Generating energy independence with clean electricity

Category: Energy Politics

Energy and politics are intertwined. Explore how politics impact clean electricity, renewable microgrids, and energy independence across the globe.

Abraham Lincoln staring at you on a rubber-banded roll of $5 bills.

Protect yourself from unpredictable energy prices. Democracy will thank you.

My life has always been powered by fossil fuels, from most of the vehicles I’ve ridden in, to the buildings I’ve sat and slept in, to the devices I’ve worked and played with.

Were you born in the past 100 years? Then it’s likely the same for you.

One of the many problems with a life on fossil fuels is the volatility of energy prices. We never know how much it’s going to cost to fill a tank of gas, ship a package, take a trip, or heat our homes.

That reality begs the question, who controls how much it costs to power our lives?

While there are millions of people who impact how we get our energy and the price of a barrel of oil costs, the majority of the world’s fossil fuel resources are controlled by a handful of people…and most of them aren’t fans of free will and democratic choice.

Russia is the largest exporter of fossil fuels, so today, Vladimir Putin has more control over global energy prices than anyone on Earth. In 2022, he decided to invade Ukraine to overthrow the democratically elected government, as well as maintain control over electricity in Ukraine. As a result, the price of living went up for all of us.

We can throw our hands up, keep riding with Vladimir, and hope he has a change of heart. Or we can choose a new path forward – energy independence, by producing our own clean electricity. Because today, renewable energy technologies enable us to produce clean electricity for ourselves, and that electricity has lower and more predictable energy prices than the dirty stuff we get from burning fossil fuels.

With new accessibility and affordability to solar panels, heat pumps, electric vehicles, and renewable microgrids, you can cut the chord with fossil-fueled dictators and put more ching-ching in your pocket.

Energy prices are up

Since we got past the initial shock of COVID-19’s emergence, the cost of almost everything has been inflating. What’s on your mind recently when you bought groceries, planned a trip, or filled your gas tank? For me, it’s usually, “Well, that cost more than I was expecting!”

Gas in Oakland, CA, is down from its recent high of $7/gallon, but it still costs much more than it did before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. I thank Science for my Prius’s gas mileage. But I wish my car was fully fueled by cheap, clean electricity.

One man’s decision to wage war drove up gas prices by over 60% in the US and caused them to soar in countries across the globe.

How?

Well, many countries sanctioned Russia for Vladimir’s actions, limiting their access to fossil fuels. But the demand for energy in those countries didn’t magically drop when the supply became inaccessible. So it’s a pretty simple formula: less fuel + steady energy demand = increased energy prices.

And it’s mounting pressure on families across the globe.

Understandably, people and governments are scrambling to stabilize energy prices and develop domestic energy production. 

So, what are the options?

How we lower energy prices

There is only 1 option for a country to ensure energy prices stabilize at home.

Produce more energy domestically.

That can be done in 1 of 2 ways.

Produce more fossil fuels domestically or produce more clean energy domestically.

Increase the supply of gas, coal, and oil

The depth of our dependence on fossil fuels means that the only way to quickly lower global energy prices is to rapidly increase their supply.

That’s the reality of life on fossil fuels…and it’s why we’re seeing resurging efforts to dig up more fossilized carbon and convince authoritarians to release their oil and gas stockpiles.

And gas prices have been coming down from their recent highs…

Chart showing the retail price of a gallon of gasoline in the US from September 2021 to September 2021. The prices started increasing steadily in March 2021 and peaked in June 2022. In September 2022 the average price was $4.051.
US retail gas prices over the past 12 months.

Although it’s unclear how much the decrease is attributable to the world’s exporters increasing global supply. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has been unwilling to significantly increase production. They’re benefiting from the price increases, and many of its members are authoritarians with no interest in hurting Vladimir, a fellow authoritarian, in support of democratic countries and a democratic cause.

Even if OPEC has a change of heart and gas prices fall to pre-invasion levels, or countries are able to ramp up domestic fossil fuel production to stabilize their energy prices for their citizens, it’s critical to recognize that ramping up fossil fuel production is only a stopgap solution. Ultimately, the costs of burning fossil fuels are too high for it to work for long. The taxes on our independence, health, and savings from a life on fossil fuels are damaging and unacceptable.

