How Ukrainians are changing their attitude towards solar energy: a trend analysis by Timur Yakimenko
Interest in solar energy in Ukraine has grown significantly over the past two years. Until 2023, the attitude towards SES (solar power plants) remained rather restrained. It was often perceived as a technology for high-income investors or as a complex system beyond the reach of the average household. However, a series of energy crises related to Russian aggression, instability of power grids and blackouts significantly changed the perception. Now SES is no longer associated with an elite or risky choice. It is increasingly seen as a practical solution for ensuring a stable lifestyle.
As notes marketing director of Atmosfera Timur Yakymenko, These changes were not instantaneous, but they turned out to be very dynamic. If in 2023, about half of the population considered solar energy complex and incomprehensible, then in 2025, 63% of respondents already classified it as a convenient and acceptable solution. It is about ordinary households, not just about business or investors. Such a transformation is explained both by practical factors and by a change in the mass perception of energy independence.
Motivation: From Exotic to Survival Tool
According to Yakymenko, previously solar energy was associated with long-term investments that should pay off only after 10-15 years. However, after 2022, it began to be perceived as a survival tool. In the conditions of war, regular accidents on the energy infrastructure, targeted strikes on CHP plants and substations, the main selection criterion was the question of continuity. People are not ready to wait for the stabilization of centralized supply — they create backup sources on their own.
The surveys referred to by Yakymenko confirm that more than 79% of users chose SES primarily because of the desire to have a source of electricity that does not depend on the schedules of blackouts or accidents. Economy is the second most important factor, but not the main one. Only 4.9% of respondents in 2025 still doubted the feasibility of installing a home solar station.
Cost reduction and payback acceleration
Another important factor that influenced the change in attitude was the cheapening of equipment. If in 2023 the average cost of a set of panels was more than 200 conditional units, then in 2024 it decreased to 100. This made it possible to reduce the payback period from 10-15 years to 4-5 – even without preferential mechanisms or compensations. Yakymenko emphasizes: it was this shift that made the technology attractive to the middle class, and not just to business.
At the same time, in the corporate sector (B2B), the demand for solar stations was formed differently. Here, decisions were made on the basis of clear financial calculations. The business was looking for ways to stabilize production, avoid spikes in electricity prices and minimize dependence on external risks. This especially applies to logistics and agricultural companies, as well as the food industry.
Home SES and a new standard of living
Among private customers (B2C), spontaneous decisions dictated by the desire to ensure the autonomy of housing occurred most often. Yakymenko cites examples when SES owners did not expect changes in the operation of equipment, but later noted stable voltage, improved sound in acoustic systems, or reduced washing time. This is due to the fact that the SES works as a stabilizer, especially in connection with the battery.
Such effects, at first glance insignificant, strengthen the positive attitude towards the technology. In 2025, more than a third of those surveyed already had a positive attitude toward solar energy, and another third planned to install a SPP. Such a trend does not indicate a short-term fashion, but a gradual change in household priorities.
The boom of 2024: a situational reaction or the basis of a long-term trend
In 2024, the solar energy market in Ukraine will grow three times. Yakymenko believes that this surge was a reaction to blackouts and general energy instability. The demand was not strategic, but reactive. However, it is these waves that can initiate permanent change — if supported by the state.
Among the potential drivers of future growth, Yakymenko names credit programs for individuals, subsidies for condominiums, cashbacks for equipment from international institutions. The EBRD’s participation in financing home systems and small commercial facilities is particularly promising.
Key barriers: trust, information, availability
Along with the development of the market, the problems also intensified. Yakymenko considers the high initial cost of equipment, lack of clear and understandable financial calculations for users, and lack of trust in contractors to be the biggest of them. Even with lower panel prices, the average 5kW home kit with batteries costs $5-6K, a significant barrier in wartime conditions.
The second problem is self-installation. Social networks and vlogs create the illusion that a solar system can be installed “with your own hands in a weekend”. The consequences of such experiments become the cause of fires, failure of equipment and devaluation of the technology itself in the eyes of neighbors and communities. That is why Yakymenko emphasizes the need for company certification, work standardization, and the creation of a state list of accredited installers.
Market geography: regional features
Regionally, the most active implementation of solar energy is observed in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa regions. In the west of the country, according to Yakymenko, the pace is also high, but another principle applies here – “trust in one’s own”. Companies that have been working in the region for a long time have more chances to receive orders than large companies from the capital.
The development of industrial SPPs near the western border is interesting. Such projects are aimed not only at domestic consumption, but also at the possible export of electricity to EU countries.
The future: public participation and the ecosystem of support
One of the key steps is the mandate of the Cabinet of Ministers from August 2024 regarding the mandatory installation of SES on the roofs of schools, hospitals and administrative buildings. Yakymenko sees this as a positive signal. As of the end of 2024, dozens of such projects have already been implemented, in particular for hospitals that need backup power during shelling.
Yakymenko cites the example of Germany, where the presence of SES in the house is commonplace. However, this level can only be achieved if there is institutional support, leasing programs, a clear tax policy and long-term loans. There are no such mechanisms in Ukraine yet. According to the banks, the actual conversion of applications into loans for the installation of SES was only 3.5% in 2024.
What’s next: Technology as a tool, not a symbol
Yakymenko notes that even the basic configuration of SES without batteries already allows to reduce electricity costs and obtain autonomy during daytime consumption. At the same time, systems can be gradually upgraded, reducing dependence on external conditions. It doesn’t require radical solutions — but it does require basic literacy.
He also draws attention to surveys that show that the majority of people are ready to install SES provided that the old equipment can be exchanged for new equipment with a surcharge (72.1%), as well as available credit (58.8%) or leasing (55.9%). Used equipment inspires the least trust — only 47.1% consider it acceptable.
Yakymenko does not overestimate the effect of 2024. He admits: the current demand is situational and is formed against the background of a threat. But precisely such periods, when motivation is the highest, can become an entry point for most Ukrainians. For the market to become stable and mass, it lacks not only subsidies, but also trust, simple procedures, transparent pricing and educational work. It is these components that turn the new technology from an “emergency rescue” into a systemic tool for the development of energy independence.
