The Odesa sun helps save newborns at the perinatal center
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
On April 29, a hybrid solar power station was inaugurated at Odesa Perinatal Center. The project was implemented by the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation with the support of Huawei Ukraine, a technology partner and sponsor of the nationwide project to install solar power plants in hospitals, and with the coordination assistance of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing and Utilities. The project is also part of the foundation’s collaboration with GlobalGiving and LONGi.
Over 100,000 Ukrainians have been born at this center over the past 40 years. Today, it is a high-tech medical hub where in the first three months of this year alone 62 children were saved in the intensive care unit. Most of them, like Maksym, require mechanical ventilation. Medicine of this caliber is impossible without a perfectly stable power supply.
Previously, any blackout meant a pause until backup sources kicked in. Now, 74 solar panels with a capacity of 34 kW installed on the roof ensure the continuous operation of compressors and heating systems. This allows doctors to focus on patients rather than voltage indicators. Even in the event of a complete city-wide blackout, critical department – pediatric and adult intensive care – can remain self-sufficient for up to 18 hours on a sunny day.
“In projects like this, our main goal is to enable doctors to do their jobs. When every second counts in the operating room or intensive care unit, medical professionals shouldn’t have to worry about an energy crisis. They need to be focused solely on the patient. We strive to make modern technology an invisible yet reliable backbone that will allow doctors to safely deliver babies and care for newborns regardless of external circumstances or blackouts," says Yevheniia Pavliuk, Chief Operating Officer of the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation.
Complex cases are part of the daily routine for medical professionals in Odesa. For example, the center’s team once successfully delivered Maksym, a premature baby boy who weighed just 770 grams at birth, and also performed a unique procedure to save both the mother and child during a case of placenta accreta. This procedure requires equipment to operate with absolute precision for many hours. Now that the hospital has its own power generation system on the roof, the risk of sudden power outages due to shelling will no longer hinder such complex procedures. Having their own power source gives medical staff peace of mind and confidence: they can focus on saving patients in the most critical conditions knowing that the equipment will operate without fail.
In addition to safety, the autonomous system also supports the hospital financially: solar energy will allow the facility to save over 4,700 euros per year.
"Supporting medical institutions is not merely a matter of budgeting or equipment procurement; it is a matter of our national security. Today, we are talking about the very foundation of our existence – Ukrainian healthcare. In the darkest of times, under the wail of sirens, in de-occupied cities, and in the rear, you remain on the front lines of the struggle for life. We witness the heroism of doctors working in frontline zones, and we recognize that the healthcare system requires constant attention and modernization," emphasized Serhiy Kalynchuk, Director General of the Odesa Regional Clinical Hospital.