The costs of life on fossil fuels

Burning fossil fuels tax our pocketbooks

Burning fossil fuels is frequently more expensive than producing clean electricity with renewable energy technologies.

Chart of global energy prices by generation source in October 2021. It shows renewable energy sources generally being cheaper than conventional sources. Overall, wind is the cheapest source.
Global energy prices by generation source, October 2021.

Why?

Well, do you know what it takes for fossil fuels to become the electricity that’s cooling drinks in your refrigerator?

  1. Dig deep into the Earth or cut off the top of a mountain to collect as much coal, gas, and oil as possible.
  2. Carry those fossil fuels 100s or 1000s of miles to a power plant.
  3. Burn the fossil fuels in the power plant to create steam.
  4. Use the steam to turn a turbine that produces electricity.
  5. Send the electricity from the power plant through 100s of miles of high-power transmission lines to a local substation.
  6. Transfer the electricity from the substation through lower transmission wires to your home.

And guess what? At each step of the way, energy is lost to the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels to produce electricity is one of the most inefficient and energy-intensive processes you could dream up.

What does it take for renewable energy technologies to create electricity?

  1. Collect energy from the natural surroundings.
  2. Convert it directly into electricity.

That’s it.

Sometimes the electricity from renewable energy technologies is sent to a substation and then to you, but distributed energy technologies, like solar microgrids, produce the electricity where it will be used.

Burning fossil fuels taxes our health

Burning fossil fuels creates air pollution from all the particulates in the smog that are released into the air.

Exposure to high levels of this pollution causes many health problems, like heart attacks, cancer, asthma, and organ damage.

In 2018 alone, fossil fuel air pollution killed 8 million of us. That’s more people than have died from COVID-19 in all the years combined!

Burning fossil fuels taxes our safety

The impacts of the Climate Crisis are affecting people differently, but two phenomena are global:

  • The warmer the climate gets, the more extreme weather becomes.
  • The more we burn fossil fuels, the warmer the climate gets.

At our current rate of fossil fuel burning, Manhattan will regularly flood in less than 30 years, and much of NYC and New Jersey will frequently be underwater in less than 70 years.

Map of forecasted coastal flooding in NYC and New Jersey in 2100 from sea-level rise. 15% of population are forecasted to experience regular flooding.
NYC and New Jersey forecast flooding from sea-level rise by 2100.

In Tanzania, the toll of the climate crisis is already clear. It’s estimated that over 70% of the country’s current natural disasters are caused by climate warming from burning fossil fuels. It’s why the government is looking to expand Tanzanian energy independence by investing in the deployment of clean energy technologies.

Burning fossil fuel taxes our freedom

As we discussed, most of the people who control the majority of the world’s fossil fuel reserves are authoritarians – that fact alone is telling about the corrupting power of fossil fuel fortunes.

Buying fossil fuels lines their pockets. Empowering them to further their ability to control their own citizens and people around the world while subverting democratic values across the globe.

Just take a look at OPEC’s members.

Map of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members. Iraq, Libya, Algeria, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members.

Half the countries are controlled by authoritarians:

  1. Venezuela – Nicholas Maduro
  2. Gabon – Ali Bongo Ondimba
  3. Iran – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
  4. Kuwait – Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah
  5. Qatar – Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani
  6. United Arab Emirates – Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
  7. Saudi Arabia – Mohammed bin Salman

Buying fossil fuels lines their pockets. Further enabling their control over citizens of their countries and people around the world. These authoritarians use that control to subvert democratic values across the globe, such as free speech, political dissent, freedom of expression, and equal rights for women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ communities.

They do it by investing in sports teams, advertising campaigns, tourism promotion, and event hosting, as well as lobbying politicians, military personnel, business leaders, and educators to whitewash their reputations. This whitewashing enables political leaders of the countries who buy their fossil fuels to have the reputational cover needed to continue returning to these fossil fuel dealers.

Controlling the world’s fossil fuels while distracting from your megalomania is a potent combination.

