A “solar tree” at the zoo

The “tree,” equipped with four solar panels, has 10 USB-connectors for charging phones, tablets, and other electronic devices. It is located at the Kyiv Zoo and freely available to everyone.

“Our activists told us they saw such a device in Europe and proposed to install something similar in our capital. The idea looked cool, so we decided to try and do it,” said Oleksandr Koziar, leader of the Samopomich Union’s youth wing in Kyiv. “We created a presentation, found out the funding amount required, contacted a few prospective sponsors, got our requests denied, but still ultimately found interested people who agreed to support our idea.”

The device has been installed at the zoo because its visitors frequently take photos, and a charging facility (for example, for a smartphone) is very appropriate there. It is also a protected area, and the zoo staff agreed to protect the “tree” against vandalism. In fact, the new device needs no other servicing: it will run automatically, accumulating solar energy during the day and charging electronic devices with it. The manufacturer’s warranty runs for ten years for the panels, and two to three years for the unit itself. By the way, while the first “tree” cost 50,000 hryvnias, subsequent units will come at just 35,000 hryvnias, since manufacturing processes have been already worked out.

“Ukraine’s only similar example is found in Ternopil,” Koziar noted. Next year, the activists plan to “plant” unusual “trees” in every district of Kyiv.