Ukraine’s solar sector brought its scale and policy priorities to a European audience on 17 September, when Vladyslav Sokolovsky, head of the Ukrainian Solar Energy Association (USEA), addressed an international SolarPower Europe webinar attended by European business representatives, Germany’s BSW Solar association, and EU institutions.<\/p>\n
Despite generating capacity losses exceeding 27 GW, the country’s solar fleet has kept expanding. Cumulative installed solar capacity reached 9.4\u20139.7 GW by mid-2026, with up to 1.1 GW added in the first half of this year alone. Roughly 80% of the new installations are small facilities \u2014 up to 1 MW \u2014 built mainly to cover on-site consumption by businesses and households. An equally high share of solar system owners, over 80%, have paired their panels with battery storage for backup power.<\/p>\n
That storage build-out has earned Ukraine a notable regional ranking: USEA estimates the country placed fourth in Europe for new BESS installations across all segments in 2025, adding 2.9 GWh of capacity last year and a further 1.6\u20131.9 GWh in the first half of 2026. The association estimates the country needs approximately 10 GW of new and restored generating capacity going forward.<\/p>\n
To attract European capital, Sokolovsky outlined a set of policy priorities: streamlining grid connections for new projects, broadening access to concessional finance, creating effective mechanisms to reduce war-related risks for investors, restoring and protecting infrastructure, supporting distributed generation, full integration of Ukraine’s electricity market with its European counterpart, and developing microgrids. These conditions, he said, could open opportunities for Ukrainian and European investors alike.<\/p>\n