Sun for surgery: solar power station installed at a hospital in Odesa region
- energyactua
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 15 minutes ago
A modern hybrid solar power station has been launched at the Zakharivka Multidisciplinary Hospital in the Odesa region. The system can provide uninterrupted power to the surgical building even in the event of a complete blackout. The project was implemented by the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation with the support of Norway and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
For a region that regularly suffers attacks on its energy infrastructure, the new station is more than just an upgrade — it has become a guarantee of safety. The system will allow the surgical department, including intensive care and surgical equipment, to operate autonomously for up to 6 hours, which is critical during operations and patient stabilization.
When electricity becomes a matter of life: the experience of Zakharivka’s doctors
Antonina Hanzii, the hospital’s general director, recalls that during the first months of the full-scale invasion, medical staff essentially lived at the hospital, providing care without interruption. Surgeries had to be moved to the basement, where a shelter was equipped.
“During blackout periods, we weren’t fighting for comfort — we were fighting for the ability to operate. Our equipment would shut down at the most critical moments. The solar station is our energy safety cushion. Now we can perform surgeries without fear that the lights will go out mid-procedure,” she says.
In 2022, the hospital had to rely on a generator from the 1970s, which could not provide stable power. The new energy storage system with a capacity of 102 kWh, inverters, and 102 solar panels with a total capacity of 62.73 kW, fundamentally change the situation — ensuring energy independence and safeguarding patient care.
International support that translates into saved lives
Representatives of the Norwegian Refugee Council emphasize that ensuring autonomous power supply for Ukrainian hospitals is a humanitarian priority:
“NRC has been working in Ukraine since 2014, and in Southern Ukraine since 2022, providing protection and assistance to displaced people and conflict-affected communities. Installing a solar power station is the first project of its kind implemented by NRC in southern Ukraine, and we sincerely hope it will not be the last,” the donors stated.
Strengthening Ukraine’s energy resilience: the strategy of Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation
Yuliana Onishchuk, CEO & Founder of the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, highlights that the Zakharivka Hospital is now part of a growing network of autonomous medical facilities supported by the foundation:
“This year we began building solar stations in the Odesa region for the first time, and today we already have three operational systems here — at hospitals and schools. Each station is not just panels on a roof; it is a real tool that helps doctors work without interruption even in the most difficult moments. These systems support hospitals so effectively during outages that sometimes medical staff don’t even notice the centralized power is gone.”
The solar station will cover 27% of the hospital’s annual electricity consumption and save approximately €15,200 per year. Over 25 years, the system will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 377 tonnes, making the project significant from an environmental perspective as well.
A hospital with over 100 years of history, serving tens of thousands of patients
Founded in 1920, the Zakharivka Hospital has grown from a 25-bed infirmary into a large modern medical center with 123 beds and a team of 180 medical professionals. In 2024 alone, it provided care to more than 99,000 patients from communities across the Rozdilna and Podil districts.
The hospital team includes specialists from across Ukraine, including doctors who were forced to leave temporarily occupied territories. The facility also hosts a trauma surgeon from France, who came to support Ukrainian colleagues during the war.
When technology becomes humanitarian aid
The solar power station at Zakharivka Hospital is not just a technical solution. It is an expression of international solidarity, a response to the energy challenges of war, and an investment in the safety of people living across dozens of communities in southern Ukraine.
At a time when blackouts can paralyze medical facilities, projects like this become lifesaving. Zakharivka Hospital has received a system that allows it to keep working even in the darkest hours — its own form of “sunlight” that saves lives.
