Ukraine
What a Ukrainian household should know before buying a home battery: how the green tariff and net billing treat stored power, which import duty and VAT exemptions apply, and why outages drive demand for storage and power stations.
- Ukraine
- Press and legal sources
- Checked 13 November 2026
- Ukraine has two ways to be paid for rooftop solar exports: the "green" tariff, which ends in 2029, and net billing, where exports are credited at the hourly wholesale price minus network charges and taxes.
- Since 2026 the regulator has set time windows for the green tariff on household systems (in summer: 1 April to 31 October, 04:00 to 23:00). Reports say power discharged from a battery outside those windows does not earn the green tariff.
- Energy storage above 300 W and the lithium cells inside it can be imported without customs duty or import VAT until 1 January 2029. Selling the same goods inside Ukraine is still subject to 20% VAT, according to the tax service.
- The main reason to buy storage is supply security: attacks on the grid have caused chronic instability, so households buy batteries and portable power stations for backup as much as for savings.
- We found no official guidance on permits, fire rules or installer licensing for a home battery, and we could not read the regulator's decision itself. Treat the rules below as press-reported until you check them with your supplier.
Last checked
Figures and rules on this page were checked on 13 November 2026 against the sources linked in each section. Ukrainian rules change often during martial law, so open the linked source before you sign a quote.
How the Ukrainian market works
Home solar and storage grew fast after attacks on the grid began. The IEA counts around 70,000 households with rooftop solar under the green tariff and says most solar systems installed since 2023 came with a battery (IEA: distributed solar PV in Ukraine).
Households sell exports to their universal service provider. The regulator is the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC). Because the rules are made by NEURC decisions and by laws passed during martial law, they change more often than in most countries, and what a salesperson tells you may be a year out of date.
Households generated 544.8 million kWh of renewable electricity that they fed into the grid under the green tariff in the first five months of 2026, according to a press report on the regulator's data (Komersant).
Green tariff and net billing
The green tariff is a fixed payment for solar exports. The IEA describes it as about €135 per MWh for private households and says it ends in 2029 (pv magazine on the IEA report). The exact hryvnia rate is set by the regulator and updated, so we do not quote it.
Net billing, introduced in late 2023, credits surplus electricity at the hourly day-ahead wholesale price minus distribution charges and taxes (same source). The IEA notes that net billing can be combined with state low-interest loans. We could not confirm the current loan terms.
Which option pays more depends on the price level on the day. Because retail prices for households are regulated, the green tariff is usually easier to understand, but its end date makes net billing the long-term route. Ask your installer to show both calculations for your system.
2029
Green tariff end year (IEA)
around 70,000
Households with rooftop solar (IEA)
How batteries fit the green tariff
In 2026 NEURC set time windows in which household solar output counts for the green tariff. In summer the window is 1 April to 31 October, 04:00 to 23:00 (Komersant). We found the winter window described in press reports but could not confirm the exact hours, so ask your supplier.
Electricity outside the windows is not paid at the green tariff. It is bought by the universal service provider at hourly day-ahead market prices (Interfax-Ukraine). pv magazine reads the rule as designed, among other things, to stop battery power discharged outside the windows from earning the green tariff (pv magazine).
This sits uneasily with Law No. 4777-IX of 10 February 2026, which a law firm summarises as extending the green tariff to power from a producer's own storage if the battery was charged by the eligible solar plant (Alte Law). The two reports may describe different cases. We could not read either text, so do not assume a battery earns the green tariff at night. Ask in writing before you order.
The practical point: a battery is worth most when it keeps your home running during an outage and lets you use your own solar yourself, not when it is used to time exports.
Import duty and VAT
Under Laws No. 3853-IX and No. 3854-IX of 16 July 2024 (in force 27 July 2024), batteries and charging stations above 300 W, and lithium cells above 200 Ah, are exempt from customs duty and import VAT (EcoPolitic on the customs explanation). A 2025 amendment extended the exemption for energy equipment to 1 January 2029 (CEE Legal Matters). Smaller batteries are not covered.
