A new solar power plant (SPP) with a capacity of 105.3 kW has been installed at Zhytomyr City Hospital No. 2. Thanks to batteries with a capacity of 30.6 kWh, the medical facility will continue to operate even during power outages.
Each year, the hospital’s inpatient department treats 27,000 patients, including residents of Zhytomyr, the village of Veresy, other communities, and internally displaced persons. The facility has 10 departments, including a neurosurgery unit equipped with modern tools for emergency operations. Thanks to the SPP, doctors will be able to perform surgeries even under critical conditions.
This is the second solar power plant to operate at the hospital. The first SPP, with a capacity of 20 kW, was installed in 2023. The successful operation of the first plant encouraged the community to increase its capacity. Previously, during power outages, the hospital buildings were powered only by two diesel generators, each with a capacity of 150 kW.
In case of outages, the new SPP and energy storage system, in combination with the diesel generators, will power the hospital’s equipment. Without the generators, the SPP with batteries can supply critical operations, such as the intensive care unit and the elevator.
“The expansion of our SPP is an important step toward the hospital’s energy independence. It ensures the safety of patients and medical staff, especially during critical moments when power outages can endanger lives,” said Vladyslav Dubchak, Deputy Director of Technical Affairs at Hospital No. 2 in Zhytomyr.
Funding for the installation of the second plant was secured through the “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Ukraine” project, which Ecoclub facilitated. The SPP cost more than 3 million hryvnias, with over 500,000 hryvnias co-financed by the hospital.
The SPP is expected to generate 92,730 kWh of electricity annually. Based on the current tariff, this will allow the hospital to save nearly 680,000 hryvnias per year on electricity costs.
“Our goal is to ensure the stable operation of the community’s medical facilities during potential crises. Thanks to partnerships with donors, we are implementing modern energy solutions for our hospitals, which we can scale to other buildings in the future,” said Svitlana Olshanska, First Deputy Mayor of Zhytomyr.
Zhytomyr is a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors and aims to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2050. In 2019, following an international audit, Zhytomyr received the European Energy Award (EEA), a significant indicator of the city’s alignment with sustainable development principles.
“We plan to continue installing SPPs on the roofs of other municipal buildings. Overall, this will help the community reduce its use of fossil fuels, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, increase renewable energy consumption, and fulfill our commitments under international initiatives,” said Oleksandr Honcharuk, Head of the Infrastructure Projects, Energy Efficiency, and Promotions Department at Zhytomyr City Council.
The project “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Ukraine” is being implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German government.
