Solar Desalination Keeps Mykolaiv Drinking Water Running Through Power Outages

Drinking water continues to reach homes in Mykolaiv’s eastern suburbs even during emergency electricity outages, thanks to a battery-backed solar installation that keeps an underground pump running autonomously. The compact photovoltaic system sits discreetly among residential buildings and powers the pump from its own generation — no waiting for high-voltage lines to be restored.

The installation is part of one of Ukraine’s largest renewable-powered desalination complexes, fully funded by the Danish government. The project was reported by Foreign Ukraine, citing the Heinrich Böll Foundation Initiative and the NGO Ekoclub.

Key figures for the facility:

• Daily output: up to 1.2 million litres of purified drinking water
• Coverage: capacity to serve up to 250,000 residents
• Configuration: Mykolaiv operates five desalination systems in total; the eastern-suburb site has two separate ground-mounted solar arrays and a dedicated battery for continuous pump operation

During daylight the facility converts technical water to drinking water entirely on solar power. At night and in overcast weather it draws from the central grid as needed. Ekoclub project manager Olena Kondratiuk noted that even weak winter sunshine generates enough energy to run the pump and lift water from underground sources.

By reducing dependence on vulnerable external water mains, the autonomous systems help maintain basic supply for the district during outages that would otherwise disrupt centralized infrastructure.

Source: Foreign Ukraines