The most common mistake Ukrainian businesses make when planning battery backup is sizing for the whole building. You do not need to power everything. You need to power the right things — and there is a meaningful difference between the two.
Start With Critical Loads, Not Total Consumption
Critical loads are the systems that, if they go offline, cause direct damage or financial loss: refrigeration compressors, medical cold chains, POS systems, livestock ventilation, irrigation pumps during growing season. Everything else — office lighting, printers, non-essential machinery — can wait.
Start by listing these systems and their rated power draw in kilowatts (kW). Your electrician can pull this directly from your distribution panel. If you do not have that documentation, a site survey takes under an hour.
The Sizing Formula
Storage capacity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The calculation is straightforward:
kWh required = critical load (kW) × hours of backup needed
Practical examples:
- Pharmacy, Kyiv: 5 kW critical load × 8 hours = 40 kWh → a 50 kWh system provides comfortable margin
- Single restaurant location: 12 kW critical load × 6 hours = 72 kWh → a 100 kWh system
- Cold storage, 200 tonnes grain: 30 kW critical load × 8 hours = 240 kWh → a 250–300 kWh system
Build in 15–20% overhead. Systems that run at full rated capacity every cycle degrade faster than those with headroom.
Three Real Profiles From the Central Ukraine Market
Small retail or pharmacy (Kyiv, 1–3 locations)
Critical loads: refrigeration, lighting, POS, security systems
Storage need: 30–80 kWh per location
Installed cost: $9,000–$25,000 per location
Install time: 1–2 days
Restaurant chain (3–10 locations)
Critical loads: refrigeration, kitchen ventilation, POS
Storage need: 80–150 kWh per location
Installed cost: $25,000–$55,000 per location
Install time: 2–3 days
Agricultural cold storage or grain operation
Critical loads: compressors, grain dryers, augers, ventilation
Storage need: 100–500 kWh
Installed cost: $30,000–$180,000
Install time: 3–7 days
The Three Components You Are Actually Buying
A battery storage system is three integrated components:
- Battery racks — LFP cells plus a Battery Management System (BMS) that monitors temperature, charge state, and cell balance. This is the core of the system.
- Inverter/PCS — converts DC power from the batteries into AC for your facility, and manages the switchover between grid and battery power.
- Energy Management System (EMS) — the software layer that controls when to charge, when to discharge, and how to prioritize loads. This is where intelligence lives, and where multi-site operators gain visibility across their entire portfolio.
At the mid-tier, manufacturers like Pylontech (rack batteries), Dyness, and Deye (strong inverter range) have built solid track records across European commercial installations. These are the systems KOLO sources, integrates, and takes full responsibility for.
What Changes This Calculation
If you add solar later, the math shifts favorably — you generate during the day, store the surplus, and extend your autonomy window significantly. But for the immediate Ukrainian market, the backup-first approach is the right starting point: size for 6–8 hours of critical load coverage, prove the system, then build on it.
The calculation also changes with phased deployment. A restaurant chain adding backup progressively — one location at a time — can learn from each install and optimize the next.
Want the numbers done for your specific operation? Request a sizing proposal — we will build you a full system specification with cost breakdown, no commitment required.