Ukraine`s State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Conservation reports a growing trend toward installment of solar power systems in households across the country.
The number of solar power stations in Ukrainian households over the first 9 months of 2016 increased almost fivefold, up to 625 units compared with the same period last year, the press service of the energy efficiency agency reported citing the agency chief, Serhiy Savchuk, as saying.
”As you can see, the dynamics of a growing number of solar power stations installed is getting stronger. The reason for such a high interest of the population to this ”clean” power source was the introduction last year by the Law of Ukraine No.514-VIII of a ”green” rate for the purchase of electricity produced by solar and wind stations with capacity up to 30 kW. This allowed the households that have installed solar panels and consume less electricity than they produce to sell the surplus to the grid, which means – to make money on it,” reads the report.
Savchuk says that the number of households with solar power systems installed has increased by 22.1%, to 298, compared with the previous quarter; in the second quarter – by 44.3%, to 430; and in the third – by 45.4%, to 625.
The press service reminded that the households that have installed solar panels in 2016 may sell the excess electricity produced to the grid at the price of 19.01 cents per 1 kWh.
As UNIAN reported earlier, according to the Ukrainian association of renewable energy, in 2015 the production of electricity by wind power dropped from 1,107 million kWh a year earlier to 972 million kWh, solar energy – from 485 million kWh to to 474 million kWh, and the energy derived from the small hydro power plants – from 250 million kWh down to 169 million kWh. This drop in production was due to the occupation of Crimea and the loss of capacities, located on the peninsula (Crimea generation volumes were included in the annual balance of the generation until April 2014). Electricity generation from biomass in 2015 increased by 25% compared to 2014 – up to 134 million kWh.
