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CIMEX launched through its e-commerce platform Puerto Envío the offer of a 12-inch Daytron C108 solar fan for 41.20 dollars, explicitly presenting it as a solution to the energy crisis affecting the island.
The announcement, posted on the official Facebook page of the state corporation, uses the power outages that the regime has been unable to resolve as a selling point, with slogans such as "No more blackouts!" and "Energy crisis: we have the solution."
The product includes a solar panel, two LED bulbs, and a USB port to charge devices, and it can be purchased from anywhere in the world at envioscuba.com so that family members in Cuba can receive it at home in Havana, Matanzas, Artemisa, and Mayabeque, or pick it up at the store on Avenida del Puerto, in Old Havana.
The price, however, is unattainable for the vast majority of Cubans living on the island.
According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) released in April 2026, the average monthly salary in Cuba in 2025 was 6,930 Cuban pesos, which is equivalent to just between 13 and 15 dollars at the informal exchange rate.
That means the fan costs the equivalent of almost three monthly salaries of an average Cuban worker.
The product is designed, in practice, for the Cuban diaspora abroad to purchase and send it to their family members on the island, in a business model aimed at capturing foreign currency.
The offer comes at the worst time of the energy crisis in Cuba: on May 13, the electricity deficit reached a record of 2,153 MW, affecting 65% of the national territory simultaneously.
On May 17, the Electric Union reported a capacity of only 1,070 MW against a demand of 2,545 MW, and in Havana, the power outages have exceeded 19 hours daily so far this May.
That the Cuban state, responsible for the collapse of the electrical system, profits by selling solutions at prices unattainable for most did not go unnoticed among internet users.
The comments on CIMEX's Facebook post mix dark humor, criticism of the price, and distrust in the quality of the product.
A user rated the fans as "very bad."
Another person mocked the slogan with a string of laughing emojis: "What an amazing advertisement. Just blackouts!"
A third person questioned the price and asserted that the same product can be found elsewhere for 35 dollars: "How many do you want at 35 USD? Hahaha, you guys are selling it for a fortune."
And a fourth user shared their direct experience with the product: "That fan lasted me only 48 hours."
The Cuban electricity crisis has been worsening since 2025: in December of that year, outages of over 20 hours per day were recorded and deficits exceeding 2,000 MW, without the regime providing structural solutions to the problem.
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