R&D in Energy Isn’t a Luxury but a Condition for Ukraine’s Survival. The Case of Green Innovation Lab.

Author's column Oleksandr Dombrovskyi

3 min read

Global spending on energy research runs into tens of billions of dollars. Ukraine doesn’t have those budgets — but it does have a strategy and real-world examples. One of them is the Green Innovation Lab.

R&D in Energy Isn’t a Luxury but a Condition for Ukraine’s Survival. The Case of Green Innovation Lab.

Today the world moves so fast that countries and large companies without their own R&D are effectively doomed to second-tier status and dependence. Global public spending on energy research in 2025 is estimated at roughly $55 billion. This clearly shows that a serious, competitive technology race is under way.

Ukraine's Difficult Position

Ukraine’s situation is hard. We have to keep our baseline energy system running after the enemy’s destructive attacks and, at the same time, keep pace with the industry’s breakneck development.

The cost of rebuilding our energy sector already exceeds $90 billion, and the number of damaged or destroyed energy assets has grown by roughly 20% over the past year.

Against the backdrop of such figures, it’s easy to despair. And yet there is a way out: stimulating investment in a new model of distributed generation and energy storage systems, state support for decentralization, and the fullest possible use of modern technologies.

A Different Strategy

We truly cannot invest the same budgets as global corporations or leading Western states. But we can choose a different strategy: to concentrate our efforts where Ukraine already has strong positions or real prospects. That means bioenergy, producing biomethane from agricultural waste as a resource, energy storage systems, decentralized generation, smart grids, and artificial intelligence for managing energy consumption.

Ukraine can become an important research hub for clean, sustainable energy.

Not in everything at once. But in those areas where we have our own resources, practical experience, and the ability to work with strong international partners.

An Example That Works

Some will say this is unrealistic. But take our Green Innovation Lab at MHP Eco Energy as an example. We take part in international projects and partnerships with UNIDO, the governments of the United Kingdom and Japan, Horizon Europe, European technology companies, and Ukrainian and international research institutions.

In the BIOMETHAVERSE programme, funded by the European Commission, the lab is part of an international consortium of 22 partners from 9 countries. Its goal is to test new biomethane production technologies. The Ukrainian team is one of the leaders among the five EU teams.

Right now we are testing In-Situ & Ex-Situ biological methanation technologies — integrating renewable hydrogen into an anaerobic reactor. This can boost biomethane production efficiency by 40%, raise methane concentration in biogas from 55% to 85%, and reduce CO2 concentration in biogas to 15%.

This is just one example. As the saying goes: the eyes fear, but the hands do the work.

A Country of Innovative Solutions

We face so many challenges that the only possible way out for us is to be a country of innovative solutions. Ukraine has already proven this in the technologies behind cutting-edge drones. Energy is next in line.

Research in energy means independence, competitiveness, and freedom — things Ukraine is fighting for both on the battlefield and in the quiet of its innovative research labs.