Germany recently caved on sanctions against Russian coal imports over concerns about energy prices.

President Joe Biden just did the same with sanctions on a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.

He followed it up by flying to Saudi Arabia and fist-bumped Muhammad Bin Salman, the man who controls the country’s oil reserves, and chopped up US resident and Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Joe Biden fist-bumping Muhammad Bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.
Joe Biden’s recent fist-bump with Muhammad Bin Salman.
Burning fossil fuels taxes our stability

Life in societies built on fossil fuels is as unpredictable as global fossil fuel prices and the whims of authoritarians.

During the current price surge that started since Vladimir’s invasion, OPEC has consistently vote against the increasing of oil production, which would support the countries sanctioning Russia and lower global energy prices. Even after the sanctioning countries leaders have plead and brushed aside their stated values to please the petroleum controlling authoritarians.

If it wasn’t clear before, these past few years have proven that it’s a terrible idea to double down on fossil fuel dependence and reliance on the people controlling them.

It’s time for a new path forward that can lower energy prices and protect democratic values. Luckily there is one. Generate electricity from domestic clean energy resources. It provides affordability, reliability, and independence.

Produce clean electricity domestically

Producing electricity with clean energy technologies that use domestically abundant renewable resources, like wind and sunlight, secures energy independence, fixed costs, and prices. Clean energy technologies produce electricity for free and are managed locally.

So, if generating clean electrcity is free and burning fossil fuels is not, then the vital question is: how does the price of purchasing clean energy technologies compare to the cost of buying energy produced from burning fossil fuels?

As we saw in the chart above, in most cases the total cost of producing electricity wind, geothermal, and solar electricity is cheaper than from burning gas and coal.

Now consider that solar panels, batteries, windmills, hydro turbines, fuel cells, and heat pumps keep becoming cheaper to manufacture and more efficient at generating electricity. So, each year it’s cheaper to buy these technologies that produce free electricity, while the law of scarcity says fossil fuels only get more expensive the more we use them (up).

Seems like an easy choice for countries, producing clean electricity domestically is superior to a life fossil fuels with its associated taxes.

Investing in domestic clean electricity generation

It seems that some politicians have seen the light. They’ve recognized that the energy predicament we find ourselves in today requires new solutions. They’re taking action to combat today’s high energy prices by investing in clean energy at an unprecedented scale. Working to unshackle their country from energy dependence, authoritarian control and uncontrollable energy prices.

One example is the United States congress and President Biden passing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS), which bolster the domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies and provide the wolrd’s largest ever investment in clean energy production via tax and incentives for communities, businesses, organizations and citizens who power themselves with clean electricity.

Joe Biden signing the Inflation Reduction Act in the White House, seated in front of 5 clapping US Senators and Representives.
The US passes the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to tackle energy prices, prescription drug prices, and the Climate Crisis.

Clean electricity offers predictably low energy prices

You can protect yourself from inflating energy prices by powering everything with clean, renewable electricity. You produce free electricity with your own solar panels, heat pumps, wind turbines, fuel cells, or watermills. If your home, business, tools, and vehicles are electric, you’re untethered from most fossil fuels and their costs.

Producing your own clean electricity also means that the cost of powering your home or business can stay the same each month. That’s true even if you use a lease or loan to obtain the clean energy technologies. And because the electricity is free, some people eliminate their monthly lighting and heating bills.

Whether you purchase an electric vehicle (EV), solar system, or renewable microgrid, it’s a fixed cost. So, your energy bill savings magnify when fossil fuel prices spike. Individuals and businesses have already demonstrated how impactful the savings can be.

During the 2021 winter storm Uri in Texas, people with renewable microgrids continued producing clean electricity, saving them from power outages and outrageous energy prices. Meanwhile the vast majority of Texans lost power and heat for up to a week while their towns were buried in snow. Many homeowners “lucky” enough to keep getting gas and electrcity from the grid then received exorbanant bills – some were charged $10K for a week’s worth of energy.

Saving money on energy bills is why Macy’s, an international retailer, powers stores in California with solar microgrids. Using the power produced by solar panels and stored in batteries allows the company to avoid frequent and expensive spikes in the grid’s energy prices.

