Solar energy to help Irpin community
On March 8, 2023, two autonomous mobile solar stations with electricity storage were handed over to Irpin local community: one system – to the Kozyntsi Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic in the village of Kozyntsi, Bucha district, and the other one – to the Irpin Lyceum of Innovative Technologies “ILIT”.
Russian rocket attacks on the power grid led to massive power outages in all regions of Ukraine. Governments and citizens from all over the world supported Ukrainians by providing Ukraine with equipment to restore energy infrastructure damaged by russian shelling.
In order to help civilians, the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and the Global 100% Renewable Energy Platform launched the campaign #renewables4ukraine to raise funds for donating renewable energy equipment for emergency humanitarian aid in Ukraine, in particular stand-alone solar systems.
The Finnish NGO EKOenergy label has joined campaign #renewables4ukraine in December. Thank to their generous donation two more mobile solar stations have been produced and handed over to Irpin local community. The EKOenergy-WWEA-UWEA joint project is not only about helping people solve energy problems, it also aims at demonstrating in practice the benefits of renewable energy sources, which Ukraine is so rich in, and to teach young people how to use them. Therefore, one solar system will be installed at the Irpin Lyceum of Innovative Technologies “ILIT”.
Steven Vanholme, Programme manager at EKOenergy: “The nonprofit EKOenergy label is a tool for climate action. Energy consumers who choose EKOenergy-labelled energy help us promote renewables in many parts of the world. Last year, we saved money from our campaign budget to support the #renewables4ukraine campaign. Russia is financing the war with fossil fuel money and by supporting renewables we can bring down the use of fossil fuels. We are aware that this is a small step but we wish our contribution inspires others to finance similar projects and hopefully these small drops accumulate. It’s encouraging to see the concrete results and we hope to contribute more this year.”
Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General of the WWEA and Vice Chair of Global100RE: “Even though the equipment we can hand over to our friends in Ukraine is only a drop in the ocean given the devastation caused by the Russian army, we believe that these solar sets are an important sign of the international renewable energy community’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine. May the donations help the clinic to care for its patients and may they help the students of the Lyceum to acquire the skills that are so urgently needed for a good future for Ukraine.”
Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association Andriy Konechenkov, Director of the Irpin City Primary Health Care Center Andriy Levkivsky, and Acting Director of the Irpin Lyceum of Innovative Technologies “ILIT” Maria Gostin took part in the mobile solar power stations handover event.
Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn: “Today, Irpin community has received two more autonomous mobile solar stations produced by the Ukrainian manufacturer – company KNESS. One of them will operate in the Kozynets family medicine outpatient clinic. The second one will be installed at the Irpin Lyceum of Innovative Technologies. Earlier, we have already received two such units, which now help our community outpatient clinics in Bucha district. I would like to remind you that the World Wind Energy Association and the Global100RE platform have launched the Renewables4Ukraine campaign to raise funds for the purchase and transfer of equipment, including autonomous solar systems, to Ukraine. The project’s donors are ordinary citizens from different continents. The Finnish non-governmental organization EKOenergy Label has also joined the Renewables4Ukraine campaign. It is thanks to this organisation’s support that we have received these two solar stations today. I am sincerely grateful to the friends of the Irpin community for their constant support and assistance.”
Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the Board of the UWEA: “This international project initiated by EKOenergy label not only provides assistance to hospitals in the regions most affected by Russian aggression, but also teaches school students how to use renewable energy sources in their everyday life. The use of mobile solar power systems manufactured by Ukrainian company KNESS, is a vivid example of achieving own independence in everyday live by consuming renewable energy sources.”
Acting Director of the Irpin Lyceum of Innovative Technologies “ILIT” Maria Hostin: “We are very pleased, because innovation is also about renewable energy. We explain it to children in classes and why it is important. And now we have a whole solar station at our lyceum to show how it works and that we can be energy independent.”
