy market of the UK.
We hope that this joint understanding of the situation in Ukraine and the desire to rebuild the country together is the core topic of our discussions.
We have been approached by a lot of people, visitors, and exhibitors from this event who have all been interested in what’s going on in Ukraine. Asking: how will you continue to live?
Of course, there are plenty of challenges for that, but we don’t have another option. We are in our country, and we want to live in our homes. Now this is a challenge because the energy infrastructure has been destroyed.
Energy is everything; it’s light, internet, Wi-Fi, the phone. If you don’t have energy, you are completely shut down from life – not just from what you need.
The Ukrainian energy infrastructure unfortunately experienced huge damage over the last two years. A hydropower plant that was a dam that flooded dozens of cities. There are talks on proposals to turn more power plants into other hydropower plants, [because] even the solar power plants were destroyed.
All the energy [sector] has a strong resilience. Some are vulnerable, especially big, concentrated power plants. But solar energy provides the benefits of the centralised energy system, which is more resilient because it’s more autonomous and you can produce energy and consume it at the same place. This is important, and how it is a benefit.
We are discussing today [at the show] how to combine our issues and challenges with the advantages and benefits provided currently by solar and storage technologies.
Xtra: Can you describe the current landscape of Ukraine’s solar market?
Artem: The solar energy market in Ukraine was booming. In 2019, we deployed a little bit more large-scale solar capacity than Germany, and that was the game changer. More and more people noticed solar and it became a business.
Now, because of the war, much fewer investments are coming to our country, and a lot of money is still coming through the energy system, with new projects for self-consumption [in the works].
Currently in Ukraine sometimes it’s difficult to find equipment on the market. If you want to build your plant this month, you need to wait for some equipment.
Of course, there are some logistical challenges, but the demand is growing. That’s good because [solar] business understands the risks – that [plants] need to be completely shut down in the fall, so they invest money in new projects, they become more self-sufficient and independent.
They also save a lot of money because it’s quite cheap. The electricity generated by solar power plants is the cheapest possible electricity. According to ARENA and other international organisations, it will be the leading and cheapest source of energy.
The Ukrainian market now is growing very slowly, but we are growing. The Ukrainian market has just started to grow in a real way: we forecast new additions of capacities. We need at least 3.5GW of solar capacity in the next two years to be installed, as communicated by our government. Also, we need a lot of balancing capacities and the energy storage here is the core solution to it.
I see a huge space for new projects, for collaboration. I see interest from investors and we are ready to act. We are ready to go and build a more resilient and stable country with renewables.
Xtra: Why is it important to be at Solar & Storage Live London and why are events like this so important?
Artem: This exhibition is the flagship exhibition in the UK devoted to solar and storage. I’ve been to dozens of exhibitions dedicated to solar all over the world. I’ve been the chair of a solar association for four years in Ukraine – so I have attended a lot [of shows], but this is the first time I’ve come here to see how the market is reflecting the growth of the members represented here.
I’ve also come here as a RePower Ukraine volunteer. This year we are representing with a booth, showing the foundation’s projects.
There are a couple of projects in our pipeline. They’re projects for hospitals where we help hospitals to get more energy independence. We build rooftop PV plants for hospitals, and we also add storage so critical departments of the hospitals can function even for just three hours without electricity from the grid.
So that’s the core of it – to reach more companies who can support us based on the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This is very beneficial to a company
Because if companies become more familiar with the market and vice versa, it’s a good marketing step as well for every company.
As mentioned today, a lot of renewable energy companies benefited significantly from the growth of electricity prices. The renewable energy market was growing because the prices were so high.
But what was the reason why the prices have risen? [It is] because of the war in Ukraine, uncertainty in the markets, the impact on global prices, on energy resources before the war which made Western countries more fragile. Those are the reasons why renewables were rising.
Oil and autocracy pushed the development of solar. Fossil fuels – dictatorship in other words – pushed the development of renewables globally. That’s the paradox of 2022 and 2023.
[At the show] we are reaching out to companies, and we are open for collaborations.
Ukraine has unfortunately suffered huge challenges [to its infrastructure] – Ukraine has over 6500 hospitals only. We are also talking about schools, kindergartens, and water treatment facilities. There are so many more [that we need help with], and of course, we cannot do it ourselves. It’s a huge impact.
We still need a huge amount of support and solidarity but, we defend, not only our country but also our values as well as those we share with other European countries. And with the citizens of UK and the Western world.
We really, think that this is common sense for understanding our energy policy and how to talk about it with companies. We see that companies appreciate us, and we received a very good response from them to our calls for support and donations for Ukraine.
Missed out on Solar & Storage Live London, or want to come back for more? Don’t miss the Birmingham edition from 24-26 September.
