Zhytomyr was the first Ukrainian city that decided to completely phase out fossil energy sources by 2050. Photo credit: NESEHNUTÍ.
Brno, 15 July (BD) – As of this week, a Czech solar power plant is providing clean energy to the city hospital in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, which cannot be turned off by power outages. The solar power plant, donated to the medical facility by the Czech company SOLSOL, is now operating on the hospital roof, thanks to the NESEHNUTÍ organisation’s Sun for Ukraine fundraising campaign. More Ukrainian hospitals should gradually receive clean energy sources; one upcoming project is the power plant for the hospital in Ovruč.
Zhytomyr was the first Ukrainian city that decided to completely phase out fossil energy sources by 2050, even before the start of the Russian invasion. “SOLSOL has been supporting Ukraine and its people in various forms since the beginning of the invasion,” said Michal Hrabí, SOLSOL’s operations director. “We have been involved in financial and material collections. The next logical step is to support endangered infrastructure and municipalities that have decided to transition towards sustainability. The idea of building a solar power plant caught our attention immediately, because it perfectly matched our possibilities with local needs..
The installation was coordinated online, from a distance of 1000 kilometres. “It was a non-standard procedure, but it worked,” said Hrabí. “The power plant is now operational and we can monitor its operation in real time, right here in Brno.” The solar power plant has an output of 48 kW and covers up to 26% of the hospital’s annual consumption.
The clean energy project for Ukrainian hospitals was launched by the Ukrainian organization Ecoclub Rivne, which, thanks to private donors, acquired solar power plants for hospitals in Zvyahel and Sumy. In the Czech Republic, NESEHNUTÍ supports the project through its “Sun for Ukraine” campaign. The current goal of the organisation is to raise funds for a source of clean energy in the city of Ovruč.
“Solar power plants in Ukrainian hospitals represent key support for the most vulnerable – the injured and the sick, who depend on the care of doctors,” said Martin Hyťha from NESEHNUTÍ. “In addition, photovoltaics are a reliable source in the event of supply failures, which may recur at any time as a result of Russian aggression. But it is also an example of modern and sustainable solutions that illustrate what the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine should look like. In addition, renewable resources reduce dependence on undemocratic regimes, such as the Russian one.”
With the help of the general public and the Sun for Ukraine collection, the organisation now wants to restore energy and light to the hospital in Ovruč in the Zhytomyr region, a city of about 15,000 people.
