Power outages and solar panels: is it profitable to install a solar power plant? An interview with expert Ignatiev
18 February 15:47
Following massive attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukrainians are actively seeking ways to secure electricity during power outages. The most popular solutions are solar panels, inverters, batteries, and charging stations. Households, businesses, and even apartment buildings are actively investing in their own power generation to become energy independent.
Has the equipment become more expensive, how many solar power plants have Ukrainians already installed, is it profitable in 2026, and what are the solutions for apartments? Energy expert Stanislav Ignatiev discussed these issues in an interview with "Komersant Ukrainian".
“There is no sharp increase in prices”: what is happening with the prices of solar panels and inverters
— How much has the equipment gone up in price: solar panels, inverters, batteries?
— In principle, there is no price increase on the market. There is quite high competition between brands, and demand shapes supply. Therefore, there is no sharp significant price increase.
Moreover, the Verkhovna Rada has extended the duty-free import of such equipment. This applies to inverters, solar panels, and battery systems. This is an important factor that keeps prices affordable for the population and businesses.
Ukrainians are actively installing solar power plants: dozens of megawatts of new generation
— How many solar power plants have Ukrainians installed over the past year?
— In 2025, the population installed 56 megawatts of solar generation for their own needs. This is a fairly significant figure.
For comparison, before the full-scale invasion, the total capacity of such stations was about 1 gigawatt. That is, these are huge volumes of new autonomous generation.
In addition, this does not take into account solar power plants that the population builds for their own needs and does not connect to the grid.
In other words, these 56 MW are what Oblenergo sees, and an additional 50 MW or so have been built by the population for their own needs without being connected to the grid.
This means that the actual level of autonomy of Ukrainians is significantly higher than the official statistics.
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Business has installed capacity comparable to a quarter of a nuclear power unit
— Is business actively installing solar power plants?
— Yes, businesses installed approximately 248 megawatts of solar power plants last year. This is about a quarter of the capacity of a nuclear power unit.
Of course, in terms of productivity, solar generation provides about 30-40% of the nominal capacity, but this is very important because businesses cover their own needs and do not burden the power grid.
And in doing so, they relieve the load on the grid, meaning that more electricity is available for domestic consumers.
In addition, it can be said that in 2024-2025, businesses built nearly 5 MW of solar power plants with electricity storage to cover their own needs. These are primarily large shopping centers, i.e., retail, large supermarkets, logistics terminals, and postal services. They have built up this capacity to cover their own needs and thereby relieve the grid.
This will be particularly noticeable in the summer, when nuclear power plants undergo scheduled maintenance and solar power plants operate at full capacity.
Ukrainians already have energy storage facilities with the capacity of a nuclear power plant
— How widespread are batteries and charging stations?
— When it comes to energy storage devices such as EcoFlow and other systems, Ukrainians already have a total output capacity of approximately 1.6 gigawatts.
This is almost as much as the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant produces.
In other words, we can safely say that the population has energy storage systems with a capacity equivalent to almost one nuclear power plant. This shows how resilient we are and how well we are prepared for various difficult situations.
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When is it most profitable to install solar panels
— Is it profitable to install a solar station now, and when is the best time to do so?
— The best time is when you have the financial means. Market prices are relatively stable.
The greatest excitement traditionally occurs in the spring. This was the case even before the war. People see that their neighbor is either off-grid or can also earn money from electricity, so they want to do the same. And this principle works very well. It is the best marketing move when neighbors boast to each other that they are either off-grid or have their own power generation and can also earn money from it, if technically possible.
That is why the most active installation period is in the spring. Then the market is quite overheated.
How many solar panels can be installed on a private house
— What are the restrictions for installing a solar power plant?
— There is a limit of 30 kilowatts for the green tariff. You can install such a station and sell electricity to the grid.
But the main restriction is the technical conditions of your connection. If you are allowed a capacity of 3 or 10 kilowatts, then this is the maximum generation level you can install.
What should apartment residents do during power outages?
— What solutions are there for apartment dwellers?
— This is the most difficult situation. I myself live in such a situation. The best option is, of course, an electricity storage device. When there is light, you charge the battery. When there is no light, you use the stored electricity.
You can also install automatic systems that switch the apartment to battery power on their own. This allows you to not even notice when the power goes out.
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How the number of consumers of solar energy and storage systems has grown
— How much has the number of consumers installing solar stations and energy storage systems grown?
— There are currently no official statistics on the number of consumers. In the professional expert community, we primarily rely on data on installed capacity, which we receive from distribution system operators (regional power companies), and we also analyze information from installation companies and equipment suppliers.
At the same time, it is important to understand that it is more accurate to assess the situation in terms of megawatts of installed capacity rather than the number of users. After all, one consumer may have several storage systems or several inverters, but this does not mean that the number of consumers increases in proportion to the number of devices.
For example, I have three charging stations, but I cannot be three consumers.
HOAs are installing solar stations en masse with compensation
— Do state compensation programs for apartment buildings work?
— Yes, these programs have definitely proven their effectiveness. As of today, there are at least 58 so-called active consumers in Ukraine — these are associations of co-owners of apartment buildings (OSBBs) that have taken advantage of the Green House program of the State Energy Efficiency Fund and other government initiatives.
Under these programs, HOAs have installed solar power plants along with electricity storage systems. The electricity generated is used to power critical building infrastructure, including:
- water supply pumps;
- heat supply systems;
- elevators;
- lighting in common areas.
It is these condominium associations that are referred to as “active consumers” because they not only consume electricity but also generate and store it themselves to some extent.
In addition, according to various estimates, approximately 0.5 gigawatts of inverter equipment and electricity storage systems have already been installed in apartment buildings. This allows critical building systems to operate autonomously even during power outages.
Participating in government programs is quite simple. You need to submit an application, go through a standard verification procedure, and complete the necessary paperwork. Within the framework of the programs, you can purchase:
- solar power plants;
- energy storage systems;
- generators and other equipment for autonomous power supply.
The procedure is as simple as possible, financing decisions are made quickly, and the support mechanism itself is accessible and actually works. This is confirmed by the practice of implementing programs, which were developed with the involvement of experts and the State Energy Efficiency Fund.
Ukraine is becoming energy independent
According to the expert, the mass installation of solar power plants, inverters, and batteries reduces the load on the power grid and ensures a stable power supply even during outages.
Solar generation will be particularly effective in the summer, when nuclear power plants undergo scheduled repairs.
Ukrainians are actively investing in their own energy independence, and this trend is only growing stronger.
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