Cuba building first solar plant - report

Aug 5, 2013 - Cuba is installing its first solar photovoltaic plant with the aim to reduce expenses on oil derivatives, official news portal Cubadebate said on Saturday.

Located near Cienfuegos city, the plant will have a capacity of 2.6 MW when completed in September. The initial 1 MW was connected to the national grid in April and saved the country nearly 145 tonnes of fossil fuel until the end of July.

Six other solar parks are expected to start operations in the next months, in the provinces of Havana, Guantanamo, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara and Isla de la Juventud.

Cuba produces 4% of its electricity using renewable energy such as hydropower, biomass and wind. The country has been installing solar panels for schools and hospitals in rural areas and for mountainous communities.

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