SCM's energy company DTEK is a major investor in large-scale renewable energy in Ukraine. In an article for Forbes Ukraine, based on his speech at the Forbes Ukraine Energy of Business forum on 14 October, Serhii Kovalenko, CEO of YASNO, explains how smaller investments in solar power and battery storage can also be profitable for Ukrainian businesses. YASNO is part of DTEK and works with businesses and households across Ukraine. Mr Kovalenko argues that solar, storage and smart energy management can cut energy costs and risks, as long as each project rests on clear economics.
Why are Ukrainian businesses investing in their own energy?
Ukrainian businesses are investing in their own generation to reduce their exposure to energy risks, including power outages caused by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian Solar Energy Association, around 1.5 GW of new solar power plants were built in Ukraine in 2025, and about 1.5 GW more are expected in 2026. These include industrial solar plants that cover companies' own consumption and home solar systems.
How is the approach to business energy investment changing?
Companies are moving from emergency generators to a combined, year-round approach.
"The logic of investment itself is changing. At first, companies installed generators to get through the winter. But such a solution does not provide economic efficiency throughout the year," said Mr Kovalenko.
Businesses now use solar power in summer to cut grid purchases almost to zero and use generators in winter when needed.
Mr Kovalenko divides investors into two groups. The first is large energy companies such as DTEK, for which generation is the core business and which invest in new power plants and industrial battery storage. The second is companies outside the energy sector that started investing because of the risk of power outages. YASNO estimates that around 30% of medium and large companies have already invested in their own energy, another third have taken first steps, and some now see energy as a separate line of business that can bring income.
How can solar and battery storage become profitable?
The result depends on how much electricity a business uses, the difference in electricity prices across the day and the financing model. For a large building materials producer, YASNO proposed a battery storage system that stores electricity when it is cheaper and supplies it when prices are high. Cheaper equipment and price changes on the day-ahead market make this possible.
In another example, a farm installed a solar power plant with battery storage. An energy management system matches the farm's consumption to solar output, and in summer the farm sells surplus electricity to YASNO as an active consumer.
What does YASNO offer businesses?
YASNO offers complete energy solutions, a model known as Energy-as-a-Service. The company has developed its own energy management system and controller, which lower electricity costs, reduce the risk of errors, make equipment work more efficiently and create additional income. YASNO designs and builds solar plants and battery storage on a turnkey basis and sets the best operating strategy for each one.
YASNO can also finance construction for companies that do not want to use their own capital. The business starts saving on electricity straight away, and once the investment is repaid, the equipment becomes its property.
How does this fit with DTEK's wider work in renewable energy?
Alongside DTEK's large-scale wind, solar and storage projects, YASNO is helping Ukrainian businesses add clean generation at their own sites. Mr Kovalenko's key principle is that every project needs clear economics: the size of the investment, forecast savings, sources of income and payback period. The right equipment, effective management and a financial model that suits the business decide the result.
