January 19, 2026
Sun, snow, and comment crossfire
Greenpeace pilot brings heat pumps and solar to Ukrainian community
Heat pumps vs blackout winter: hope or greenwashing PR
TLDR: A Ukrainian apartment block near the front line now runs on heat pumps and solar as a model for greener, independent heating. Commenters are split: some cheer decentralization, while many slam winter performance, blackout risks, and alleged greenwashing—turning a hopeful pilot into a full‑blown energy culture war.
Greenpeace and the city of Trostianets just unveiled a rebuilt, war‑damaged apartment block powered by heat pumps and solar—€218K of tech and thermal tanks that now warm 60 homes near the Russian border. It’s pitched as a first in Ukraine, a blueprint for resilient, non‑gas heating. But the comments? Pure drama. One camp is cheering a future where homes aren’t tethered to pipelines. The other camp is dragging the idea through the snow. “Solar seems vulnerable in a war,” snapped one user, while another hammered the winter reality check: clouds, fog, and frequent blackouts. Critics also went for the jugular, accusing Green Planet Energy of “greenwashing” and blaming Greenpeace for helping kill nuclear in Germany—then “having the gall” to show up in Ukraine as saviors. Meanwhile, a few voices defended the move as a necessary path to decentralized (read: spread‑out, harder to bomb) energy that can be rebuilt piece by piece, not with giant gas hubs. The meme factory lit up with “sunlight optional” jokes and “heat pump won’t pump when the power’s gone” quips. Still, supporters point to storage tanks and a city “Masterplan” as proof this isn’t a one‑off stunt. The internet is split: lifeline vs PR stunt.
Key Points
- •A five-storey, 60-apartment building in Trostianets was renovated and fully heated using heat pumps and solar energy.
- •The project started at the end of 2023 and is presented as a first in Ukraine for fully supplying a large residential building with renewables.
- •Ukraine’s heating largely depends on gas and coal; around 60% of gas supply was knocked out by Russian bombardment since the war began.
- •The heating system includes five ~2,000-litre thermal storage tanks and a hot water heat exchanger, with a total investment of €218,000.
- •The pilot supports Trostianets’s 2023 Masterplan for Green Reconstruction and was funded by Green Planet Energy customers with the Greenpeace Environmental Foundation; Consulting IC Ukraine and CES Clean Energy Solutions provided expert support.