When a train comes to a halt because of an air-raid alert and you suddenly find yourself wondering how safe the next few hours will be, many of the issues we discuss in the abstract back in Germany take on a different meaning.

From Aug. 18 to 20, 2026, I joined a German green-tech business delegation visiting Kyiv and Lviv. The delegation was led by Federal Minister Carsten Schneider and Sören Bartol, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building. BSW-Solar was represented by President Jörg Ebel, also representing IBC Solar; Olga Kovalchuk of Goldbeck Solar; and me, representing PMT. We met with representatives of the Ukrainian government, municipalities, businesses, and project partners. On the first day alone, there were six air-raid alerts.

What has stayed with me most from those three days is not any particular meeting, but the coexistence of war and the future. On the one hand, there are air-raid alerts, destroyed infrastructure, and people for whom uncertainty has become part of daily life. On the other, investments, new projects, and energy supplies for the coming decades are being planned. Ukraine is not waiting for the war to end before beginning reconstruction. It is rebuilding now.

From more than 50 GW to under 10 GW

The conversation with Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, was particularly striking. He illustrated the scale of the destruction with a figure that is hard to forget: before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine had more than 50 GW of generation capacity. Following massive attacks on its energy infrastructure last winter, at times barely 10 GW remained available. Destroyed or damaged facilities, occupied sites, and severed grid connections created an enormous shortfall in a very short period of time.

Such figures can seem abstract until you walk through the streets. Following attacks, and particularly during the colder months, backup generators often run continuously. They stand outside shops, apartment buildings, restaurants, and other facilities; in some places, it feels as though there is one on every street corner. They provide electricity for lighting, communications, heating, and other essential needs. But they are also noisy, burn diesel, and expose people to exhaust fumes. Some of the people we spoke with described the constant noise and smell as even more psychologically draining than the frequent air-raid sirens, precisely because the strain can persist for hours or even days.

Ukraine’s strategic goal is therefore ambitious. The country wants to restore generation capacity to more than 50 GW as quickly as possible, but with a different energy mix. Discussions with the Ministry of Energy outlined a target model comprising around 30% renewable energy, hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants, and nuclear power. By contrast, there are no plans for any significant rebuilding of coal-fired generation. From a German perspective, one does not have to agree with every element of this strategy to understand its central message: Ukraine does not want to recreate its old energy system. The priorities are speed, resilience, and greater energy independence.

Resilience is not an abstract concept

That is precisely why this trip changed the way I view decentralized solar and battery storage. In Germany, we often discuss economic viability, grid integration, and the levelized cost of electricity. In Ukraine, another dimension comes into play: resilience.

Generating and storing electricity across many locations makes the energy system less dependent on individual large-scale power plants and long transmission lines. A solar-plus-storage system at a hospital, water utility, school, or business cannot replace the national grid. But it can keep essential services running when the grid goes down. In this sense, every decentralized system is more than an energy project; it is a small building block of national resilience.

Current market data show how rapidly Ukraine is moving in this direction. Solar is already a success story in the country, accounting for nearly 10% of electricity generation. According to SolarPower Europe’s “European Battery Market Outlook 2026–2030,” Ukraine installed approximately 2.9 GWh of battery storage in 2025, nearly five times as much as in the previous year. That made Ukraine Europe’s fourth-largest storage market, behind only Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy. More than 60% of the newly installed capacity consisted of decentralized systems for households, businesses, schools, hospitals, water utilities, and other critical infrastructure. Just under one-third came from large-scale battery storage systems providing flexibility and grid services.

These figures do not tell an ordinary growth story. In many European countries, storage systems are installed primarily to optimize self-consumption and reduce electricity costs. In Ukraine, they are installed to keep the lights on. For me, the often-used term “peace energy” took on a very concrete meaning there. It is about energy independence, security of supply, and making critical infrastructure less vulnerable.

