07.09.2026
Investments in own solar generation are becoming increasingly attractive for Ukrainian business. However, today’s economic model for solar power plants (SPPs) differs significantly from the simple scenario of installing panels, generating electricity, and earning by selling it to the grid.
The market situation shows: the greatest value of an SPP for an enterprise lies primarily in reducing costs for its own energy consumption. And a properly selected configuration of generation and energy storage systems makes it possible to further increase the economic effect.
The electricity market operates on a basic economic principle: when supply exceeds demand, the price falls.
At solar noon, when SPPs operate at maximum output, the volumes of solar generation simultaneously increase among a large number of producers. Accordingly, it is precisely during these hours that prices on the day-ahead market (DAM) can decline significantly.
July 2026 was telling, when price swings struck even experienced energy professionals. In certain hours, the DAM price dropped to a purely symbolic level — 1 kopeck per kWh. By comparison: after sunset, the average DAM price rose to UAH 6.33/kWh.
This means that a business model built exclusively on selling surplus solar generation is becoming increasingly dependent on hourly market conditions. SPP output is at its highest precisely when, due to the large supply of electricity, its market value may be at its lowest.
That is why, for most enterprises, the primary purpose of an SPP should not be selling electricity, but rather maximizing the replacement of the resource that the business purchases from the grid.
Every kilowatt-hour generated by an SPP and consumed directly by the enterprise makes it possible to avoid the cost of purchasing the corresponding volume of electricity from the grid.
To this is added another important factor — reduced costs for grid services for electricity that is generated and consumed directly on-site.
As of August 1, 2026, NPC Ukrenergo’s tariff for electricity transmission is UAH 0.92845/kWh excluding VAT. The distribution tariff depends on the distribution system operator and the voltage class of the specific consumer.
Therefore, the real effect of own generation must be calculated not only through the market value of electricity, but also through the full cost of the kilowatt-hour that the enterprise managed not to purchase from the grid. This is often where the core economics of an SPP lie.
Beyond directly reducing costs, own generation increases an enterprise’s energy resilience and reduces its dependence on market price fluctuations.
The next step is combining an SPP with an energy storage system (ESS).
A battery system makes it possible to accumulate part of the electricity during hours of active generation and use it later — for example, in the morning or evening hours, when own production is insufficient and the market value of electricity is significantly higher. This makes it possible to increase the share of self-consumption and reduce the volumes sold to the grid during hours of low prices.
At the same time, there is no universal formula. The economic feasibility of an ESS depends on the enterprise’s consumption profile, the capacity of the SPP, the capacity and operating modes of the storage unit, hourly electricity prices, and the cost of the system itself.
Therefore, the decision on installing an ESS should be based on modeling several operating scenarios for the specific facility’s energy system.
Thus, today the question for business should be formulated not as “how much can be earned from selling solar electricity?” but rather: “what portion of the enterprise’s costs can be reduced through own generation?”
The answer depends primarily on two parameters:
It is precisely their analysis that makes it possible to determine the optimal capacity of the plant, assess the feasibility of installing an ESS, and forecast the investment payback period.
An SPP for business is, above all, a tool for reducing cost price, managing expenses, and increasing enterprise autonomy.
Tolk Group specialists help businesses assess the economic feasibility of their own generation: analyzing the consumption profile, determining the optimal parameters for the SPP and ESS, modeling various system operating scenarios, and calculating the potential economic effect.
