Eastern Cuba promotes use of renewable energies

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, Oct 18 (ACN) Bent on boosting the use of renewable energy sources, the University of Oriente (UO) is planning the creation of a hydropower plant designed to pump water from a reservoir located at a high altitude.

According to Leonardo Peña, a professor with UO’s School of Electrical Engineering, this technology can also use wind and solar energy, which boast an established value of 16.18 GW—2.5 times more than all the power currently installed in Cuba—and benefits energy self-sufficiency, facilitates the integration of renewable sources, and makes the national grid more stable.

Professor Peña remarked that this type of hydropower plant, widely used in the world, is not only environmentally friendly, since it emits no carbon dioxide, but would also contribute to the longed-for change in the country's energy matrix once the reservoir is ready.

The province of Santiago de Cuba leads other projects based on renewable sources, such as the manufacture of solar dryers for food preservation, photovoltaic systems for power generation, and biodigesters for cooking food in rural areas.