The Ukrainian NGO Ecoclub together with the Czech organization Nesehnuti and the wirWerk Foundation, is raising 40,000 euros to install a solar power plant for the Zaporizhzhia Children’s Hospital. Continuous Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine threaten the operation of medical facilities, making energy security a critical concern. The solar power plant (SPP) will enhance the hospital’s energy security and ensure the continuous operation of intensive care units where newborns and premature babies receive treatment.
“The installed solar power plant will help the staff continue to provide medical care during power outages. Thanks to the solar power plant, we will be able to ensure the continuous operation of ventilators and incubators, which require a stable power supply,” says Iryna Kulesh, director of the children’s hospital in Zaporizhzhya.
City Children’s Hospital No. 5 in Zaporizhzhya is the only children’s medical facility in the city. The hospital has 11 departments and 385 beds, and it houses the only hemodialysis center in the southeastern region that serves both children and adults.
“The hospital staff has adapted to work during full-scale war: we have operated in bomb shelters and other secure locations. The facility is equipped with powerful generators to provide power during blackouts. However, this solution is unreliable as generators require a lot of fuel and constant maintenance. The installed solar power plant will ensure an uninterrupted power supply for the hemodialysis and intensive care units,” emphasizes Iryna Kulesh.
The children’s hospital consumes more than 1,000,000 kW of electricity annually, costing approximately 9,000,000 UAH per year. The solar power plant will help the staff save 30% on electricity bills, allowing these savings to be redirected towards further development of the institution or the purchase of necessary equipment.
“Currently, hospitals do not have sufficient resources to purchase new equipment or improve patient conditions. Therefore, reducing costs for electricity from the general grid will enable the hospital to accumulate funds to address other pressing needs,” says Regina Kharchenko, Secretary of Zaporizhzhya City Council.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ecoclub, in collaboration with communities, has installed 20 solar power plants for critical infrastructure facilities such as hospitals and water utilities across various regions of Ukraine (Rivne, Zhytomyr, Odesa, Poltava, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Sumy, and Lviv) with a total installed capacity of 626.8 kW. To date, these SPPs have generated more than 350,000 kWh of electricity, saving municipalities over €20,000 on electricity bills.
Ecoclub has received over 600 requests from municipalities seeking assistance in installing SPPs for hospitals, water utilities, and educational institutions. This high demand highlights the urgent need to develop renewable energy sources. Environmentalists continue to seek partners and funds to implement projects that will bring energy independence to communities.
About NGO Ecoclub
Ecoclub is a non-governmental environmental organization based in Rivne, dedicated to developing renewable energy sources in communities and helping them adapt to climate change for the past 27 years.
Contact Information:
Julia Guziy, Communications Officer, NGO Ecoclub
+380687589889 (WhatsApp) | julia@ecoclubrivne.org | ecoclubrivne.org/en