How Ukrainians use rooftop solar panels to survive another hard winter
Kyiv residents find creative ways to deal with regular power cuts using solar panels and generators. Local businesses and homes adapt to new reality as Russian attacks damage half of countrys power capacity
In Kyiv a group of smart home-owners found a way to keep lights on during winter blackouts. Valerii Pyndyk who runs local housing board installed solar panels on top of their 16-floor building – its gonna help about 1‚000 families stay warm this winter
The country deals with power problems since last spring when attacks hit power stations hard. Now people in Kyiv live with 8-hour daily blackouts (which makes life super-hard for those living in tall buildings without working elevators)
Hereʼs what locals do to keep power running:
- Buy portable generators
- Install solar panels
- Get special batteries
- Use gas turbines
- Wait in cafes for elevators to work
Serhiy Kovalenko from power company Yasno says many people want to be energy-free: his firm put up 8 megawatts of solar stuff this fall and plans way more next year. But its not cheap – one kilowatt costs 5-6 times more than normal power
The damage to power stations is huge – over $56 billion total with $16 billion in direct hits. Ukraine tries to fix things fast but cold weather makes it super-hard. Theyʼre getting help from nearby countries who promised to send 2.1 gigawatts of power starting this month
Back at Pyndyks building the solar project cost about 950‚000 hryvnias but government helped pay most of it. More buildings want similar setups now – its part of big changes in how Ukraine gets its power. About 1.5 gigawatts of new solar power exists now but thats just the start of a long road to fix everything