The exemption applies to import. The tax service has said that supplying such goods inside Ukraine is still subject to 20% VAT (Odessa Journal citing the tax service). So a seller that imports duty-free still charges VAT on its sale. Check the invoice shows VAT, and ask whether the seller imported the goods itself.
Parcels have their own thresholds. A parcel service quotes a value limit of €150 for postal and express consignments, above which duties apply, but we could not check this against the customs service, so confirm it before you order from abroad.
Outages and backup
Interfax-Ukraine writes that the destruction of energy facilities, and especially the massive attacks at the beginning of 2026, led to chronic instability of electricity supply across the country (Interfax-Ukraine). Energy-Storage.News adds that the government sees storage as of strategic national importance (Energy-Storage.News).
For a home this means the choice of inverter matters more than the battery size. A grid-tied inverter normally shuts down when the grid fails. You need a hybrid or backup-capable inverter with an automatic transfer, wired by a qualified electrician, to keep circuits running. Size the backup circuits for the loads you really need: heating, the fridge, lighting, the router, a pump.
Outages can also be long and repeated. A battery that is full when the lights go out and recharged by solar the next day will carry more than the same battery on a grid-only charge. Hybrid solar plus battery is therefore the stronger plan than a battery alone.
Portable power stations versus a home battery
Many Ukrainians buy a portable power station first: it is a battery with sockets that you can use the same day. It keeps a phone, router, lights and a laptop running and can run small appliances. The import exemption described above covers charging stations above 300 W.
A home battery is a different product. It is wired into the electrical system by an electrician, can power whole circuits automatically and can work with solar and the green tariff or net billing. A power station is not wired in, does not switch over by itself and does not export.
Choose on safety first: use a unit with a clear warranty and service route in Ukraine, charge it away from beds and exits, do not leave it charging unattended and stop using it if it swells or overheats. Capacity in watt-hours tells you how long it runs; the continuous watt rating tells you which appliance it can start.
Permits and safety
We found no official source that sets out the permit, fire-safety or installer rules for a home battery in Ukraine, so we do not state any. Grid connection for solar goes through the distribution operator, and the operator decides whether a hybrid inverter may connect.
Until you have written rules, follow the manufacturer's installation instructions, use an electrician who can show insurance and references, place the battery away from sleeping areas and escape routes, and keep it out of damp or very cold rooms.
Outside Ukraine
Rules, tariffs and incentives for home batteries differ from country to country, so do not apply the figures on this page to a home elsewhere. We are adding guides for other countries to this section.
Common questions about Ukraine
Does a home battery earn the green tariff in Ukraine?
It depends on how and when the power is discharged. NEURC has set time windows for the green tariff, and reports say battery power discharged outside them is not paid at that tariff. A separate law summary says storage charged by an eligible solar plant can qualify. We could not read either text, so ask your supplier in writing.
What is net billing in Ukraine?
Surplus electricity is credited at the hourly day-ahead wholesale price minus distribution charges and taxes. It was introduced in late 2023 and is an alternative to the green tariff.
When does the green tariff end?
The IEA says payments end in 2029.
Is a home battery exempt from import duty and VAT?
Batteries and charging stations above 300 W, and lithium cells above 200 Ah, are exempt from customs duty and import VAT until 1 January 2029. The tax service says domestic sales of such goods are still subject to 20% VAT.
Is a portable power station the same as a home battery?
No. A power station plugs into individual devices and is not wired into the house. A home battery is installed by an electrician and can run whole circuits and work with solar.
Will a battery keep my home running during long outages?
It can run essential circuits for hours, but a long outage needs solar to recharge it, and the inverter must be backup-capable. A grid-tied inverter without backup shuts down when the grid fails.
Are there state loans for home batteries?
The IEA mentions low-interest government loans for distributed solar. We could not confirm the current terms or whether batteries qualify, so ask a bank or your installer.
Related guides
Work out what a battery would do in your home
Run your own numbers through the same hourly model our guides use, then compare the result with what installers quote.