25.06.2026
On June 18, Kyiv hosted the Energy Club technical experts’ forum “From Project to Megawatt: Engineering of New Energy in Ukraine”, which became a platform for a practical conversation about how energy facilities are actually being created in Ukraine today.
The focus of the discussion was not on general strategic statements, but on applied issues: connection to networks, design of solar power plants, renewable energy sources, energy storage systems (BESS/UZE), cogeneration, as well as typical mistakes that hinder the implementation of projects. Separately, financial models, regulatory requirements, and interaction between engineers, customers, and network operators were discussed.
One of the forum speakers was Olga Slyshynska, head of sales at Solar Garden, who focused on practical barriers to implementing energy projects – from technical conditions to legal support and financial modeling.
In her speech, Olga Slyshynska emphasized that the key starting stage of any energy project is obtaining technical specifications, without which it is impossible to move forward correctly.
“Everything always begins with technical specifications. As an EPC company, we do not start designing or selecting equipment until we have them in hand,” she noted.
The head of the sales department of Solar Garden also drew attention to the fact that even with simplified procedures in the state, the process of obtaining and approving documents still remains a critical time factor.
“The customer often perceives UZE as an “energy flow””
The speaker placed special emphasis on the difference between the technical vision of engineers and the expectations of investors: “Customers often look at energy saving installations as EcoFlow: just install them and they work when there is no light.”
According to her, this leads to errors in technical specifications and financial models, especially when it comes to complex scenarios for the operation of energy storage systems and their interaction with the network and generation.
Olga Slyshynska emphasized that the technical task should be formed in a dialogue between the customer and engineers: “I am against customers simply writing the technical specifications. It needs to be formed together with engineers.”
The head of the sales department of Solar Garden described typical practical delays that project developers face – from the approval of external networks to the transfer of documents between institutions.
It was separately emphasized that even relatively simple administrative procedures can take weeks, and sometimes longer, due to bureaucratic chains and the lack of digitalization at all levels.
Another important The speech block concerned financial modeling of energy projects. According to Olga Slyshynska, technical restrictions included in the terms of accession can significantly change the economics of the project.
“Banks will not approve a financial model if it does not meet the technical conditions. And then the project enters a new circle,” she stated.
The speaker also noted that restrictions such as charging the UZE exclusively from the solar power plant can radically change the business logic of the investment project.
Summing up her speech, Olga Slyshynska emphasized the need for a holistic approach to the implementation of energy projects, where engineering, finance, law and commercial logic work synchronously from the very beginning.
The Energy Club Forum in this context became a platform where the main practical conclusion was recorded: a successful energy project today is not only technology, but first of all a correctly built process from the first technical solution before commissioning.
