Photovoltaic solar power capacity in Ukraine grows by 800-850 MW in 2024 – Solar Energy Association head

In 2024, Ukraine added approximately 800–850 MW of solar power capacity through installations by businesses and households, according to Vladyslav Sokolovsky, Chairman of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine.

“Solar power capacity increased in 2024. Based on our Association’s estimates, around 800-850 MW of solar power plants (SPPs) were installed last year,” Sokolovsky stated at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday, titled “Distributed generation. How Ukraine can survive the winter of 2024/2025.”

“Primarily, businesses installed SPPs for self-consumption and to address energy security challenges. Households are also actively installing them. While the growth isn’t comparable to, say, 2019, when industrial-scale SPPs were being constructed, we’re still seeing positive momentum,” the Association Chairman said.

He attributed this growth partly to the summer 2024 repeal of VAT and import duties on PV panels and other energy equipment.

“We expect further growth in SPP installations by businesses in 2025, along with the deployment of energy storage systems. New mechanisms, such as active consumers and corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs, long-term renewable energy purchase agreements), will play a key role. By the second half of 2025, we anticipate an increase in industrial SPP projects, with several already announced in 2024,” Sokolovsky predicted.

He also highlighted expectations for increased SPP installations in critical and social infrastructure, expanded distributed solar generation, and the integration of solar energy into the agricultural sector. “We may finally see the development of agrivoltaics, which is still in its infancy,” he added.

According to Sokolovsky, the development of solar energy will be driven by low solar panel prices, reduced risks for investors via insurance, various preferential lending mechanisms, grant programs, businesses’ desire to secure their own energy supply, and reduce electricity costs. He also pointed to factors such as the lifting of price caps on the spot market, which he believes will benefit the entire energy sector, including renewables, and integration with the European energy market.

As of the end of 2021, Ukraine’s total solar power capacity exceeded 6 GW, with households contributing nearly 1 GW.

Interfax-Ukraine