500 days of war – EKOenergy keeps supporting Ukraine
On the 500th day of full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, we continue to look for ways to support Ukraine, in particular by supporting and promoting the transition towards sustainable renewable energy. Most recently, we allocated another sum in the amount of 50,000€ from our renewable energy campaign budget to the #renewables4ukraine campaign.
Other ways in which we actively support Ukraine:
- Since the beginning of the invasion, we have hosted Ukrainian volunteers in Helsinki, where our Secretariat is located. With the financial support of the European Solidarity Corps, we have been able to host 4 long-term Ukrainian volunteers so far.
- We participated in many demonstrations and signed open letters against the Russian aggression. We particularly supported campaigns to end the import of all Russian fossil fuels.
- In December 2022, we made our first financial contribution of 20,000€ from our marketing budget to the #renewables4ukraine campaign. Part of our contribution was used to bring solar power to a school in Irpin and a clinic in Bucha, areas that suffered a lot of damage during the initial months of the war. The rest of the grant supports the advocacy work of local renewable energy organisations, in particular the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association.
- Last month, on June 2, 2023, EKOenergy Programme Manager Steven Vanholme and Ukrainian volunteer Tamara Soltys made an online presentation about the climate crisis, renewable energy and the work of our ecolabel to Ukrainian pupils at the Irpin Lyceum of Innovative Technologies.
#Renewables4ukraine
EKOenergy partnered with the World Wind Energy Association, the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association and Global100RE to support the development and launch of the fundraising website for the #renewables4ukraine campaign.
We encourage everyone to join the campaign and make a donation to support Ukraine in its efforts of green reconstruction. Currently, the donations to the #renewables4ukraine campaign are used to ensure an adequate electricity supply for critical civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools. It is estimated that around 40% of Ukrainian energy infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian attacks. On-site renewable energy installations have been providing crucial relief to Ukrainian communities during these difficult months.
A green reconstruction
In addition to immediate energy relief, EKOenergy supports Ukraine in its long-term effort of transitioning towards renewable energy. Many officials and energy experts have emphasized that renewable energy can help Ukraine achieve energy security and energy independence for years to come. Widespread and fast deployment of renewable energy generation goes hand-in-hand with the decentralisation of the energy grid, making it more resilient to future attacks or disasters.
Many communities, officials and civil society representatives in Ukraine have demonstrated their desire to embrace sustainable clean energy in post-war reconstruction. Energy transition stakeholders worldwide can play a role by supporting them and thus supporting the renewable energy development in Ukraine. As emphasized by Svitlana Romanko, the founder and director of the Razom We Stand initiative, “Rebuilding Ukraine, fully powered by clean energy and rising as the world’s first post-war country to achieve not only freedom and democracy but also an independent and secure clean energy sector serves as an exemplary model for other nations held captive by fossil fuel autocracies and dictatorships to emulate”.
You can read more about the adoption of renewable energy in Ukraine and the impact of war on the energy transition work inside the country in the article „Renewables in Ukraine„, written by a Ukrainian EKOenergy volunteer Tamara Soltys based on an interview with Hanna Rutkovska, Energy Policy Expert at the Ukrainian NGO Centre for Environmental Initiatives Ecoaction.
Published: 8 July 2023
