Pilot project: Solar panels for 2 hospitals in Ukraine
In response to these challenges, Stichting de Boomgaard initiated a pilot project that brings decentralized solar energy to two hospitals in Ukraine. The project ensures uninterrupted power supply and therefore continuous healthcare, while reducing CO₂ emissions by replacing diesel generator use. The installation of solar panels has proven to lower the hospitals’ energy costs by 30%-35%.
What started as a pilot project in December 2024 has rapidly evolved into a far-reaching initiative by April 2025: DESHU (Decentralised Energy for Schools and Hospitals in Ukraine). RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) decided to grant support for scaling up the number of hospitals. Inspired by the success of the first installations, the programme brings solar energy to 20 more hospitals and schools at the frontline. Most facilities face 8 to 9 hours of black-out per day. By providing reliable and sustainable energy, DESHU ensures uninterrupted care by hospitals, and keeps schools open, reducing dependence on polluting diesel generators and fragile power grids. Critical facilities as first aid and operation theaters remain functional.
The pilot project was completed with LifeLine Ukraine. Its successor DESHU is led by Stichting de Boomgaard working together with Ukrainian partners LifeLine Ukraine, Energy Act for Ukraine, and Solarge, the supplier of solar panels. Manufactured in the Netherlands, these panels are lightweight, recyclable, PFAS-free, and glass-free, while providing high energy capacity.
Cookstoves for Ukraine
Before the pilot project, Stichting de Boomgaard partnered up with Lifeline Ukraine in 2022, to transport a total of 54 cookstoves to Ukraine. The stoves were installed in family homes, common spaces of apartment buildings, schools, medical centers, orphanages, and shelters and used intensively.
