Vodafone Ukraine starts Phase 2 of 500-site solar rollout

Vodafone Ukraine has begun the second phase of a programme that will put solar power on 500 base station sites, after the first 100 installations generated more than 110,000 kWh during their opening summer season.

The operator completed the first phase this past June, fitting solar systems at 100 base stations across 14 regions of Ukraine. Total installed capacity reached 360 kW, averaging roughly 3.6 kW per site. The second phase, which kicked off last week, covers the remaining 400 sites.

What did the first summer prove?

The numbers so far are modest but functional. Vodafone Ukraine projects the first-phase sites will generate around 380 MWh per year, enough to cover up to 30% of annual electricity consumption at those base stations.

Yevhenii Frunza, CTO at Vodafone Ukraine, said the initial summer served as a live test of the equipment. At times of peak solar generation, some base stations ran without drawing any electricity from the external grid, he said in a statement.

"The first summer was an opportunity to test the technology under real-world conditions," Frunza said. But he framed the decisive gain as operational rather than off-grid independence.

"The key benefit for us is systemic: solar power reduces grid consumption and helps preserve battery charge, increasing the power reserve available during outages," he added.

Why energy resilience, not carbon, drives this project

The context separates this rollout from the sustainability programmes common among European operators. Ukraine's energy infrastructure has faced repeated attacks since Russia's full-scale invasion, and grid outages have become a routine operational hazard for telecom networks.

That reality puts battery reserve time, rather than emissions reduction, at the centre of the business case. Every kilowatt-hour a site draws from its own panels is a kilowatt-hour the battery bank does not have to supply when the grid goes down. For a mobile network, reserve power directly translates into how long subscribers keep service during blackouts.

The scale also reflects that priority. At an average of 3.6 kW per site, the installations are auxiliary power sources rather than full replacements for grid supply — comparable to a small rooftop residential array supporting each station.

What comes next?

With the second phase under way, 400 more sites across the country will receive solar capacity over the coming months. Vodafone Ukraine has not detailed a completion date for the full 500-site programme, but the first phase's trajectory — from installation in June to verified summer output by autumn — suggests the operator is moving quickly.

If the remaining sites match first-phase performance, the programme would add roughly 1.9 GWh of annual generation across the network, with the immediate payoff measured in longer uptime during outages rather than lower energy bills alone.