Cuba triples solar share to 20% with China help
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- Cuba tripled solar's share of electricity generation from under 6% to over 20% in 12 months, connecting 49 new installations with more than 1,000 MW of combined capacity
- China has committed to building 92 solar parks for Cuba by 2028 totaling roughly 2,000 MW — approximately equal to the island's entire current thermal generation from fossil fuels
- On February 11, 2026, Cuba's solar panels generated more than 900 MW for the first time, breaking a record set the day prior, with some facilities achieving grid connection within 35 days of equipment arrival
- China is also donating approximately 70 tons of power generator parts and installing 10,000 photovoltaic systems for isolated homes and critical facilities like maternity wards, plus co-constructing the 33 MW La Herradura 1 wind farm
- Cuba will need up to 600 MW of battery storage by 2028 to make solar reliable after sunset, with only 4 of 55 planned 2025 parks currently equipped with storage
- President Miguel Díaz-Canel framed the expansion explicitly as 'energy sovereignty,' with each installed megawatt displacing roughly 18,000 tons of imported oil annually
Why it matters: Hitting the 2,000 MW target by 2028 would displace the equivalent of Cuba's entire fossil-fuel thermal generation, potentially rendering the US oil blockade economically irrelevant. The pace — 12 months to triple solar's share — sets a template for other sanctioned developing nations, though it remains tethered to continued Chinese financial and technical support.
