The success of the initial projects is spreading quickly and the next consignment is already on its way. In a video conference with Greenpeace activists in Kyiv, Willi Ernst of the Biohaus Foundation in Paderborn and the Nordsolar group of companies spoke about the urgent need for further support. In 2025, four hospitals were equipped with photovoltaic systems and battery storage. The next phase is to scale this up far more effectively.
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Demand is rising steadily. “We have supplied equipment to 13 hospitals in different regions of Ukraine, with a cumulative capacity of 881 kW,” says Marina Abramian from the Greenpeace office in Kyiv. “Another 104 hospitals are now interested in installing photovoltaics. They are willing to share the costs of financing.”
Partnership enters second year
For over a year, the Biohaus Foundation in Paderborn has been partnering Greenpeace and the EU logistics system to source solar systems, combined heat and power systems, and energy storage systems, transport them to Ukraine, and assist female solar installers in the country during the installation process. “We buy the materials with the help of donations,” explains Willi Ernst of the Biohaus Foundation. “We share the costs of transporting, customs, and other expenses equally with Greenpeace.”
In 2025, Greenpeace has trained 30 women to become solar panel installers, and another 50 will follow this year. Many men are at the forefront, and the training courses have many more applications than there are places available. The first group of trained women has established their own training facility in Kharkiv to share their knowledge with others.
A system on the edge
“Ukraine’s energy system has broken down,” says Marina Abramian. “Systematic destruction by Russian troops has damaged all major power production facilities.”
The energy system in the country is very centralized. This has made it a structural weakness. Forty-three percent of nuclear power is out of commission. Fifty-two percent of hydropower capacity has been destroyed, as well as more than half of the high-voltage transmission lines.
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Renewables and heating under strain
Since the invasion started in February 2022, 19 GW of power production capacity have been destroyed. Renewables have not been left untouched, reduced from 9.6 GW in January 2022 to 7.4 GW in October 2025. “Each time there is an attack, our team works to restore the energy supply,” Abramian says. “It sometimes takes a week or longer to restore the power supply.”
More than 160 technicians and engineers have been killed during repair and clean-up work at power stations, and hundreds have been injured. The last three winters of war were quite tolerable, but this winter was very harsh. Freezing temperatures hit hard. In Kyiv, the temperature fell to -20 degrees Celsius. Some 1.2 million people lack electricity. In Kyiv alone, more than 1,100 buildings were left unheated.
Russian attacks have also targeted the district heating system. Between the start of the year and mid-February, 217 recorded attacks on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine were registered, which is a significant rise compared to the same period in the previous year.
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A hot cup of tea – at least
Kyiv has almost three million citizens, a million less than Berlin. “In the capital, as well as in other cities, so-called heated tents have been installed where people can warm up and socialize,” says Polina Kolodiazhna of Greenpeace. “These tents operate with diesel generators.”
Families lack gas to defrost frozen food. “We have begun to equip suitable locations with solar power and batteries,” says Polina Kolodiazhna of Greenpeace. “There, we do not need diesel. People come there to take a breath, exchange news, and have a hot cup of tea.”
Solar islands are a must
Due to the paralysed fossil-nuclear energy complex in Ukraine, solar islands with batteries are becoming a must. “More and more hospitals understand that this makes them more autonomous and reduces substantial energy expenses,” says Polina Kolodiazhna of Greenpeace. “This is extremely important.”
On the roof of a hospital in Chortkiv in western Ukraine, a 50 kW solar panel installation has been completed. It provides 30,000 kWh of electricity per year to power the maternity and baby department.
Another 17,000 kWh is used in the infectious diseases department. Today, 70 percent of the hospital's power consumption is covered by solar energy. “The hospital saves about 470,000 hryvnia per year,” estimates Greenpeace expert Marina Abramian. 1,000 hryvnia is equivalent to about €20. Larger hospitals can save up to one million hryvnia, or about €50,000, per year.
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Next trucks on their way
At the end of February, the next truckload will set off from Paderborn to deliver combined heat and power plants to the west of the country, where gas distribution is relatively stable. It will also deliver solar panels and batteries to five cities to be installed as soon as possible.
“By 2026, we plan to provide at least 12 hospitals with our systems,” says Willi Ernst. “To do this, we urgently need donations. If we get more, we will deliver more than 12 systems.” The Biohaus Foundation is a registered non-profit organization, and tax-deductible receipts are issued in the same way as Greenpeace. (HS/TF)
Anyone wishing to donate for Ukraine is asked to contact Willi Ernst at: willi.ernst@biohaus-stiftung.org
