At the Stebnyk City Hospital Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise (KNP “Stebnytska miska likarnia”), an infrastructure project is under way to install a ground-mounted hybrid solar power plant designed to ensure autonomous and uninterrupted electricity supply for the infectious diseases ward. Such a back-up source is particularly important in the event of possible disruptions to the electricity supply.
To review the progress of the work, the Mayor of Drohobych, Taras Kuchma, visited the hospital together with Head of the Health Department Volodymyr Chuba, Head of the Investment and Economic Development Department Lesia Lazunda, and Head of the International Cooperation and Energy Management Department Yurii Yatskiv. They inspected the plant and discussed its technical capabilities with the hospital management.
Acting Director of the Stebnyk City Hospital Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise, Olha Hishchak, and Deputy Director for Legal and Human Resources Matters, Ihor Varyvoda, presented how the system operates, in particular the back-up power supply, which makes it possible to keep critically important medical equipment running even in the event of a complete power cut.
According to preliminary calculations by specialists, the use of solar generation will make it possible to save around 80–90 thousand hryvnias a year on electricity bills. The 20 kW hybrid solar power plant is equipped with an energy storage system and is integrated with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). During daylight hours it generates electricity, charges the batteries and primarily supplies power to the infectious diseases ward, strengthening the hospital’s energy resilience.
The project is being implemented through cooperation between the Stebnyk City Hospital Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise of Drohobych City Council, Drohobych City Council, the public organisation “Ecoclub” and with financial support from the “Svarog” fund. The community emphasises that such initiatives are made possible by partnerships with Ukrainian communities, international organisations, funds and foreign partners, which allows investment, modern technologies and expert support to be attracted.
“Today we live in conditions where the energy resilience of medical institutions directly affects people’s safety. That is why we are consistently working to make our hospitals more autonomous and ready for any challenges… The solar power plant at Stebnyk Hospital is a vivid example of how cooperation is transformed into a tangible result: uninterrupted operation of the medical facility, patient safety and confidence in tomorrow,” said Taras Kuchma
The solar power plant has already been commissioned and is demonstrating stable generation figures on a daily basis, which are recorded via a monitoring system. Once all stages of implementation are completed, it is expected to fully ensure the uninterrupted operation of critically important equipment, reduce the hospital’s dependence on external grids and cut consumption of conventional energy resources.
The Drohobych community plans to continue implementing projects aimed at improving energy efficiency and developing renewable energy. Investment in modern energy infrastructure is seen here as a contribution to security, the sustainable development of the community and a guarantee of the uninterrupted provision of high-quality medical care to residents.