In his comments to the Ukrainian business online media “Komersant Ukrainskyi,” the Chairman of the Board of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine (SEAU) gave a detailed overview of the current state and development prospects of domestic solar energy.
As the expert explained, currently there are over 700 industrial solar power plants (SPPs) in the country. However, this figure refers specifically to those with a capacity of more than 1 megawatt.
“If we consider total capacity, we have approximately 6 gigawatts of industrial plants. Additionally, businesses and homeowners install many solar power plants for their own needs. These are only partially accounted for, as this part of the solar energy sector is much more difficult to quantify. There is also another category — household solar stations operating under the ‘green tariff’ — there are more than 55 thousand of these, adding another 1.7 gigawatts of installed capacity. Thus, total solar generation amounts to at least 8.5 gigawatts of capacity,” clarified the Chairman of SEAU.
Mr. Sokolovskyi noted the growing popularity of self-consumption solar power plants among businesses and private households. More and more companies — from logistics operators to agricultural holdings — are investing in solar installations to cover their own electricity needs and reduce costs.
“The essence is this: the market price of electricity for non-residential consumers, including agricultural enterprises, ranges from 9 to 11 hryvnias per kilowatt-hour. After installing an SPP, a net saving arises thanks to own generation. There is also a second option. In case a farmer’s SPP can produce more than he consumes, he has the option of being an ‘active consumer’ — selling surplus electricity,” explained the expert.
The Chairman of SEAU paid special attention to the prospects of energy storage systems. These allow storing surplus generation during the day, when electricity prices are lowest, and using or selling it during evening and morning peak hours. According to the expert’s assessment, 2025 will be a turning point in the implementation of such technologies.
Vladyslav Sokolovskyi also emphasized the affordability of equipment for home SPPs due to falling prices of solar panels and batteries, as well as the cancellation of VAT and import duties on this equipment. However, he warned consumers against choosing random or unverified installers and advised using the SEAU Installer Catalogue, which contains over 50 verified companies across Ukraine.
SEAU is confident that solar energy is already making a significant contribution to the stability of the power system, and its further development will promote the country’s energy independence, help consumers save money, and facilitate the implementation of innovative solutions in generation and energy storage.