The Sion-based (Valais) SME Studer Innotec recently secured its first sale in Ukraine, where its hybrid inverter will guarantee access to electricity despite an electrical grid weakened by years of war. This export marks the beginning of a collaboration in a country that is moving towards energy decentralisation.
The relationship with this first Ukrainian customer was progressively built. “Our international sales manager made initial contact with this partner at Intersolar Europe 2024, in Munich, which resulted in a first sale one year later”, explains Céline Rémondeulaz, CFO of Studer Innotec.
The exported device, the nx3, is a hybrid inverter that operates both connected to the grid and fully autonomously. “Our device automatically goes to off-grid mode thanks to battery storage when the grid is down”, she adds.
A solution to Ukrainian energy challenges
The Ukrainian energy context makes this type of equipment particularly valuable. “Ukraine’s electricity grids are unstable due to the war affecting parts of the country and despite ongoing efforts to rebuild them. They then need a special inverter that can operate in difficult conditions to ensure residents have access to electricity at all times”, highlights Céline Rémondeulaz.
Due to ongoing attacks, Ukraine largely decentralised its energy system, a strategy that allowed the country to withstand the situation better until now. Many Ukrainians equipped themselves with solar panels and batteries, but without an appropriate inverter, these installations are useless in case of power outage – like it has been demonstrated by the black-out in Spain in April 2025, where even households equipped with solar panels were still left without electricity. “Our clients know what it is to lack electricity. They pay for solid and reliable solutions designed and made in Switzerland.”
The stability of electricity grid: a global challenge
Exporting to Ukraine required overcoming several obstacles. “There are specific and tedious administrative processes”, says Céline Rémondeulaz. The Valais-based SME can count on the expertise of Switzerland Global Enterprise and SERV to support with export procedures and the preparation of future large-scale projects in several countries, such as Ukraine.
Beyond the Ukrainian case, Studer Innotec notes that grid reliability is a global challenge. The Valais-based company, which has been designing and exporting high-end hybrid inverters (off/on grid) for around forty years, already participated in mini-grid projects, enabling villages to benefit from electricity without connection with the national grid, for example in Latin America. It already equipped industrial sites – including gas, oil and telecoms facilities – which need to work in all circumstances.
Building a sustainable and resilient future
For the future, prospects for Ukraine are encouraging. “We hope to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine through the sale of products designed for the private sector or for a larger scale in the form of micro-grid for entire villages”, says Céline Rémondeulaz. “We are building a sustainable and resilient future in Ukraine with our devices, enabling a reliable access to electricity at all times for all. Studer Innotec thinks that electricity is a precious, costly and limited resource. We are developing devices able to provide electricity with full autonomy, repairable and designed to last over time.”
In a country in reconstruction, where electricity has become a challenge of survival and development, Valais expertise could play a decisive role.
More information on: Studer Innotec
Photo credits: Studer Innotec
