Strong solar and renewable energy growth in Ukraine

09/01/2017 | Print view

A total of 162 Fronius Eco inverters are installed at 5.08 MW solar park in Sambir, Northwestern Ukraine. - © Fronius International — © Fronius International

A total of 162 Fronius Eco inverters are installed at 5.08 MW solar park in Sambir, Northwestern Ukraine.

In the first half of 2017, installed renewable energy capacity in Ukraine exceeded 1.46 GW and is expected to reach 1.9 GW by the end of the year. SEF-2017 KYIV, the 9th International Forum and Exhibition of the New Energy of Eastern Europe, offers promising opportunities for business networking.

As a result of first six months of 2017, 79 new renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of 182.7 MW were built in Ukraine. Total investments in these projects exceeded € 210 million. Such data are presented in the analytical report prepared by the IB Center expert group and are the part of preparation of SEF-2017 KYIV, the 9th International Forum and Exhibition of the New Energy of Eastern Europe ), which will be held in Kyiv on October 9-11 (the Congress- Exhibition Center "Parkovy").

Dominance of solar installations

Thus, as of June 1, 2017, the total power of renewable energy sources in Ukraine, including solar and wind energy, small hydropower and biomass power plants (biogas), amounted to 1461.7 MW. During the first half of this year, the total power of solar power stations increased by 132 MW (up 23% compared to January 1, 2017) to 705 MW in Ukraine. During this period, 67 new solar power stations have been constructed.

The capacity of the wind farms has increased during the reporting period by 20.7 MW (+ 4.7% from the beginning of the year) to 458.7 MW (data of the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association, UWEA). The capacities of small hydroelectric power stations make up 120 MW as of June 1, 2017 (+2 MW in the first half of the year). The growth of power facilities of biomass generation electricity was also almost 2 MW - up to 33 MW.

360 MW new PV installations within the next months

According to the experts from IB Centre, by the end of 2017, the Ukrainian and foreign developers are implementing in Ukraine more than 70 new investment projects in the field of renewable energy with a total installed capacity of more than 430 MW. In particular, in the second half of this year, 57 new large and medium-sized PV plants, as well as several hundred small roof solar power stations with a total capacity of around 360 MW will be built in Ukraine. So one of the largest market players - Kness, plans to construct over 10 objects with a capacity of 150 MW during this period. Fronius expects to deliver solar inverters with 100 MW to several projects this year.

Around 1,000 new private PV rooftop installations

Tokmak Solar intends to implement 8 projects with a capacity of more than 60 MW. US Solar plans to implement 6 projects with a capacity of 30 MW. Also Rentechno is going to have more than 30 MW of installed capacity, and Helios Strategia will finish construction of 40 MW. Another significant market player, Atmosfera, plans to build over 24 MW, of which 15 MW are roof-top solar power stations. Other companies are planning to build more than 20 new PV plants with a total capacity of 16 MW. Also, by the end of 2017, 800-1,000 private PV rooftop installations with a power output between 10-30 kW are expected to be installed.

1.9 GW renewables by end of December

In the segment of wind energy in the second half of 2017, the growth is expected at a level exceeding 50 MW - up to 510 MW. In the segment of small hydropower there is expected a slight increase of 0.8 MW. In the biomass segment, the forecast of capacity growth is 4 MW to 37 MW for the electricity generation and more than 26 MW to 306 MW for the heat generation from biomass. Thus, according to the results of 2017, the total capacity of renewable energy facilities in Ukraine can reach 1.9 GW, which is more than 4.3% in the overall energy balance.

SEF 2017 KYIV includes a series of workshops

SEF-2017 KYIV is the main and largest industry event in the region that traditionally gathers together internationally qualified international experts, top managers and owners of companies working in the field. Sustainable energy, investors, government officials. In 2017, SEF KYIV will last for three days and will feature specialized conferences SEF SOLAR, SEF WIND, SEF BIOENERGY and SEF ESCO. The exhibition will be open to visitors for two days - on October 10th and 11th, and will include a series of workshops for small investors and household owners. Fronius is a kilowatt sponsor and will be offering its next installer training in the Ukraine right after SEF-2017 KYIF. (HCN)