What a clean energy life looks like

Most of us have lived on fossil fuels…so what does choosing to power our lives with clean energy look like?

Well, besides having a bigger bankroll and more independence, people who power their lives with clean energy…

  • Stopped buying gas
  • Collect clean energy at home
  • Store backup power in batteries

It’s unrealistic for many of us to electrify everything overnight and power it with clean energy. But delayed action does come at a high cost.

The impact and value of your clean energy investments compound with time. Meaning the best time to invest in them was last year, and the second best time is today.

Here are 3 common ways that people protect themselves from climbing energy prices, break their dependence on fossil fuels, and start powering life with clean energy…

Don’t buy gas. Get an electric vehicle (EV)

Having a hybrid saves me a ton of money. In the spring, I drove from Oakland to Tahoe, CA, and spent $50 on gas. I went to Tahoe again a week later, but this time in a friend’s 2022 Bronco. It costs us $120.

Electric vehicles (EVs) cost even less to drive and have even more advantages than their hybrid and combustion engine cousins. Primarily because they transfer energy more efficiently.

Graphic of a combustion engine vehicle that shows 75-84% of its fuel's energy is lost before moving the vehicle.
Combustion engines convert only ~20% of their fuel into moving the vehicle.
Graphic of an electric vehicle that shows 31-35% of its fuel's energy is lost before moving the vehicle.
Combustion engines convert only ~20% of their fuel into moving the vehicle.

An equal amount of energy drives an EV 3x farther than a gas-powered vehicle of the same weight…and you can charge at home instead of going to a gas station to fill up at the pump. 

Typically, the price of gas increases by 4% each year. Right now, it’s up over 30% year over year. Electricity costs more in 2022, but it’s only gone up 6%. So even if you’re buying electricity from the grid instead of producing your own clean electricity, charging a car is still much cheaper than buying gas.

As a result, in California, where gas prices are exceptionally high, EV sales have never been in greater demand. In Q1 of 2022, EV sales are up 29% over Q4 of 2022 – the most recent quarters where we have precise data.

EVs also…

  1. Have fewer moving parts = less maintenance
  2. Have more torque and, therefore, fantastic acceleration
  3. Are silent
  4. Don’t pollute
  5. Can power your home
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro electrifying a home with its battery during a grid power outage. The homeowners are cleaning up debris the driveway. Pre-production model with available features shown.
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro electrifying a house with its battery.

You can now power your home with Ford’s EV F-150 Lightening. Providing new opportunities to arbitrage fluctuating energy prices. 

EV adoption proliferates as models are released with powerful batteries, and governments have agreed to support the evolution of driving. The IRA provides a $7500 tax credit to EV buyers and a massive expansion of charging infrastructure.

Don’t buy energy. Collect it.

Home with all-black solar panels covering the entire front pitch of the roof.
Home with solar panels and predictable energy prices.

We all can generate clean electricity for ourselves. It’s one of the technological miracles of this century, or more realistically, necessity once again being the mother of invention.

Today, solar panels are the most common tool people use to generate their own electricity and lower energy bills. More panels cover roofs and open spaces each year because the word is getting out about how much money you can save.

With solar, it doesn’t matter how much electricity you use or what’s happening with gas prices; you know exactly how much you’ll pay each month for the equipment and energy. You’ve essentially locked in the price of today’s electricity for the life of the solar system…and quality systems last 20+ years.

On average, the cost of electricity from your utility goes up 2% per year. So when you have solar, the energy bill savings compound each year. In 2022, a solar system’s return on investment (ROI) grew massively because inflation raised the utilities’ prices by over 6% compared to last year.

Net Metering

Many utility companies offer net metering programs, which allow you to make money selling them electricity. Net metering works by adding the extra electricity we produce and adding it to the grid’s supply, then crediting us for what we supplied against what we used over a month.

These programs are especially valuable for homes with solar panels because they collect the most energy during the middle day, but we typically consume the most in the evening. At the end of the month, if we’ve added more electricity to the grid than we’ve used, the utility company pays us for the extra.

