The National Electric System (SEN in Spanish) receives the contribution of clean and sustainable energy from the three solar parks that operate in Ciego de Ávila, which maintain productive stability.
The total installed power between the three generators is 11.6 megawatts and from August 2017, the date on which the first was assembled, until the end of last January, the delivery to the SEN has been 66,907.85 megawatt-hours.
Dainier López Chávez, a specialist in exploitation at the Renewable Energy Sources Base Business Unit of the Ciego de Ávila Electric Company, told the Cuban News Agency that these megawatt-hours represent more than 17,396 tons of fuel that were not used and 56,804 tons of carbon dioxide not released into the environment.
The operation of the first park of this type in Ciego de Ávila began in August 2017, located in the town of Ceballos, popular council of the main city, with a generation capacity of 4.4 megawatts.
In March 2018, another was incorporated in the municipality of Chambas, with a generation capacity of five megawatts; and the third center, similar to those two, was launched in January 2019 in the municipality of Venezuela, with an installed power of 2.2 megawatts.
Although the acquisition of this technology requires millionaire sums that are not available either, it is in the interest of the State to continue with the studies to define the land to install it, to the extent of financial possibilities.
Despite this, among all the renewable energy sources, photovoltaic solar energy is one of the most advanced in Cuba, and in Avilanian territory, it is also used in hotel establishments, daycare centers and public buildings.
The international project Energy for Everyone is currently being carried out. It promotes energy resilience through the use of renewable energy sources; in this case they are also solar panels, which are installed in the 1,447 houses located in rural communities in the north of the provinces of Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus and Villa Clara, affected by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
In the case of Ciego de Ávila, Energy for Everyone will reach 167 homes, located in the municipalities of Florencia, Morón, Bolivia, Chambas and Ciro Redondo.
Ramón Acosta Álvarez, a specialist in the provincial delegation of CITMA, which deals with renewable energy sources (FRE), and president of Cubasolar in the territory, pointed out that there are good practices in this area. The use of solar panels also benefits to hotel establishments, daycare centers, public buildings and livestock, through the use of electric fences that work with this technology to graze livestock.
The FRE allow us to preserve the planet we inhabit, which is why it is in the government's interest to acquire technology to extend its use, Acosta Álvarez said.