How hromadas can undergo the green transformation: The Ecoclub experience

In a new interview on 100GREEN with Nataliia Kholodova, Programme Manager at the NGO “Ecoclub“, we discuss the practical side of the green transition for Ukrainian hromadas (municipalities) — from comprehensive planning and project preparation to heat pumps, solar generation, active consumers, and scalable solutions for all of Ukraine.

As Nataliia Kholodova emphasizes, one of the key barriers today is not only the lack of funding or technical ideas, but the absence of ready-to-use technical solutions, project documentation, and a comprehensive vision that helps communities prioritize and understand where to direct their resources first.

In the conversation, we discuss:

• what is actually hindering hromadas from systematically advancing toward the green transition;

• why ready technical documentation and a comprehensive vision can be just as crucial as access to funding;

• what potential heat pumps hold for district heating and why their scaling is constrained by costs, limited municipal budgets, and tariff regulation;

• why even progressive municipalities do not yet fully grasp the opportunities offered by the “active consumer” model;

• why solar generation for water utilities is one of the most promising areas for hromadas and how such projects can pay for themselves within 3–5 years;

• how successful solutions from individual communities can be replicated and scaled across Ukraine.

Special attention is paid to the ANEW-LIFE project. Its goal is to implement successful green transformation models in three municipal hromadas — with at least two pilot projects in each — and then demonstrate to other communities how this experience can be replicated in practice. An important component is the combination of Ukrainian and European expertise, encompassing both technologies and financial instruments.

The green transition of hromadas is not just about installing new energy capacities. It is systematic work that integrates planning, ready technical solutions, financing, regulatory mechanisms, and the ability to scale successful practices.