Diagram showing the flow of energy and payments when a solar microgrid participates in "net metering". Energy flows from the solar panel to the electric grid and then to the user. Payments can flow to the user or the grid depending on whether the user is using all of their solar microgrid's electricty production, they are using electricity from the grid, or providing electricity to the grid's other users.
Solar microgrid’s energy and payment flow with “net metering.”

Clean energy technologies for your home

Solar panels are the most common way to produce your own electricity at home, but heat pumps, windmills, and hydro turbines can be great options.

Gradient's heatpump on the inside of a room by hanging on a windowsill.
Gradient’s heatpump that hangs on windowsills.
Purple painted moving truck parked on a city street with solar panels covering the roof and hanging over the edges plus a wind turbine attached to the back.
DIY wind + solar microgrid-powered electric truck in Oakland, CA. Photo by Alexander Boom.
12 small watermills attached in a line and paddling in a pond in front of a farm in Vietnam.
Wind + hydro microgrid powered facility in Vietnam. Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh.

The key is finding the clean energy technology that provides the greatest value where you live.

Be energy-independent. Collect and store clean energy.

Drawing of a home powered with solar panels and a battery. Dollar signs are floating outside of the house to demonstrate the solar microgrid saving money on energy bills.

A renewable microgrid allows you to collect AND store clean energy and then use it to generate electricity on demand. Creating your own electric island.

Renewable microgrids use software to combine a clean energy generator, like solar panels, with a battery. Giving you free electricity, protection from the downside of energy spikes, the ability to make money from the energy they produce, and independence from fossil fuels.

Interested in saving money on energy bills? Check out solar microgrids.explains how to calculate the right microgrid size for you and if it will lower your energy bills.

Benefit from changing energy prices with a renewable microgrid

Like a solar system, renewable microgrids have a fixed cost and produce free electricity. All high-quality home renewable microgrids have a warranty of at least 10 years. So, once you have the microgrid, you know exactly how much you are paying for the next 10 years. 

Renewable microgrids’ free electricity protects you from the downside of energy spikes, and their money-making potential grows as fossil fuels get more expensive.

Grid-connected homes with renewable microgrids can arbitrage electricity rates. The microgrid can be programmed to power your home with the grid’s electricity when those prices are lowest and then switch to using and selling the microgrid’s energy when prices rise. 

Virtual Power Plants

If you have a home battery, renewable microgrid, or electric vehicle, you can get paid for sharing extra electricity and battery storage with your local virtual power plant (VPP).

After joining a VPP, your battery’s available energy storage and renewable microgrid’s extra electricity can be used by VPP members or sold to utility companies.

Virtual power plants (VPPs) enable you to make money from your microgrid through…

  1. More powerful rate arbitrage. A coordinated network of microgrids’ economies of scale can sell electricity at more advantageous rates than an individual microgrid.
  2. Payment from utility companies to access your excess energy storage.

SunPower, a leading solar and battery provider, estimates that its residential customers with solar microgrids make $100-$1000 annually by participating in its VPPs.

What to consider when picking a renewable microgrid

For many of us, this option is the most significant shift from the status quo and provides complete energy independence. But with renewable microgrids, you choose how self-reliant you want to be by either staying interconnected with the grid and deciding when to island (disconnect) or cutting the cord with the utility by going off-grid.

Both options provide free electricity and protection from the downside of energy spikes. Still, staying connected to the grid may make you more money from net metering, rate arbitrage, and VPPs.

When choosing the type and size of renewable microgrid, it’s key to account for…

  • How much energy do you use today? and will the amount change in the future?
    • Your electricity usage will increase if you…
      • Get an EV, hot tub, or other large electronic
      • Upgrade to a fully electric home
      • Grow your family
  • Electricity generation from renewable sources is often intermittent.
    • The wind doesn’t always blow. The amount of sunlight you receive varies day-to-day. Hydropower depends on water levels. These fluctuations won’t affect your quality of life if you have enough energy stored in batteries. Still, it’s why many people keep their grid connection even after getting a renewable microgrid. Interconnection with the grid provides backup power and more choice in energy sources.

