A hybrid SPP for ₴150 thousand and an inverter generator for the rest — how much does it cost Ukrainians «energy independence»?

In Kyiv alone, the average duration of power outages reached 9 hours per day, and for the winter, according to the «baseline forecast», some experts predict blackouts of 12 hours.

In the Ukrainian Forbes investigated how the demand for generators, charging stations, and solar panels in Ukraine has grown, and analyzed prices — here is a brief summary.

First, a little bit of background «store» statistics:

• In May, sales of generators at Rozetka tripled compared to May 2023, and in the first ten days of June, they increased 5.5 times. The company also records an abnormal demand for charging stations and power banks — sales growth of 10 and 8 times, respectively.
• In the «Epicenter» network, generator sales increased 2.4 times compared to March-April. In June, — almost tripled.
• At Comfy, sales of generators have increased 4 times this year, and there is a shortage. Sales of charging stations have increased 5 times over the past year.
• Ukrainians are also actively buying solar panels — in May, sales of solar power plants increased 3.5 times, according to Rozetka. Also recently, the following companies started selling panels «Epicenter» and Yasno.

According to Pavlo Royko, Sales Director at the «Kvitka» generator dealer, the most popular generators among the population are — inverter generators with a capacity of 3-5 kW (they are quieter and keep the voltage stable) and gasoline generators with a capacity of 5-8 kW; meanwhile, business buys diesel generators of various capacities.

At the GTM dealer, most people buy «gas-gasoline» generators, which are often connected to a gas pipe without permission, which is not very safe. In this case, GTM owner Yuriy Stepanenko advises to have an additional fire extinguisher in the room. As for prices, they are as follows the simplest gasoline generator with a capacity of 1 kW can be purchased from 4099 to 10 800 UAHaccording to the e-katalog service.

Meanwhile the cost of installing a 3 kW hybrid SPP in a private house reaches UAH 150,000according to the company’s calculation «Atmosphere».

When it comes to the demand for charging stations, Ukrainians prefer such well-known brands as EcoFlow, Bluetti and Anker. According to Rozetka, EcoFlow RIVER 2 (300 W / 256 W-h) is the most commonly purchased — prices for models of this manufacturer in Ukraine will start from UAH 8890, according to the Hotline service. Dmytro Tanko, retail director of «Epicenter», says that their network is showing increased interest in 1-2 kW devices that allow for lighting and the functioning of household appliances (refrigerator, TV, router).