Norms · PUE:2026
PUE:2026 for solar plants: what changed
In 2026 the Ministry of Energy approved a new edition of the Electrical Installation Rules. It has no separate chapter on solar plants, but several clauses apply directly to a PV system on a house or a plot.
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Edition and status
PUE:2026 was approved by Ministry of Energy order № 283 of 05.06.2026 and replaced PUE:2017. Status as of 14.10.2026 per the norms register Solispec checked on 04.10.2026. We worked from the text submitted for approval, so clause numbers are worth checking against the signed edition.
The official text: Ministry of Energy of Ukraine. Solispec does not host the norm texts. Look for the current edition at the official source.
Scope
The rules cover AC installations up to 750 kV and DC installations up to 1.5 kV. So the DC side of an ordinary PV plant — from the panels to the inverter — is within PUE:2026. The PV-specific requirements (strings, fuses, cables) come from DSTU HD 60364-7-712:2022.
Earthing: one, shared with the building
Clause 1.7.59 requires a common earthing arrangement. For a PV system this means the array frame and rails are bonded to the building’s main earthing terminal. A separate rod next to a ground frame is only an addition, and it too must be connected to the main earthing terminal. More in the earthing entry.
Lightning and overvoltages
Clause 2.1.81 refers protection against overvoltages from direct and nearby lightning strikes to DSTU EN 62305-1…4. The rules do not say that a PV plant automatically needs lightning protection: that is decided by a risk assessment under DSTU EN 62305-2:2022. If the building already has lightning protection, a separation distance or a bond to it is needed, plus SPDs.
What it means in practice
- PUE:2026 replaced PUE:2017, so references to the old edition in designs and estimates should be updated.
- A separate earth electrode at the array that is not bonded to the building’s earthing does not meet the common-earthing requirement.
- The building side (switchboard, final circuits) of residential and public buildings is covered by DBN V.2.5-23:2025.
How Solispec applies it
In the Solispec report the earthing section cites PUE:2026 clause 1.7.59: the frame and rails are bonded to the building’s main earthing terminal, separate rods only as an addition. For a ground frame the engine says the same: connect the frame’s earth electrode to the main earthing terminal.
Terms
- PV earthing and equipotential bondingConnecting PV frames, rails and structures to the building’s earthing; under PUE:2026 the earthing must be common with the building.
- Surge protective device (SPD)A device that limits lightning and switching surges in PV circuits; its type depends on whether the building has lightning protection.
- Lightning risk assessmentThe DSTU EN 62305-2:2022 calculation deciding whether a building with PV needs external lightning protection; there is no "PV means LPS" rule.
- Separation distance s (lightning protection)The minimum gap between a PV array and lightning down conductors at which no spark flashes over (DSTU EN 62305-3:2021, cl. 6.3).
- PV DC cableThe cable between the panels and the inverter; its section is chosen by I_SC MAX at 70 °C and checked for voltage drop.
Other norms
- DBN V.2.5-23:2025 (from 01.01.2026): what applies to solarThe new Ukrainian code for building electrical installations: lightning protection, SPDs, fire-rated penetrations, conductor sizing and PV cables.
- DSTU HD 60364-7-712:2022: the electrics of PV systemsUkraine’s main PV electrical standard: U_OC MAX in frost, I_SC MAX, string fuses, cables under modules, SPDs and earthing.
- DSTU EN 62305-1…4: lightning protection for solar plantsThe four parts of DSTU EN 62305-1…4 for a solar plant: risk assessment, separation distance, SPDs. There is no rule that PV always needs lightning protection.
Solispec’s calculation is preliminary: for a design it has to be checked by an engineer. The values and clauses follow the current editions of the norms on the date of the page.