Start your clean energy life

Protecting yourself from unpredictable energy prices by switching from a life on fossil fuels to becoming powered by clean energy takes a little work, research, and effort. But like most things in life, the riches go to those who work for them.

In my opinion, more money in your pocket, increased independence, and the ability to sleep at night are worth a bit of initial effort. These resources can make the transition to a clean energy life simpler:

Rewiring America has an amazing free guide that shows how to electrify your home and the impact it has.

Energy Sage allows homeowners in North America to request designs and quotes from multiple local providers. Allowing you to quickly learn about your available clean energy technologies and their prices.

And, of course, join the Electric Islands mailing list to receive more tips and resources for your clean energy journey.

Lit yellow street light on wire in front of a blue sky.

Securing independence and electricity in Ukraine.

Shortly after the 2nd Russian invasion of Ukraine, electricity in Ukraine was weaponized.

Ukraine’s government is now scrambling to increase domestic energy production, connect to Europe’s power grid, keep the lights on, and reclaim their land.

Because electricity in Ukraine is precarious at the moment, generating electricity and storing back-up power with solar microgrids can provide Ukrainains with greater energy security. Solar microgrids are potent tools in disaster and war zones because they don’t need fuel or the grid, transport easily, set up quickly, and operate silently.

More microgrids providing renewable electricity will save lives and help protect Ukraine’s indepence.

Tattered Ukrainian flag hanging from a flag pole in front of an overcast sky.
Photo by Vitali Odobesku.

Ukraine’s electricity and independence are intertwined

Vladimir Putin has a toolbox full of tactics he applies to atempt controlling other countries. In some places it’s violence, cyber warfare, and military occupation. In others, he plants information and political leaders. Perhaps most broadly, Putin leverages infrastructure and energy access.

He’s employed almost all of these tactics in Ukraine. And yet, due to his attempts to control Ukraine, Ukrainians are less connected to him than they ever have been.

Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity

It’s shocking to learn that your president secretly built a 2,000-animal zoo at their house…but then it’s less surprising to discover that they’ve also been stealing from everyone.

Well, that’s what happened with Ukraine’s 4th President, Viktor Yanukovych (the winkster below).

Ukraine's 4th president Victor Yanukovych sits next Russia's president Vladimir Putin and winks at him.
Victor Yanukovych showing that he’s a good boy.

Although he later tried to quell Ukrainian anger over his zoo by explaining, “I supported the ostriches. What’s wrong with that?”, Victor was profoundly corrupt.

Victor stole $100 billion from his people. He was also Vladimir’s puppet.

In 2013, Victor tried pulling Ukraine out of agreements with Europe that Vladimir opposed but had broad support among Ukrainians. This sparked months of protests in Kyiv called the Революція гідності or “Revolution of Dignity.” In February 2014, clashes between riot police and protestors left 108 protests and 13 police dead, leading to Victor fleeing to Russia.

Crowd of thousands Ukrainians protesting at night in the Maidan Nezalezhnosti Square in Kyiv, Ukraine during the 2014 "Revolution of Dignity"
Ukrainians protesting for democracy in Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti square.

The day after Victor arrived in Russia, Vladimir invaded Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. Since then, Ukraine’s military has fought Russians occupying their land while Russia’s coal, gas, and nuclear supplies have provided much of the electricity in Ukraine.

The cognitive dissidence of this relationship made many Ukrainians uncomfortable. But until recently, progress had been slow in freeing the country from Vladimir’s energy influence.

The fight to control electricity in Ukraine

On February 24th, 2022, Ukraine planned to independently power all of its citizens for 3 days. It would have been the first time they didn’t use any electricity produced in Russia or Belarus.

Assuming a successful test, Ukraine planned to begin transitioning the country to be purely powered with energy generated domestically and flowing from a new interconnection with Europe’s power grid.

Ukraine’s government believed that as early as summer 2022, they’d update their grid infrastructure and stockpile enough coal to cut the chord with Vladimir.

Instead, Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, forcing Ukraine to immediately island its grid and begin connecting with Europe. This makes Ukraine’s electricity supply fragile until there’s a secure interconnection with Europe and stability in the country.

