l-Ukrajna, nazzjon li għadu mdawwar fil-gwerra, reċentement ħareġ bħala ġdid “hotspot” għall-esportazzjonijiet Ċiniżi tal-prodotti solari u tal-ħażna.
“L-Ukraina bħalissa hija l-iktar suq sħun tal-ħażna solari fl-Ewropa. Matul l-aħħar xahar, ilna nirċievu mistoqsijiet kbar u żgħar mill-Ukrajna kważi kuljum. Some Ukrainian customers have reported power outages lasting more than 8 hours in certain areas,” shared an industry insider involved in overseas energy storage in a video.
Export data corroborates the “explosive” demand for solar storage in this market.
China’s exports of inverters and components to Ukraine in June saw a month-on-month increase of 139% u 69%, rispettivament.
Guosen Securities also pointed out that Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction has made home storage a necessity, with high prices still failing to meet demand. The institution further predicts that Ukraine’s new home storage scale could be several times that of Europe in 2022, reaching a sales volume of 840,000 biex 1.26 million units per year.
The booming Ukrainian solar storage market did not emerge overnight. The region’s fragile power environment has been a long-term catalyst. Russia’s continuous attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have led to severe power shortages.
According to BBC reports, as of mid-April this year, Ukraine had lost over 80% of its thermal power generation capacity, and its largest hydropower station was also damaged. In the capital, Kyiv, most buildings now experience at least 10 hours of power outages daily.
The institution Green Deal Ukraina estimates that as of the end of May, Ukraine’s power generation capacity was only around 10 GW (compared to about 40 GW before the war). Of this, dwar 7 GW came from nuclear power plants, the rest from thermal power units (mainly coal) and hydropower stations. Fuq 2 GW of additional power generation came from installed renewable energy, primarily photovoltaic power.
Against this backdrop, the government was forced to raise household electricity prices in June. Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy announced that from June 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, household electricity prices would increase to 4.32 hryvnia/kWh (approximately $0.107/kWh), a rise of about 64%.
Both high electricity prices and power shortages have prompted households to consider cheaper alternatives. With the continued decline in the cost of solar storage, residents can ensure a stable household power supply and reduce electricity costs by installing home solar storage systems, thus driving rapid growth in Ukraine’s home solar storage market.
At the same time, government subsidies have also stimulated the demand for residents to install home solar storage systems.
On July 24, Nadiya Bihun, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, announced that Ukrainian citizens can now apply for 0% interest loans to purchase solar panels and storage equipment, with a maximum loan amount of 480,000 hryvnia (ekwivalenti għal 85,000 RMB) and a repayment period of 10 snin. Funds will be provided through major Ukrainian banks. Survey data shows that currently, 80% of home storage purchases are completed through bank loans.
“Currently, dwar 70,000 households in Ukraine have solar panels installed on their roofs, which is far from enough,” said Nadiya Bihun.
On July 16, the Ukrainian parliament also approved two laws that will eliminate customs duties and value-added tax on imported generators, wind and solar power generation equipment, and powerful storage batteries.
The demand for commercial solar storage in the Ukrainian market is also growing rapidly. In a speech in June this year, President Zelenskyy called for “solar panels and energy storage facilities to be installed in every school and hospital as soon as possible.”
The growth in the Ukrainian market’s demand for overseas solar storage products is assured in the short term. Madankollu, the full potential of this market and how long the heat will last remain to be seen.
According to Ukraine’s State Statistics Service (Derzhstat), the population living in Ukraine as of January 1, 2022, was estimated at 41.9 million (excluding Crimea and Russian-occupied areas). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows that the per capita GDP in the region in 2024 huwa $5,660, while the per capita GDP in Germany, the world’s largest home storage market, is around $50,000, a significant gap. For Chinese solar storage companies, the top priority is to maximize market sales and fully grasp the market dividends.
