01.07.2025
After three years of war, the Ukrainian power system remains under daily threat. In these conditions, energy independence has ceased to be just a buzzword – it has become a guarantee of uninterrupted operation for communities and enterprises.
If a few years ago, autonomous sources were considered as a supplement to the centralized network, today they are often the basic element of local energy strategies.
Energy independence without subsidies: how does it work
But how to ensure the profitability of autonomous generation? Experience shows that own generation can be profitable even without budget subsidies.
The key to success is the correctly chosen technical model and connection to the unified power system. For example, cogeneration plants in basic mode are able to provide not only autonomy, but also work in synchrony with the Unified Power System, which opens up access to the market and allows you to sell surpluses.
Another element is commercial dispatching: load management based on hourly prices of the DAM (day-ahead market) can bring an additional 5-8 million UAH for each megawatt of capacity per year.
For enterprises with lower capacity, the “active consumer” model is ideal: concluding an agreement with the supplier and participating in Net Billing (self-generation of electricity). A more advanced tool is participation in aggregated groups – this allows you to smooth out imbalances, avoid fines and earn more without unnecessary risks.
The cornerstone in many cases remains obtaining financing for the construction of the energy facility itself. But practice proves that this issue is not insoluble.
For example, in Chernivtsi region, four projects worth over 160 million UAH are being implemented within the framework of the Recovery Program of Ukraine. Among them are the construction of a 1 MW cogeneration plant in the city of Chernivtsi and a new modular solid fuel boiler house in the lyceum of the village of Vanchykivtsi. The financing was obtained with the assistance of the European Investment Bank. This is an example of how international aid is transformed into long-term solutions for energy security.
Autonomous solutions are also being sought in the Kharkiv region. Solar panels have been installed in the villages of the Balakliya community to power water-pressure equipment. Thanks to the batteries, the rural infrastructure receives water even on cloudy days. In Kharkiv itself, solar power plants have appeared in a number of hospitals, and funds for the purchase of equipment were provided by benefactors.
Trend in SPPs: trust, economy, ESG
Solar energy is a key element of the energy independence strategy for communities and enterprises. The installation of commercial solar power plants is becoming an increasingly attractive option, especially if there are compensation programs or preferential financing, which significantly shorten the return on investment.
At the same time, the plant can pay for itself in 2-3 years and faster if there are compensation programs or preferential loans.
Prices for equipment for solar power plants remain at a favorable level. Photovoltaic modules and inverters have fallen in price by an average of 30% in recent years, and batteries by 1.5 times.
This creates a window of opportunity, but there are also risks. The cost of installation will increase: the industry is moving towards licensing, which means standardization and a higher price for a high-quality installation.
Solar power plants are attractive not only for their economy. They are also a response to modern ESG challenges: reducing emissions, reputation in the market, access to international partnerships.
One of the most active cases today is Vinnytsia. More than 33 thousand solar panels with a total capacity of over 17 MW have already been installed here.
The vast majority of facilities belong to businesses.
Currently, the cost of a solar power plant, depending on the configuration, is on average about $1,000 per kW of installed capacity and is tending to decrease.
The city has also introduced a local incentive program: enterprises can receive compensation of up to 30% of costs, but not more than 1 million UAH. The condition is to be registered in the Vinnytsia community and not have tax debts. Compensation is provided only after the actual commissioning of the station.
Innovations on land: “agrovoltaics”
An interesting example is also the installation of the Ganskaya SPP on an area of 30 hectares near the city of Berdychiv in the Zhytomyr region. Here, solar electricity was “combined” with the cultivation of berries and sheep breeding.
Traditionally, the problem of such installations is mowing the grass that grows between the panels and, most importantly, under them. If the plants touch the panels, this will create fire risks. The installation structure can be made higher, but this increases construction costs. Therefore, the Danish experience was borrowed – sheep are “engaged” in mowing the grass. This not only brings additional income from sheep farming, but also allows you to save on maintenance work on the station.
Moreover, 1.5 hectares of the area, where the terrain prevented the installation of solar panels, were planted with strawberries and blueberries, which have a stable demand on the market. Automatic watering works from the energy of the panels themselves.
This is an example of how even an industrial solar power plant can be turned into a multifunctional facility.
Energoavton omia is an investment in stability
So Ukrainians are not waiting for centralized solutions and are building their own energy independence themselves. Today’s investments in autonomous installations, solar power plants and storage systems are not only protection against blackouts. This is a long-term strategy that pays off not only in hryvnia, but also in trust, security and sustainable development.
Investments in autonomous generation are not only about electricity. It is about new standards for managing public resources, strategic stability for business and a specific response to the challenges of war. Solar power plants, cogeneration and modern management systems can be a source of additional income, not just an expense item.
Ukrainian communities and enterprises have already proven: local solutions work. The task of the state is not to interfere, but to create favorable conditions. And then every megawatt of own generation will become a contribution to a safe and self-sufficient energy future.
About the author: Yevhen Korf is CEO of NVP ENERGO-PLUS LLC, an expert in energy management, engineer and public figure.
He heads a company specializing in the production and modernization of energy equipment, implements complex projects in the field of distributed generation and renewable energy, energy audit and automation of infrastructure facilities.
He is a deputy of the Poltava Regional Council and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Kremenchuk National University named after Mykhailo Ostrohradsky. He actively supports science, education and the restoration of the energy sector of Ukraine.
Yevhen Korf has over 25 years of experience in managing industrial, energy and manufacturing enterprises.
Deputy of the Avtozavodsk District Council (Kremenchuk) – 2011, deputy of the Poltava Regional Council of the VIII convocation – since 2020.
Co-author of the scientific article “Using the integral ecological result of anthropogenic activity”.
Patent developer: “System for cleaning soapstocks by the process of electrification of oil from sulfates by electrolysis”.
Since April 2024 – member of the Supervisory Board of Kremenchuk National University named after M. Ostrohradsky.
Awarded the Diploma of the Chairman of the Avtozavodsk District Council, the Cross of Honor (order of the commander of the 95th Motorized Rifle Brigade No. 2118 dated 08/22/2023), the Cross of Honor of the 117th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (order of the commander of the 117th Motorized Rifle Brigade No. 4444 dated 09/28/2024).
Life credo: “The most valuable thing is people.”
