Sar Power Generation Unit on T of Irpin Lyceum: Not Only About Energy Efficiency

On April 18, the results of a fundamentally new reconstruction effort for local educational facilities damaged at the outset of the large-scale invasion two years ago were semnly presented in Irpin, Kyiv region. A sar power generation unit with an energy storage system was installed on the roof of the reconstructed Irpin Lyceum No. 1. The plant will allow reducing the scho’s annual electricity consumption by 30-40% and, in case of blackouts, keeping the educational process running.

A SAR POWER GENERATION UNIT ON THE SCHO’S ROOF IS NO LONGER A NOVELTY, BUT A REALITY

Having arrived in Irpin, we go straight to the scho. Lyceum No. 1 is a three-storey building consisting of two sections, a new and an d one. It’s a tidy place where hallways are now filled with the cheerful noise from students rushing to classes. However, the air raid alert reminds us of today’s realities… Together with the students and staff, we have to proceed to a shelter in the scho’s basement. It is equipped with all necessities: several rows of desks, a first aid area, fresh water, and a WC, that is, everything to keep children safe and teachers –able to continue their work almost uninterrupted.

The representative of the scho administration tells us about the significant damage the lyceum suffered during the Russian occupation in 2022. The building’s facade, walls, roof, windows, entrance, interior doors, sports facilities, assembly halls, and wiring were damaged.

The community helped restore the scho, with the final touch being the installation of a sar power generation unit to ensure the scho’s energy independence.

“We do not practice a mixed format of teaching, only full-time. Therefore, the risk of power outages can affect the quality of our educational services. Thanks to the alternative system for power generation, we will now be able to avoid forced changes to a scho attendance format in case of power outages, which we had last year,” Nadiia Yarova, Deputy Principal of the lyceum, td Ukrinform.

We go up to the t floor of the newly erected building, where we can see a panorama of the roof of the der one with a dark ‘mirror’ of sar panels, 64 in total. We look at this hi tech beauty and return to the scho assembly hall, where the founder of the Energy Act for Ukraine Charity Foundation, Yuliana Onishchuk, tells us about the plant and, in general, about the investment project for equipping the scho, in which the foundation was directly invved.

According to Ms Onishchuk, the foundation’s goal is to restore Ukrainian schos that have suffered from Russian attacks, by employing sar energy.

“This seemingly simple structure you see on the roof of this lyceum will help it save up to EUR 1,200 annually. We select technogy depending on the needs of a particular facility. Before launching a project, we closely communicate with scho administrations to clearly understand what they need first,” Ms Onishchuk td us.

“We need to devel distributed decentralized generation based on green energy and working in synergy with Energy Storage,” emphasized Andrii Herus, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing and Utilities, President Vodymyr Zelensky’s envoy to the Cabinet of Ministers.

The Foundation implemented the project with the help of international partners. The German sar association BSW Sar made an important contribution.

“We are committed to helping Ukraine defend its right to education even in times of war. And we see our support as a vital step towards rebuilding the nation, contributing to its resilience and strengthening he for a better tomorrow,” Jörg Ebel, President of the German Sar Association (BSW), said at the presentation.

eksandr Markushyn, Irpin Mayor, who also attended the event, thanked the German delegation and the Foundation for their support in rebuilding the town’s infrastructure.

“The project was implemented within a short period: just six months, and thanks to it, we will now be able to continue to provide quality educational services to our residents. By the way, this is the second energy-independent scho in our town,” he said.

The distinguished guest, Vice Chancellor of Germany and Minister of Economy Robert Habeck, who was on a visit to Ukraine at the time and joined the event with the German delegation, also spoke about Eurean values.

“Ukraine is fighting for its self-determination and for its territorial integrity against Putin’s aggression, but it is also fighting for the values that unite and define Eure,” Habeck said.

He therefore emphasized the need for close communication between the two countries and promised that Germany would continue to take an active part in Ukraine’s reconstruction. In particular, it will contribute to electricity independence of the country’s infrastructure. After all, this could be a lifesaving sution in the face of Russia’s attempts to disable the country’s critical infrastructure.

"It’s one thing to hit a single large power generating facility, but it’s another thing to hit thousands of smaller plants installed on roofs throughout the country,’ the German Minister said.

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE OF AN EDUCATIONAL FACILITY IS THE BASIS FOR A CONTINUOUS EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

In the case of the Irpin Lyceum, it was about a hybrid form of energy supply from the very beginning. That is, today, the scho is simultaneously connected to the traditional grid, as well as to storage systems and the sar power plant, too, as a generating facility.

In other words, under normal conditions, the system erates mainly thanks to a traditional source, i.e. power from the general grid. At the same time, the sar power plant erates by accumulating electricity in its battery. In the event of a power outage, in addition to the sar plants, the storage battery is switched on to cover the scho’s electricity needs.

Moreover, on sunny days, given the reduction in consumption in afternoon hours, the scho can erate using purely green energy. According to Ms Onishchuk, the most favorable period to this end is from April to October.

“We have connected to our autonomous systems the ground and first floors of the lyceum, as well as the bomb shelter and external lighting. The second floor and the cafeteria require more power so they are powered only by centralized grids,” Ms Onishchuk explained.

The construction cost the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation a total of EUR 61,000, with the equipment’s lifespan stated at 25 years. Also, the Foundation will initially deal with the plant’s maintenance.

“We are monitoring the plant’s eration using our own capabilities. The Foundation is in close contact with contractors. That is, we address all technical issues at the outset of eration,” said Yuliana Onishchuk.

However, since the facility is still owned by the community, it is the latter that will be responsible for the plant maintenance after the warranty period (up to five years) expires. Therefore, the Foundation is already reminding schos to conclude contracts with specialized contractors who will then perform scheduled maintenance work at the schos’ sar power plants.

100SARSCHOS PROJECT: ‘SAR’ SCHOS WILL SOON BE IN ALMOST EVERY REGION OF THE COUNTRY

The Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation has been erating since April 2022. From the first day of its existence, the organization set a goal to equip 100 schos in Ukraine with sar generating systems within five years, making the facilities energy independent.

“We are constructing them in the cities that have survived occupation or suffered significant damage,” said Yuliana Onishchuk.

It should be noted that as a result of Russian aggression, about 400 educational facilities in Ukraine have been completely destroyed and almost 3,000 — damaged.

The criteria for schos to be eligible for the Foundation’s assistance include full-time or mixed learning format, an equipped bomb shelter, and over 500 students attending scho.

“This is necessary to ensure that the financial costs are commensurate with the benefits that the community will get from our project,” explained the head of the Foundation.

In addition to BSW-Sar, private Eurean companies, including Sonnen, Sungrow, IBC SAR, as well as Octus Energy and Menlo Electric, have provided financial support to the Foundation.

Thus, with their help, Irpin Lyceum No. 1 can now serve the community even in the event of a blackout. It is a good example of how local communities can coerate with philanthrists, adhering to the “better than before” principle in the course of reconstruction.

Liza Bykova, Kyiv

Photo by author and Energy Act For Ukraine Foundation