Ecoclub Rivne – Who they are and what they do:

Ecoclub Rivne (“Ecoclub”) is a non-government organization based in Ukraine, which has been promoting renewable energy and sustainable development among Ukrainian communities and educating them for over 20 years.

With the support of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine, Ecoclub launched the Solar Aid For Ukraine Project with the purpose of providing Ukrainian critical infrastructures with reliable sources of electricity as solar plants.

Since 1998, among other activities, Ecoclub:

– installed/is installing 11 solar power plants for hospitals and water utilities;

– conducted 33 pre-feasibility studies for solar PV plants in Ukrainian municipalities;

– developed Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans for Korosten and Zhytomyr;

– provided offline and online trainings for municipalities and NGOs.

Ecoclub is aiming to install rooftop solar PV systems on six Ukrainian hospitals as part of the country’s green recovery from the war with Russia. The first installation was completed on the hospital in Zviahel in December 2022.

What NEF does with Ecoclub Rivne:

NextEnergy Foundation is supporting Ecoclub’s mission by funding the installation of a 149kWp Solar PV system in a hospital in Khotyn, and a 143kWp Solar PV system in a hospital in Chornomorsk. The municipalities have requested the installation to create a sustainable post-war recovery.

Direct and indirect beneficiaries of the projects are estimated as follows:

Khotyn hospital:

• 219 in-patients
• 18,000 people in the Khotyn community
• 40,000 people from the surrounding territorial communities in the Chernivtsi Oblast Region who are served by the Khotyn hospital

Chornomorsk hospital:

• 355 in-patients
• 70,781 people in the Chornomorsk territorial community

Covering a part of the hospital’s electricity demand through the solar system will result in savings in electricity supply costs, as well as mitigating power outages from constant attacks on energy facilities.

Ecoclub’s ultimate aim with its hospital programme is to demonstrate that renewable energy is a viable and sustainable energy solution for communities in Ukraine.

PV solar modules have been donated and delivered by NextEnergy Foundation and are already on site. The installation on the rooftop of the hospitals will be completed over the next months and an update will be provided shortly afterwards.