Greenpeace Launches Heat Pump and Solar Pilot in Ukraine – Renewable Energy Breakthrough

A landmark renewable‑energy pilot in war‑torn Ukraine

In early 2026, Greenpeace, together with the city of Trostianets and Green Planet Energy, completed a pioneering renovation of a five‑storey residential block that had been heavily damaged during the 2022 Russian occupation. The building now runs entirely on a hybrid system of high‑efficiency heat pumps and rooftop solar panels, eliminating the need for gas or coal heating. This pilot demonstrates how European solidarity can translate into secure, affordable, and climate‑neutral heating for Ukrainian households.

The project aligns with Ukraine’s Masterplan for Green Reconstruction, a strategic roadmap that prioritises decentralized renewable solutions over fossil‑fuel dependence. By delivering a fully operational system in a conflict‑affected area, the pilot proves that climate‑resilient infrastructure can be built even under the most challenging conditions.

Heat‑pump and solar‑panel installation: technology and layout

The retrofit involved three core components:

• Five heat pumps – each sized to meet the building’s peak demand while operating at a coefficient of performance (COP) above 4, meaning four units of heat are generated for every unit of electricity consumed.
• Solar array – a 30 kW rooftop photovoltaic system, mounted on a lightweight steel frame, supplies daytime electricity directly to the heat pumps and charges on‑site battery storage.
• Thermal storage tanks – five insulated 2,000‑litre tanks buffer excess heat, ensuring a constant supply during night‑time or cloudy periods.

The total investment of €218,000 covered equipment, civil works, and a smart‑metering platform that monitors energy flows in real time. The monitoring dashboard, built on the UBOS platform overview, enables remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance, reducing operational costs by up to 15%.

Beyond the hardware, the project integrated a OpenAI ChatGPT integration to provide residents with a conversational assistant that answers energy‑usage questions and suggests optimal thermostat settings, further enhancing efficiency.

Community impact and climate‑resilience benefits

For the 60 families now living in the renovated block, the benefits are immediate and tangible:

1. Lower energy bills – the shift from gas to renewable electricity cuts heating costs by an estimated 40%.
2. Energy independence – with on‑site generation, residents are insulated from national grid disruptions that have plagued Ukraine since the war began.
3. Improved indoor comfort – heat pumps provide consistent temperature control, eliminating the temperature swings typical of coal‑fired boilers.
4. Health and safety – eliminating coal reduces indoor air pollutants, contributing to better respiratory health for children and the elderly.

Mayor Yuriy Bova highlighted that the project “gives people the feeling of a home that is warm and protected from threats.” The success has already sparked interest from neighboring districts seeking to replicate the model.

To help residents understand and manage their new system, Greenpeace organized workshops using the AI marketing agents on the UBOS platform, delivering personalized energy‑saving tips via SMS and Telegram.

Funding sources and partnership ecosystem

The €218,000 capital outlay was sourced from multiple channels:

• Green Planet Energy customers – a crowd‑funded pool contributed 55% of the budget.
• Greenpeace Environmental Foundation – acted as the primary funding partner, providing grant management and project oversight.
• Technical expertise – supplied by Workflow automation studio consultants from Consulting IC Ukraine and CES Clean Energy Solutions.

The collaboration model mirrors the UBOS partner program, where public, private, and civil‑society actors co‑invest in digital‑first infrastructure projects.

In addition, the project leveraged the Telegram integration on UBOS to keep donors updated with live progress photos and impact metrics, fostering transparency and continued support.

Alignment with Ukraine’s Masterplan for Green Reconstruction

The Trostianets pilot directly supports the city’s 2023 Masterplan for Green Reconstruction, which sets three strategic pillars:

• Decentralised renewable generation – encouraging rooftop solar and community‑scale storage.
• Energy‑efficient building envelopes – retrofitting war‑damaged structures with high‑performance insulation and airtightness.
• Smart energy management – deploying digital platforms for real‑time monitoring and demand response.

By delivering a fully functional heat‑pump‑solar system, the pilot validates each pillar. The digital monitoring layer, built with the Web app editor on UBOS, provides the data backbone required for city‑wide scaling.

Furthermore, the project’s open‑source documentation is hosted on the UBOS portfolio examples, enabling other municipalities to replicate the design with minimal engineering lead time.

Future outlook: scaling the model across Ukraine

Greenpeace plans to roll out additional pilots in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, targeting multi‑family blocks of 100–200 units. The projected cost per unit is expected to drop by 20% as bulk procurement of heat pumps and solar modules expands.

Key scalability levers include:

• Standardised template kits – UBOS offers ready‑made UBOS templates for quick start, accelerating deployment timelines.
• AI‑driven design optimisation – using the Chroma DB integration, planners can simulate thousands of layout scenarios in minutes.
• Voice‑enabled user support – the ElevenLabs AI voice integration powers a multilingual help line for residents.

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Long‑term, the integration of AI Video Generator will enable visual storytelling of each building’s energy performance, fostering public buy‑in and attracting further EU funding.