Ranked in the 74th in the Human Development Index, Ukraine is a transitional country. This country was formally under the Soviet Union and is the second-largest on the continent after Russia. Since 2014, Crimea, located in the eastern part of the country, became the conflict area between Russia and Ukraine. 

This conflict causes the pending membership in the EU (European Union). Ukraine has many of the components of a major European economy like rich farmlands, a well-developed industrial base, highly trained labor, and a good educational system. Ironically, according to IMF, Ukraine was the lowest GDP per capita in Europe in 2018.

Challenges in Supporting the Government Policy on Efficient Lighting

The light industry is one of the basic strategic segments of the national economy. It is potential for further development. From the research, it is known that the negative system fluctuation of the light industry production caused Ukraine to be a bit left behind from other EU countries. The light industry in Ukraine focuses on the manufacturing of final consumption products. Despite such focusing, nearly 90% of domestic demand for the light industry is fulfilled from imports. 

While improving other parts of the economy, import is not always a bad option. As the price of the products are affordable and promote efficiency, importing can be the voted policy. The light industry nowadays tends to leave fossil fuels and start to look for renewable energy, such as from the sun. Solar-powered lighting is efficient and can be set using a timer. 

SDD Light has reached North Europe and will expand rapidly to other parts of Europe. As the price and quality perform their best, the list of solar light products from SDD Light will provide the country’s needs. The solar street light in Ukraine, together with the participation of SDD Light, will be a promising and competitive project. 

Ukraine’s Lighting Condition 

About 40 km away from the military conflict zone in Crimea, more than 60,000 inhabitants will be an improved society from the updated street lighting and installed traffic lights. In 2018-2019, the city of Bila Tserkva had updated over half of its street lighting system. This city is situated about 90 km southwest of Kyiv and inhabited by around 215,000 people. 

There are some lighting developments, despite the military conflict in the eastern part of the country. The solar street light in Ukraine, as one of the efficient lighting projects, aims to reduce the annual growth rate of lighting electricity use. The electricity from fossil fuels may result in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from the Ukrainian public and residential sectors. 

Greenhouse gas is a gas that holds and releases radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. This process causes the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere are ozone, methane, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide. GHG can trap heat. These gases let the sunlight go through the atmosphere, but they prevent the sunlight’s heat from leaving the atmosphere. Without them, our planet will be too cold. But it is too much, and it can call global warming and pose a threat to climate change. 

Economic Challenges

Based on the Statistics of Ukraine journal vol. 88 no. 1, 2020, the development of the Ukrainian light industry is obstructed by the following key problems:

1. High dependence on imported raw materials, supplies, and components. 
2. Low price competitiveness of homemade goods on the domestic market. 
3. The reliance of a large part of domestic companies in the industry on consumer-supplied raw materials. 

While facing the key problems in domestic economic sectors, Ukraine has other inevitable problems that involve the political-economic system, they are:

• Changing government means changing national political and economic conditions. 
• The security issues in some areas, mainly the eastern part, still pose an important concern. 
• The falling international dan national carbon market. The carbon market is a system aimed at reducing GHG. 
• A fast-technological shift toward more advanced and efficient lighting products (and corresponding price reduction). Solar street light in Ukraine is a possibility. 

Solar-Powered Lighting as a Solution 

To be the partner of the EU in political and economic integration aspects, Ukraine has more chances to be well-developed. All political-economic problems that are faced by this transitional country may reduce if more than one ministry and private sectors support the government policy. 

Along with the project of reducing the GHG effect, through participating in the carbon market, installing more solar street lights in Ukraine can be a potential solution to reach the national aim. The efficiency of energy slowly will hit the economic growth and might be a chance to be a member of the EU. Who knows.