Seb Berry (third from the right) and members of RePower Ukraine at their recent London team meeting | Credit: RePower Ukraine
It is more important than ever that the solar sector and UK companies redouble their efforts to support and fund our brave and inspirational Ukrainian colleagues, writes Dr Seb Berry from RePower Ukraine
At Solarcentury in the early 2000's we used to talk a lot about being on the "frontline" of the energy transformation, and our seemingly daily battles against the oil and gas incumbency. It was a good metaphor for its time, and it served its purpose. 25 years on, our old UK solar "battles" of course pale into very minor insignificance when compared to the extraordinary challenges and dangers facing our colleagues in the Ukrainian solar and storage sectors. They are dealing with the most intense and unrelenting challenges on a daily and nightly basis and have been doing so now for month after month after month. Over four very long years.
Operating in a war zone means working in a reality where up to 70 per cent of Ukraine's power generation infrastructure has been destroyed. The crisis is particularly devastating for the healthcare sector with over 2,550 facilities across 817 medical institutions damaged or completely ruined, resulting in the tragic deaths of 359 medical workers. In frontline regions such as Kharkiv and Sumy, providing solar energy is not a 'nice to do' addition, it's a direct line of defence to keep operating theatres, intensive care units and life-support systems running when the central grid goes down. This is the reality of trying to deliver solar solutions in Ukraine.
As a UK ambassador for the inspirational charity RePower Ukraine, I've been struck by the quiet yet steely determination of my Ukrainian colleagues. Outwardly at least, nothing seems to faze them. They are just focused on getting on with the job of providing practical solar solutions for frontline hospitals and other urgent projects.
For example, the Slobozhanske community in the Kharkiv region is just 35km from the frontline. When a Russian attack destroyed the local thermal power plant, RePower Ukraine, with the help of UK companies and associations, stepped in to fund and supply a 36.5kWp rooftop solar plant and battery storage system for Slobozhanske hospital. This ensured uninterrupted medical operations for an outpatient clinic serving 50,000 patients annually. In addition, a dedicated solar plant and energy storage system was installed at the local municipal water plant to guarantee continuous clean water for local residents. Three local schools were also provided with portable power stations to keep classes going during blackouts. In these and countless other ways, RePower is bringing essential services and much needed hope to Ukrainians coping with the grim reality and daily dangers of living in a war zone.
Those very obvious dangers were illustrated starkly back in May of this year when a massive Russian air attack against Kyiv destroyed RePower Ukraine's offices and hit hundreds of other buildings in the city. Mercifully, no RePower staff were hurt, but the attack did injure the RePower Ukraine's building security guard. Yet another innocent civilian casualty of ongoing Russian aggression, and a reminder of the daily dangers facing solar and other essential workers in Ukraine.
As Svitlana Vovchenko, managing director of the RePower Ukraine Foundation, has said: "The recent Russian attack that damaged the RePower Ukraine offices serves as a stark reminder of daily risks. While our core team miraculously remained safe, the physical destruction of our workspace underscores the extreme conditions under which our frontline installers and staff are driving the country's energy resilience."
As UK media interest in Ukraine has waned from its height at the beginning of the war, it's important that Solar Energy UK and UK companies redouble their efforts to support and fund our brave and inspirational Ukrainian colleagues. The Slobozhanske installations show what can be done with continued donations and in-kind support to deliver urgent practical, often lifesaving solar and storage installations. RePower can do much more, and have further hospital projects in the pipeline, but they need our urgent help.
As Vovchenko put it after the attack on RePower's offices: "Walls can be rebuilt and windows can be replaced. We will restore everything just like every Ukrainian does. Our commitment to ensuring Ukraine's green recovery and energy independence remains unshaken."
Please get involved and support this most urgent of solar frontline appeals.
You can support RePower Ukraine's funding appeal here.
Dr Seb Berry is a UK ambassador for RePower Ukraine, a former vice-president of SolarPower Europe, and a former vice-chair of Solar Energy UK.
