A solar-plus-storage system has been deployed in the eastern Ukrainian village of Donets to power the local municipality’s water utility.
The system features a 30.4 kW solar array supported by a 24 kWh battery energy storage system designed to maintain water pumping operations during grid outages.
Donated by charitable foundation RePower Ukraine and humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps, the system consists entirely of European-manufactured equipment.
Donets is located within the Slobozhanske community in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, an area heavily impacted by Russia’s invasion. The Donets municipal water utility serves as the sole source of centralized water supply for 1,500 residents of the local community that has been repeatedly targeted by attacks on energy infrastructure.
The facility supplies water to 669 households including 36 apartment buildings, a school, a kindergarten, a medical clinic and local businesses. Prior to the solar installation, most resident payments for water services were consumed by electricity costs, meaning the utility was reliant on municipal subsidies to remain operational.
RePower Ukraine said in a statement that residents will now continue to have access to water despite future electricity cut-offs caused by Russia’s shelling of energy infrastructure.
The foundation added that the project “exemplifies the strategic advantages of distributed generation in volatile environments.”
“By producing electricity at point of consumption, the installation ensures that even significant damage to central energy infrastructure cannot deprive large populations of essential services,” RePower Ukraine added. “This model offers valuable insights for energy professionals considering resilient infrastructure development in challenging markets.”
Ukraine deployed 500 MW of solar across the first half of 2025, according to provisional figures from the country’s solar association.
A series of solar inaugurations at hospitals and schools have taken place across Ukraine over the past year to help power critical facilities amid Russia's invasion.
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