The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) announced this Wednesday that Cuba has surpassed 800 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic generation for the first time and that more than 900 MW have been reached.
On its part, the Cuban Television News (NTV) specified that the first peak was 830 MW, presented as a national record and a demonstration of "energy sovereignty" amid the "intensified blockade."
The data itself is relevant. However, the way it was presented by the authorities and the state-run press in the Cuban regime, as well as what was omitted in their narratives, deserves a deeper analysis.
A punctual record is not a structural solution
The government itself defined the scope of the announcement: it pertains to generation achieved "during a segment of midday." That is, a momentary peak, not a sustained power output for hours.
In any system with significant solar generation, the peak occurs around noon. However, power levels can fluctuate within minutes due to clouds, temperature, or technical limitations of the grid.
More importantly: that peak does not coincide with the time of highest electricity demand in Cuba, which usually occurs at night.
Without large-scale battery storage systems —of which there have been no reports— solar energy cannot cover the nighttime peak.
In a system that has recorded deficits exceeding 1,700 MW during peak hours, a record of 900 MW at noon has a limited impact on the structural crisis.
What would it really imply what they are claiming?
The government claims to have connected 49 solar parks with a capacity of 21.8 MW to the National Electric System (SEN) in 13 months, which would amount to approximately 1,068 MW of installed capacity (just over one gigawatt).
If the plausibility of that figure is assumed, the magnitude of the deployment would be substantial.
However, the reported record does not specify how many parks are actually in commercial operation, nor the total installed capacity, nor whether there were generation cuts due to network limitations. It only highlights the most favorable moment of the day.
"Connecting to the SEN" is not just about plugging in a cable
Official propaganda presents the connection of solar parks as if it were a simple and almost automatic process. In reality, connecting a 21.8 MW plant to the National Electric System involves a complex technical operation.
Each park requires:
- Tens of thousands of solar panels.
- Power inverters (advanced electronics that convert direct current into alternating current).
- Medium voltage transformers and cells.
- Protection, grounding, and control systems.
- Telemetry and communication infrastructure with the system operator.
But the most critical —and most expensive— component is usually the interconnection: boosting substations, evacuation lines, high-voltage switches, protection relays, and in weak systems, reactive compensation equipment to maintain stability.
In a fragile electrical system with multiple thermoelectric plants out of service due to recurring breakdowns, integrating large blocks of variable generation is complicated. It requires technical coordination, imported equipment, and sustained investment capacity.
How much could it have cost?
If we take the average international cost of large-scale solar plants as a reference —between 700 and 800 dollars per installed kilowatt— a 21.8 MW park could cost around 16 or 17 million dollars.
Multiplied by 49 parks, the base cost would be around 800 million dollars.
This should be added:
- Substations and evacuation lines.
- Engineering and transportation.
- Contingencies and logistics overruns.
- Possible premiums for financing under high country risk conditions.
A reasonable range for a program close to 1 GW could be between 1,000 and 1,600 million dollars.
For an economy with severe foreign exchange restrictions, a decline in exports, and limitations in accessing international credit, such a level of investment is not insignificant.
However, no official figures have been released regarding the total cost of the program, the suppliers, the financial terms, or the actual disbursement schedule.
What is not said
The record of 830 or 900 MW does not clarify:
What is the total installed and operational solar capacity: because a point peak does not allow us to know how many plants are truly completed, synchronized, and generating steadily in the system.
How much annual energy (in GWh) is expected to be generated: since the maximum midday power does not indicate how much electricity is produced per year, which is what determines the actual impact on national consumption.
What percentage of the electrical deficit is actually covered: because the figure is not compared with the total demand of the country or with the daily deficit, especially during critical hours.
There are associated storage systems: since without batteries or another form of backup, solar energy cannot be transferred to the nighttime peak, where many outages occur.
How much the program has cost and how it is financed: because the Government avoids publishing figures on investment, suppliers, credit conditions, or interconnection costs, which is one of the most expensive items.
The communicational emphasis is placed on the headline of the day, not on the structural balance: as the announcement of the “record” is prioritized as management propaganda, rather than providing complete and verifiable metrics of the electrical system.
A partial advance amid a deep crisis
It is undeniable that increasing solar capacity is both positive and necessary. Diversifying the energy matrix reduces dependence on fuel oil and diesel, and can alleviate the pressure on an aging thermoelectric power plant.
But turning a momentary peak at noon into proof of a definitive solution distorts the magnitude of the problem. As long as the country continues to face four-digit generation deficits during nighttime hours and prolonged blackouts in multiple provinces, the real impact of the record will be limited.
The challenge is not to achieve a momentary peak under the sun, but to ensure electrical stability 24 hours a day. And for that, the key question is not how many megawatts were generated “for an instant,” but rather how much the program cost, how it was financed, and how much it actually alleviates the crisis that millions of Cubans experience every day.
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