Screenshots_2024-12-03-03-52-15.png
Ukrainians find new energy sources to avoid winter blackouts
Valerii Pyndyk, chairman of the board of a housing association, is pictured on the roof of an apartment building, where solar panels have been installed, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine,
Valerii Pyndyk, chairman of the board of a housing association, is pictured on the roof of an apartment building, where solar panels have been installed, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine, November 14.
Briefing
Ukrainians innovate to avoid winter power outages
Valerii Pyndyk, standing on the roof of a 16-story residential building in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, pointed to rows of solar panels. He hopes the installation, one of the first of its kind by Kiev residents, will help the roughly 1,000 families living in the building weather what could be Ukraine's harshest winter since the Russian occupation began. "The idea came when we had power outages in the summer. "We, the board of the housing association, realized that if we had blackouts in the summer, then in the winter they would not be shorter, but longer," said Pyndyk, 49, who heads the association. 00:08
Electricity woes in Nigeria persist as solar adoption stalls
The previous two winters of war were already difficult, but Russia has now stepped up its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March. About half of Ukraine's generating capacity has been knocked out and distribution networks have also been damaged. In Kiev, daily eight-hour power outages are common and people plan their days around when electricity is expected to be available, including waiting in cafes for elevators to work if they live near the top of high-rise buildings.
Some residents and businesses have rushed to install new generating capacity in an effort to access energy independent of the central power system. "In Ukraine, the general trend is towards energy independence, starting with small customers (consumers) and ending with businesses," said Serhiy Kovalenko, CEO of Yasno, a large energy supplier. The strategies include more electricity imports from Ukraine's western neighbors, purchases of generators and alternative energy sources, including solar panels, batteries and small turbine generators, analysts said.
Yasno, which supplies electricity and gas to more than 3.5 million consumers and up to 100,000 businesses, offers options that include solar panels and storage batteries and inverters. "The demand is very high," Kovalenko told Reuters. "This fall we installed up to eight megawatts, next year we will install up to 30-35 megawatts.
Eight megawatts in this case is enough to power a dozen businesses, the company said.
SECURITY ASPECTS
Russia has damaged or destroyed all of Ukraine's power and hydroelectric power plants. In monetary terms, the total damage to Ukraine's energy sector exceeds $56 billion, including $16 billion in direct physical destruction and more than $40 billion in indirect financial losses, according to estimates by the Kyiv School of Economics. The country has increasingly relied on nuclear generation, making it difficult to balance the amount of electricity on the grid, especially during the morning and evening peak hours when retail consumption increases.
[attachment deleted by admin]