Donated panels will keep water flowing to tens of thousands of people when the grid goes dark.
Through Energy Impact, our charitable foundation, Energy Select is helping deliver more than 1,500 donated solar panels, valued at over $150,000, to communities in Ukraine desperate for reliable electric power. In partnership with United Help Ukraine (UHU), we’re bringing on-site solar power to a region where the grid is a frequent target of Russian attacks.
Many of the photovoltaic panels will power pumps on water towers in the Mykolaiv region of southern Ukraine, ensuring that tens of thousands of residents keep access to clean water even when the electric grid is down. United Help Ukraine is now raising funds to match the solar industry’s generosity and cover the cost of installation.
Why Solar, and Why Now
“It’s on-site power, so you’re not relying upon the grid, which goes down over 25% of the time,” said James Horstkamp, founder of Energy Select and co-founder of Energy Impact. Locally generated solar is uniquely suited to the challenges facing Ukraine. It’s resilient, distributed, and hard to knock out with a single strike.
Horstkamp described how the Mykolaiv project will work: the panels will be connected to pumps that lift water up to a gravity-fed system serving the region. When they aren’t powering the pumps, they’ll feed residences, hospitals, and local businesses, taking load off the strained grid.
Building Energy Impact, Rallying the Industry
Horstkamp launched Energy Impact in 2024 as the charitable foundation of Energy Select, dedicated to meeting needs for water, food, and shelter in nations including Ukraine and Gambia. The foundation is funded 100% by Energy Select and also accepts contributions from other companies and individuals.
To multiply the impact, Energy Impact turned to Amicus Solar Cooperative, a resource-sharing group of solar companies. “We just put feelers out and asked at the annual meeting, ‘Would anybody be interested in donating panels?'” Horstkamp recalled. The response exceeded expectations, opening the door to projects well beyond the Mykolaiv water towers.
Horstkamp was particularly moved by the contribution from Asheville, North Carolina-based Sugar Hollow Solar, led by CEO and Co-founder Doug Ager. “They were devastated by Hurricane Helene last year. It was horrific; they had really bad flooding and suffered significant damage, like many others in the area. But even in this time, when they’re rebuilding the company, Doug took the effort to donate these panels.” Additional donations came from Dynamic Energy, StraightUp Solar, and Sunsense Solar.
“The response from the Amicus members shows that they realize the injustice that is happening, that Ukraine is 100% right in this fight,” Horstkamp said. “They were eager to lend a hand.”
“The response from the Amicus members shows that they realize the injustice that is happening, that Ukraine is 100% right in this fight,” Horstkamp said. “They were eager to lend a hand.”
A Partnership Rooted in Experience
Horstkamp knows Ukraine well, having traveled there more than a dozen times on business with a previous company. That firsthand connection helped shape the partnership with United Help Ukraine, whose Director of Programs and Operations Yuliya Murashko called the industry’s involvement “inspiring.”
“The dedication and generosity of James Horstkamp and other solar company leaders will dramatically improve water and power supplies in Mykolaiv and other regions,” Murashko said. “We know that other donors will step up to help complete this vital project.”
Where the Project Stands
Hundreds of panels have already been delivered to Ukraine, and hundreds more are staged for shipment from UHU’s warehouse in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Solar engineer Daniel Horstkamp is handling preliminary design and assigning panels to specific projects, with final design and implementation carried out on the ground in Ukraine.
For Horstkamp and the Energy Select team, the mission is straightforward. “This is what you should do as a person in this life.”
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