Ukraine Partnership

The USAID-NREL Partnership is supporting Ukraine by analyzing opportunities to bring more wind and solar energy into Ukraine's nuclear-dominant system. With funding from USAID, NREL developed solar resource data for all of Ukraine. This data shows the average amount of sunlight received over the course of the year in 2-km² resolution. The underlying solar resource data comes from 17 years (2005–2022) of satellite observations. Wind resource data is anticipated to be added for Ukraine in 2024.

This will help Ukraine meet its decarbonization goal of 50% of its power from renewable energy sources. It will also help Ukraine's energy independence and align with the European Union's plan for a clean hydrogen-based economy.

In the Wind and Solar Data for Renewable Energy Development webinar on YouTube, professionals, researchers, and policymakers involved in the renewable energy sector, particularly in Ukraine, learned how to leverage RE Data Explorer to optimize energy strategies and support sustainable development goals.

The USAID-NREL Partnership is supporting Ukraine by providing technical assistance and data analysis for distribution systems siting and project investment decisions. NREL is integrating the USAID-funded Ukraine solar resource data into NREL-developed software platforms that help size and design solar and solar-plus-storage systems. The most popular of these, PVWatts, has been translated into the Ukrainian language to enable any Ukrainian to see how much energy solar PV panels on their building could generate.

USAID and NREL are working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy to design a microgrid pilot project that will demonstrate how solar-plus storage systems can provide reliable, affordable, and resilient power  to critical facilities under the present conditions in Ukraine.

Global Power System Transformation (G-PST) Consortium brings together power system operators from around the world to share ideas and solutions for decarbonization. UkrEnergo staff are participating in the consortium's peer learning program, which includes visits to NREL to meet with NREL researchers and staff from other power system operators.

"So many of the tool presentations had me saying, 'Wow.' We are impressed with the NREL staff's experience and its facilities. There has been so much to see and learn." —Kateryna Deikun-Stepanchuk, senior engineer, Department of Balance Reliability, UkrEnergo