Russia is weaponizing electricity in Ukraine

Russia cut off the internet and electricity in much of Ukraine just before invading. They then quickly moved to control Ukraine’s domestic energy production.

In the first weeks of the war, Russia captured multiple hydroelectric and nuclear power plants, including Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear plant in Europe. Zaporizhia’s staff continue running the plant at gunpoint, preventing a nuclear meltdown.

So far, Ukraine’s grid has held up better than expected. Still, over 800,000 Ukrainians don’t have power while I’m writing this, and Russia will continue making it challenging for Ukraine’s grid to meet demand.

NASA satellites show a dramatic reduction of lights within the country once the invasion started. The dark nights are caused by power outages and the fear of light attracting Russian attention. At night in the besieged city of Mykolaiv, the hospital operates in the dark night to avoid being shelled.

It’s a necessary measure. Russian soldiers are committing war crimes. They’re intentionally targeting civilians in hospitals, shelters, and government facilities.

In the city of Mariupol, Russia bombed a maternity clinic and a shelter with 1,300 civilians on the inside and “children” written in Russian all around the outside. Russian troops encircled the city in early March. Since then, residents have had almost no access to outside food, water, fuel, or electricity.

Yet some citizens and the Defenders of Mariupol remain.

Ukrainians need to produce electricity in Ukraine

While the Ukrainian government works on connecting the grid to Europe, the people of Ukraine need to take matters into their own hands. Once again. This time by producing their own electricity.

Producing electricity in Ukraine reduces Vladimir’s sphere of influence and helps secure Ukraine’s independence. It also saves the energy available on the grid for citizens and soldiers who need it and can’t produce their own. And ultimately, producing electricity eliminates the risk of depending on someone else for warmth, cooking, and communication.

Across Ukraine, you can buy solar microgrids that collect and store energy from the sun. These unique tools allow civilians to power devices, homes, and businesses without connecting to the grid. They also enable Ukraine’s warfighters to independently power their units.

Renewable microgrids powering Ukraine’s warfighters

Supply lines have always dictated warfighters’ stealth and reach.

In modern warfare, gas and oil are among the most common and crucial resources transported in supply convoys.

Over 3,000 U.S. soldiers and contractors died transporting fuel in warzones across Iraq and Afghanistan. So the U.S. military decided to “electrify its tactical edge.” Meaning that they’re moving to a fully electric vehicle fleet and bases and mobile units powered by renewable microgrids.

The ability to electrify remote outposts and mobile units is critical for all militaries and soldiers. The more self-sufficient Ukrainian warfighters are, the better they can protect themselves and keep a tactical advantage.

Many renewable microgrids are portable, and they don’t use fuel or create noise, making them effective energy sources while on reconnaissance, guarding bases, or securing new territory.

Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy Systems (GREENS) are designed for warfighters and used by the U.S. Marines. Each one produces up to 24 hours of 300W power by collecting 8 hours of sunlight. UEC Electronics, the manufacturer, says GREENS require no maintenance and only 20 min to set up. Although this video shows 2 of them constructed in less than 12 min.

While Ukraine evolves into a fully energy-independent country, Ukraine’s warfighters need reliable electricity to stay alive and succeed on the battlefield. Solar microgrids can provide a powerful tactical advantage.

Citizens can generate electricity in Ukraine with solar microgrids

In late February, Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s mayor and former world heavyweight champion boxer, set up emergency generators around the city in preparation for the war. They’ve undoubtedly helped many residents during the city’s outages.

But gas generators’ depend on fuel, need to run outside, and are noisey, which makes them impractical for many civilians in war zones. Some people can’t or won’t leave their homes, while others cannot settle in one place. Renewable microgrids can provide essential lifelines for Ukrainians in these situations. Providing light, warmth, cooking, and communication.

Portable and home solar microgrids can help Ukrainians with different needs generate their own electricity.

Portable solar microgrids

With so many people on the move in Ukraine, portable solar microgrids, a type of renewable microgrid, can provide a lifeline. They allow you to carry an endless supply of energy and generate electricity wherever you are. Enabling you to stay in contact, track ongoing developments, and power crucial devices like lights, heaters, stoves, and phones.


