About
About Solar Aid for Ukraine
In response to devastating infrastructural damage in Ukraine, the NGO Ecoclub and the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine started a campaign to install solar power plants for Ukrainian hospitals. This will provide hospitals with electricity even if the supply is disconnected from the grid. We focus on renewables because solar power plants are an effective environmental and long-term solution to the problem and the first step of the transition to renewable energy sources in Ukraine.
In December 2022, Ecoclub completed a solar power plant for the hospital in the city of Zviahel, Zhytomyr Oblast. This is a medical institution which, if necessary, can guarantee the provision of medical assistance to approximately 170,000 residents. The capacity of the solar power plant is 32.4 kW. In the first month, the plant generated 800 kWh of electrictiy. This is enough to continuously operate one machine for artificial ventilation of the lungs for a month. Now, a similar project is underway at the Cherkasy Third City Hospital.
About the Cherkasy third city hospital
The Cherkasy Third City Hospital is a municipal health care institution for adult residents of Cherkasy and surrounding areas. It is also the only emergency hospital in the city. All departments of the hospital, except for physiotherapy, work around the clock, without days off or holiday. The hospital, which has 555 beds, includes many different departments for various specialisations, which provide both emergency and planned medical care.
The following units are the only such ones in the entire city of Cherkasy:
- Cardiology (infarction)
- Cerebrovascular pathology (for stroke patients)
- Rheumatology equipped with neurological beds
- Diagnostic and detoxification
- Anaesthesiology department specialized for patients with neuropathology
- Extracorporeal detoxification methods (e.g. haemodialysis)
- Interventional cardiology room
The hospital also has a Trauma Center, which provides emergency medical care to more than 14,000 injured people per year, of which 70% are urgent cases.
The hospital’s energy consumption
The equipment that entails the highest energy consumption is medical equipment, computer and office equipment, climate control, and lighting.
In 2021, the hospital’s total consumption was 1,124,750 kWh (up from 927,399 kWh in 2019).
The above video concerns an earlier Solar Aid for Ukraine project, in which 32.5 kW of solar panels were installed on the roof of a hospital in Zviahel. The project for the Cherkasy hospital is fundamentally similar, with a larger installed capacity (150 kW).
Project Details
The aim of this project is to install a solar power plant with a capacity of 150kW on the roof of the main building of the hospital. The project implementation period is 2 months.
The following equipment will be needed:
1) Basic equipment and services
- Photomodules
- Inverters
- Support structures (galvanized steel) on a flat roof
- Cable and wire products (DC), connectors and more
- Development of the construction project
2) Construction, installation and electrical works
- Preparatory work, operation of machines and mechanisms
- Installation of structures and modules
- Cable installation on the side of DC, AC
- Installation of inverters and protection equipment
- Start-up and adjustment works
3) Other expenses
- Transportation services
- General and administrative expenses
Positive Impacts
The planned annual generation of the solar plant to be installed on the roof of Cherkasy Hospital is 156,172 kWh per year. As the hospital’s total annual electricity consumption is estimated to be 1,312,948 kWh, the plant will provide 12% of total electricity consumption.
The project is estimated to cost 140,000 EUR to install, with annual savings of 22,000 EUR. The payback period is therefore calculated to be 6,24 years.
Furthermore, the reduction of CO2 emissions is just under 80 tons per year. Over the entire operational life of the plant, the reduction of emissions is thus over 1,450 tons.
