23.09.2026
Energy storage systems should not only provide opportunities for price arbitrage but also strengthen the energy resilience and competitiveness of businesses. Vitalii Khrypun, Head of Direct Sales at Solar Stalkonstruktsiia LLC, discussed the company’s practical experience in implementing such projects during the Energy Club forum “Energy Freedom: Resilience and New Opportunities in Ukraine’s Energy Storage Market,” held in Kyiv on 17 September.
At the beginning of his presentation, Vitalii Khrypun noted that Ukrainian installers and energy equipment integrators had gradually become like-minded partners working together to develop the energy storage market. Solar Stalkonstruktsiia has experience with various types of storage systems, ranging from small cabinet-based solutions for businesses to utility-scale containerised systems designed for price arbitrage and participation in the ancillary services market. A distinctive feature of the company is that it operates not only as an installer but also invests in energy storage projects itself. This allows it to assess equipment and business models from the perspectives of both the solution provider and its future owner. “We have valuable experience from this synergy: we offer products to end customers while also acting as an end customer ourselves. As a result, we have set a very high standard for the integration of such projects,” Vitalii Khrypun explained.
A significant part of the company’s experience in 2025–2026 involved projects focused on the day-ahead market. These include solar generation facilities supplemented with energy storage systems to adapt them to the current electricity market pricing model and improve overall investment efficiency.
According to Vitalii Khrypun, the combined capacity of these projects is approximately 190 MWh, while the estimated payback period for certain solutions under favourable conditions may be around four years. “To maximise efficiency, we are adapting our solar generation projects by installing energy storage systems,” the speaker said.
The company has also participated in auctions in the ancillary services market and won one of them. The implementation of this project provided practical experience in combining two different operating models for a storage facility. During a designated part of the day, the system provides frequency restoration reserves. After that period, it can be used to sell electricity through a trader under a price-arbitrage model. “We have managed to combine two markets. The system first operates in the ancillary services market and then sells electricity through a trader using an arbitrage model. This can potentially improve the project’s payback,” Vitalii Khrypun said.
He identified a five-year contract with NPC Ukrenergo as an advantage of this model, as it creates a predictable basis for financial planning. However, such auctions are held infrequently, meaning this opportunity is not available to every investor.
Vitalii Khrypun described a behind-the-meter energy storage system installed at a company’s premises as the most attractive option for Ukrainian businesses. Such a system can be charged during low-price periods, discharge electricity into the company’s internal network when prices are higher and keep the facility operating inва island mode. “In our view, this is currently the most attractive model in the Ukrainian market. Banks are willing to finance it, it offers better payback indicators and it is less dependent on regulatory decisions because the company itself is the guaranteed consumer of the electricity,” he emphasised.
This model is particularly important for critical infrastructure facilities, including municipal water utilities and businesses whose production processes cannot be interrupted even during prolonged power outages.
According to Vitalii Khrypun, combining a solar power plant with an energy storage system can enable a facility to switch automatically to island mode in less than 20 milliseconds. “It is essential for critical infrastructure to remain operational even during prolonged outages. We have achieved a transition to island mode in less than 20 milliseconds,” he reported.
However, the technical ability to make such a rapid transition depends on more than the battery’s characteristics. The inverter, control system and other components must be selected correctly, taking into account the actual behaviour of the facility’s loads. Before beginning project design, the company studies the facility’s consumption profile, peak demand, equipment starting currents and the configuration of its internal electricity network in detail. “Without an in-depth understanding of the load profile, starting currents and the facility’s operating modes, we cannot select the equipment properly. That is why we examine the audit stage in maximum detail and only then proceed to select the necessary solution,” Vitalii Khrypun explained.
The quality of the equipment, the reliability of the brand, the speed of the service team’s response to faults and the actual fulfilment of warranty obligations are also important.
The speaker identified the failure to consider the project’s underlying data as one of the principal hidden risks in BESS projects. A decision to install an energy storage system should not be made without a feasibility study or an in-depth analysis of the facility’s load profile. “Preparing a feasibility study, conducting an in-depth load analysis and collecting the necessary input data are key tasks in every project. Municipal utilities and critical infrastructure facilities must complete this stage before deciding whether to proceed,” he stressed.
Such an analysis may reveal the need to reconstruct the company’s internal electricity network. In some cases, the volume of additional work may be substantial enough to require financing under international support programmes.
Vitalii Khrypun emphasised that energy storage should not be regarded solely as a means of earning money from price differences. For a business, it can become an instrument for maintaining its competitive position, reducing energy costs and ensuring operational continuity. Installing storage together with a company’s own solar generation makes it possible to use lower-cost electricity, reduce dependence on fuel and remain prepared for prolonged power outages. “In addition to arbitrage, a company can secure lower-cost electricity through its own solar generation. An installed energy storage system helps it remain competitive, preserve its market position and prepare for prolonged outages,” the representative of Solar Stalkonstruktsiia said.
At the same time, the company takes a more cautious view of standalone utility-scale storage facilities that do not have their own generation source and rely exclusively on the balancing market, ancillary services or price arbitrage.
As an investor, Solar Stalkonstruktsiia primarily considers projects that combine solar generation with energy storage. In this model, the solar power plant provides a source of lower-cost electricity for charging the battery, while the storage system makes it possible to sell or use that electricity during the most advantageous periods. According to the company’s estimates, the payback period for such projects may range from four to six years, depending on their complexity and selected operating modes. “Businesses are implementing these projects to secure their own survival and their ability to operate over the long term. At the same time, this is also a first step towards creating a decentralised energy system in which the private sector supports the state,” Vitalii Khrypun concluded.
