Non-profit organisation Energy Act for Ukraine has reached a milestone in its bid to equip schools in the war-torn country with renewable energy to ensure they can stay open even when power is down.
The foundation has completed work on its first project at a secondary school in the city of Irpin, in the north of Ukraine near Kyiv.
In an interview with me at Enlit Europe in Frankfurt, foundation founder Yuliana Onishchuk explained how a solar PV system comprising 52 panels has been twinned with an energy storage system to provide 20kW of power – enough for the school to run autonomously despite power outages.
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And she revealed that the project is the first of an ambitious plan to roll out similar systems to 100 schools in Ukraine over the next five years.
Priority will be given to schools in regions affected by the war.
The initiative was backed by the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine and the German Solar Association (BSW), which procured and coordinated donations from German solar firms.
The Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation was set up in April following the invasion of the country in February. As well as the #100RESforSchools campaign, the foundation plans a similar initiative for hospitals.