The Jackery Solar Generator 1500 is ranked as the best portable solar microgrid of 2022 by Consumer Reviews and Tech Radar.

Jackery Solar Explorer 1500 solar microgrid with 4 solar panels and 1 battery+generator.
Jackery Solar Explorer 1500 solar microgrid

Its battery provides over 1500Wh of power, enough to run a 60-watt cooler for over 20 hours, and gets charged by the solar panels in 5 hours. The whole microgrid weighs around 40 lbs. and costs $2900.


Since 2009, Goal Zero has built high-quality portable power banks and renewable microgrids.

3 types of Goal Zero solar microgrids: Goal Zero Yeti 200x Portable Power Station + Nomad 20 Solar Kit, Goal Zero Yeti 500x Portable Power Station + Boulder 50 Solar Kit, Yeti 500x Power Station + Nomad 50 Solar Kit.
3 Goal Zero solar microgrids capable of producing electricity in Ukraine.

There’s an astounding range of portable Goal Zero solar microgrids. The least powerful one costs around $400 and has 187Whs of battery storage, the most powerful offers 6000Whs of storage for close to $7,000.


RYOBI 300W battery generator with a 40V lithium ion battery and portable charger.

The RYOBI 300W battery generator is light, affordable, and solar-chargeable. Making it a valuable tool if you have to move frequently or suddenly and can’t carry heavy equipment. The battery generator is only $80 and weighs 2.3 lbs., but it produces enough electricity to power a phone, radio, or heated blanket.

These portable renewable microgrids are also more versatile than gas generators because they can charge the battery and power devices with a power outlet or solar panels.


Solar microgrids for Ukrainian homeowners

Before the war, around 12,000 Ukrainian homes were powered by solar systems. Some of those solar systems are connected to batteries, creating microgrids that can provide 24/7 power and supply electricity to the grid.

Ekotechnik is a Ukrainian renewable energy company that provides home-solar microgrids. Ekotechnik’s website has a range of solar and microgrid products to choose from.

You can order online or over the phone at +38 (067) 524-83-36.

Electricity in Ukraine going forward

Agonizingly, this war appears that it could go on for years. For survive and thrive, Ukraine and Ukrainians need energy independence as quickly as possible. Renewable microgrids are key tools for this transition that also will help improve life in Ukraine today.

This war has clarified how important it is for each of us to power life with clean energy. We enable dictators like Vladimir the longer we buy gas, coal, and oil from them.

Germans got the message. 1/3 of their energy currently comes from Russia, but demand for home solar systems has never been greater. It has increased significantly since the Russian in invasion of Ukraine.

How you can help Ukraine

Ukrainian blue sky and field covered in yellow flowers on a sunny day.
Bright skies in Ukraine. Photo by Kostiantyn Stupak.

Here are a few ways to support Ukraine’s energy transition and independence…

Supply Ukrainians in need

Meest, meaning bridge in Ukrainian, has long been a leading delivery service between former Soviet Union countries and much of the world.

The humanitarian aid page on Meest’s website is an excellent source for updated details on what humanitarian aid they’re shipping to Ukraine and what you can contribute.

They have continued their standard international delivery service to Ukrainians with stable addresses and send aid packages to where they can be distributed to those in the most need.

Hire Ukrainians

Need to make a hire and want to expand your talent pool? Take a look at available remote Ukrainian workers and post job openings on EmployUkraine.org.

Support journalists like Anastasiia Lapatina

Veteran Ukrainian journalist Anastasiia Lapatina gives an intimate view into what it’s like to report on war as it comes to your hometown.

Follow Anastasiia on Twitter @lapatina, and other Ukrainian reporters to help shine a light on the war’s impact.

Share stories of renewable microgrid users

It’s Electric Island’s mission to highlight how clean, renewable energy and microgrids give us independence and power life around the globe.

Do you have a story, service, or piece of advice that can help Ukrainians navigate energy independence? Send it to ElectricIslandsBlog@gmail.com to share it with our community.

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