An apartment building in Trostianets in eastern Ukraine, badly damaged during the Russian occupation in 2022, has now been fully renovated and equipped with modern heating technology based on heat pumps and solar power. The pilot project for sustainable reconstruction is just one demonstration of how European support can help make heating in Ukraine secure, affordable and independent.
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Gas and coal as heat sources
Ukraine currently meets most of its heating needs with natural gas and coal. Since the beginning of the war, Russian bombardment has knocked out around 60 percent of the country's gas supply, and many Ukrainian households are once again facing a difficult winter.
The project, underway since the end of 2023, is focused on the renovation and energy upgrade of a five-storey, 60-apartment block. “The pilot project shows how important decentralised, resilient reconstruction with renewable energy is, rather than fossil gas,” says Andree Böhling, Project Manager at Greenpeace.
Heat pumps and solar energy now supply a large residential building in full, a first for Ukraine. Böhling urges: “Solutions like this should be prioritised over gas heating in EU-funded reconstruction.”
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Blueprint for green reconstruction
The new heating system includes five thermal storage tanks of around 2,000 litres each, alongside a heat exchanger for hot water. The total investment in the heating system came to €218,000.
The project is intended to help implement the “Masterplan for Green Reconstruction” developed by the city of Trostianets in 2023. Here, the overarching aim is to establish concepts for sustainable heating in large residential buildings and make the city a model for Ukraine.
Trostianets lies just 35 kilometres from the Russian border. Despite the attacks, the number of residents has risen. “We want reconstruction that makes our community stronger and more independent,” says Mayor Yuriy Bova. “The renovated building underlines how that the switch to renewable energy is possible even during war. It gives people something essential: the feeling of a home that is warm and protected from threats.”
The pilot project was funded by customers of Green Planet Energy and made possible by the Greenpeace Environmental Foundation as a funding partner. Experts from Consulting IC Ukraine and CES Clean Energy Solutions supported the project. (HS/TF)
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