More than a market for German technology

The demand is enormous, but that does not automatically translate into a market for German products. At the German-Ukrainian Green-Tech Investment Round Table, we discussed investment, financing, and specific projects. One thing became very clear: technology alone is not enough. Companies that want to succeed in Ukraine over the long term must first listen.

What solutions are actually needed? Which local partners can provide planning, installation, and maintenance? How do tenders and financing work? What requirements result from snow loads, damaged grids, limited resources, and the security situation? Given the sheer scale of Ukraine’s reconstruction needs, it would be a mistake to focus first on sales opportunities. The more important question is: Where can German expertise and technology, working with Ukrainian partners, create tangible and lasting value?

The risks should not be underestimated, either. The German government continues to provide export credit guarantees and investment guarantees, including a special blanket guarantee for short-term export transactions with Ukraine. Coverage decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. These instruments are no substitute for thorough due diligence or strong local partners, but they can help turn initial interest into bankable projects.

These images are hard to forget

I grew up in peace in Germany. Until this trip, I had never visited a country at war. Visiting the Ubroken rehabilitation center in Lviv was therefore one of the most moving experiences of my life. Seeing so many people who had lost arms or legs, and who will live with these injuries for the rest of their lives, affected me deeply.

What impressed me even more was the determination of the people we met. They are fighting their way back into everyday life, moving forward with a strength and resilience that are difficult to put into words. I felt deep compassion, but above all, immense respect. Behind every injury is a person whose life has been changed forever by this war.

I was also deeply affected by the thousands of photographs of fallen soldiers displayed throughout the cities. Each photograph represents a person, a life, a family, and loved ones who must live with the loss. These images stayed with me throughout the journey and remain with me today.

This war is not an abstract geopolitical conflict. It destroys lives, families, and futures. Every death and every injury is one too many. This senseless war must end.

Now is the time for the solar industry to build relationships

My most important conclusion for German solar companies is therefore clear: We should engage with Ukraine in a structured way now, rather than waiting for reconstruction projects to appear on tender portals as supposedly safe new business opportunities. Partnerships, market knowledge, and trust cannot be built with the first order.

This is about more than business. Rebuilding Ukraine’s energy system is a European task. Every municipality that becomes more resilient, every company that gains greater energy independence, and every piece of critical infrastructure that is better protected strengthens not only Ukraine, but Europe as a whole.

The trip showed me the immense need for new infrastructure. But I was even more impressed by the determination of people, companies, and institutions to shape that future today. For our industry, this brings both responsibility and opportunity: not simply to rebuild the old energy system, but to work with Ukrainian partners to create one that is more decentralized, independent, and resilient.

Perhaps we should also turn the question around: What can Germany learn from Ukraine? We need an affordable and economically viable energy system, and renewable energy provides an essential foundation. But the cost of a kilowatt-hour cannot be the only criterion. An energy system fit for the future must also be secure, resilient, and capable of functioning in a crisis.

One promising approach is a cellular energy system. Numerous local energy cells and energy islands generate and store electricity close to where it is needed. Under normal conditions, they operate as part of an interconnected grid. During an outage, however, individual cells can disconnect and continue supplying critical loads where the necessary technical infrastructure is in place. It is this combination of a strong interconnected grid and decentralized autonomy that can provide greater resilience.

The energy transition is therefore about more than climate protection and affordable electricity. It is also a question of security and infrastructure policy – and it has the potential to become a source of “peace energy.” Decentralized, clean energy can reduce dependencies, strengthen security of supply, and create a foundation for more resilient partnerships.

As a solar industry, our task should not simply be to install more systems. We should help build a new energy system – for Ukraine, for Germany, and for a world that needs its energy supply to become cleaner, more independent, more resilient, and more secure.

Author: Felix Bräuer

Felix Bräuer is CEO of Premium Mounting Technologies (PMT) and a LinkedIn Top Voice. In August 2026, he joined a German green-tech business delegation to Kyiv and Lviv.