The city of Las Tunas has incorporated a public solar charging station capable of servicing devices and electric vehicles, in a province where photovoltaic generation emerges as an alternative for services impacted by energy limitations.
The station, inaugurated during the celebrations for the 230th anniversary of the city, operates at the headquarters of the state company Taxis Cuba and features 10 charging points for mobile phones, portable power stations, electric bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters, reported the official newspaper 26 on Wednesday.
The project is the result of a partnership between Taxis Cuba and the private micro, small, and medium enterprise TECSoluciones S.U.R.L., and it uses nine bifacial solar panels of 620 watts each.
The installation has a peak power of 5.58 kilowatts and also features a storage bank of 15 kilowatt-hours and a 10 kilowatt inverter-controller.
According to the source, the investment amounts to 8.5 million pesos and is expected to be recovered within five years. During peak photovoltaic generation periods, the station will provide free charging for phones and other small devices to the community residents.
The benefit for the population is currently limited to that service, while the facility also adds features aimed at workers and users.
The opening coincided with the reopening of the cybercafé at the headquarters, which offers internet access, meeting spaces, collaborative work areas, and five internal charging stations.
The place also features a video game area for children and teenagers, as well as facilities for producing bread, cookies, and other flour-based products.
in a facility that authorities are presenting as part of the options developed in the province to harness renewable energy sources.
The territory of Las Tunas has eight photovoltaic solar parks with a total capacity of 64.8 MW, but this infrastructure only provides an average of 2.5 hours of electricity daily per municipality, the provincial Electric Company acknowledged at the end of August.
In the municipality of Manatí, residents reported power outages lasting more than 24 hours almost every day throughout September.
This type of facility has multiplied in Cuba as a decentralized response to the worst energy crisis in the country in decades, worsened by the suspension of Venezuelan crude oil shipments and the halt of Mexican oil exports.
Villa Clara now has 50 operational "solineras", aiming to reach 60 by the end of the year, while Guantánamo has at least five active and plans to expand its network to 30 facilities.
In parallel, in Las Tunas, the construction of the first "solinera" at the Ferro-Ómnibus terminal is also progressing, executed by the Cardinal Provincial Transport Company along with the mipyme Vitalcons, in a terminal that has not undergone comprehensive recovery since the damages from Hurricane Ike in September 2008.
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