Photovoltaic parks in Cuba: science and innovation project

 

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 15 (ACN) One of the greatest challenges currently facing the National Electric System (SEN by its Spanish acronym) is to eliminate the effects on the electric service by increasing the country's generation capacity and, in turn, energy efficiency: the ways to achieve this aim are multiple and complex.
According to the explanation offered by engineer Lazaro Guerra Hernandez, General Director of Electricity of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM by its Spanish acronym), in a conversation with the press team of the Presidency, the strategy followed for the generation of the SEN is to give priority to national sources as a support for the energy independence that Cuba needs.

To this end, it is essential, he assured, to have a “diversified generation matrix, which prioritizes its own sources, such as domestic crude oil, gas from Cuban oil extraction, and renewable energy sources”.
Regarding the last of these three topics, Guerra Hernandez said that it is a matter, essentially scientific, which has been boosted more strongly in the national territory in the course of the last decade, since the approval in 2014 of the Policy for the perspective development of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.

As part of that strategy, the use of photovoltaic solar energy has been promoted in Cuba, for which since the beginning of 2024 a broad investment process has been carried out, consisting of two projects, the first of which will allow the installation of one thousand megawatts, over a period of two years. The second project, with the same amount of generation, should be ready in 2031.

“There are 26 photovoltaic solar parks that are currently in different phases of construction in all the provinces, which means an enormous constructive effort for the country”, emphasized Alfredo López Valdés, general director of Unión Eléctrica, when exchanging with the press team.

The engineering of each park, he stated, is a science, and although the final result is very similar, the electrical conditions of each place are not exactly the same, which requires an exhaustive work, from the very moment the studies are started to select the place where each one of them will be located.
During the meeting, PhD in Sciences Lidice Vaillant, head of the Laboratory of Photovoltaic Research at the University of Havana, explained that nearly 1 million photovoltaic panels have already been installed, and 3.6 million more will be installed. This means, she stressed, that in two years the power installed in the last ten years will be multiplied by almost five times, which represents a huge leap.

The two projects, said the General Director of Electricity of MINEN, have been worked very closely with the universities to achieve a design that will allow both to be properly integrated into the National Electric System.

The installation of the parks is a project based exclusively on science and innovation, he underlined. From its conception, it was necessary to think about how such an important generation as solar photovoltaic, which is also variable, could be adequately integrated into the National Electric System, especially taking into account the change of paradigm in generation that this means.

According to his assessment, there were many challenges that had to be overcome from the technical point of view to integrate this generation into the electricity system, especially taking into account how variable solar photovoltaic generation can be due to the behavior of the weather.
In addition to foreseeing the possible impact on the system, he said, it was necessary to train the operators of the farms, the builders and, in general, all those involved in the implementation of the projects.

This, Guerra Hernandez reaffirmed, is a holistic project, from its conceptualization to its operation, since an important number of entities of the country participate in it in an integrated manner.

Hence the importance given by Guerra Hernandez to the presentation of the topic at the National Innovation Council, a space in which, from the rigor of science, experts from universities and other scientific institutions made important suggestions in order to contribute to its improvement.
That moment, he valued, became a closure for the research work carried out, which is of constant study and evaluation, and has allowed us to have a more integral design.

“It was a meeting in which this program was strongly debated with the objective of getting it right”, considered the General Manager of the Electrical Industry.

Science, innovation, organization, foresight, research, leadership, are essential elements that cannot be left hand in hand for the execution and finally implementation of the designed project. Cuba needs every effort to strengthen its Electric System, and for this, the use of science and innovation is essential.
Taken from Presidency