Congress calls on the US government to prioritize assistance to Ukraine in the field of renewable energy

Leaders of 50 Ukrainian cities and territories sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink asking that renewable energy be prioritized in aid packages to Ukraine as a way to ensure the country’s energy security and resilience.

The letter, in particular, proposes to decentralize the power supply of critical infrastructure facilities (hospitals, water utilities, sewage treatment plants, schools, kindergartens, city and village councils) by equipping them with solar systems, batteries, and heat pumps. This is expected to create a high level of energy autonomy in a very short period of time and can save financial resources. Lloyd Doggett and Michael Schenck believe that this request from Ukrainian communities is urgent, as the country’s energy infrastructure has already suffered from significant military damage and expects new attacks in the winter. And individual renewable energy installations are able to meet energy needs more quickly than the centralized infrastructure that the US government has previously prioritized.

In addition, Ukraine is already implementing programs to decentralize its energy system to increase its resilience. The European Commission, the German government, and other countries, among others, are providing assistance in this regard. Ukrainian municipalities can co-finance renewable energy projects, but they need U.S. support to scale up.