Measurement and control

In Cuba, there is a meter controlled electricity distribution system that enables the amount of electricity used to be monitored and controlled. The efficiency campaigns and conservation measures carried out in the country are mainly supported by this system for measuring energy used. Tampering with electricity meters is a punishable offence, as is making illicit connections.

Electricity use is measured in accordance with a quality system regulated by the Metrology Law and General Provision 01-98, ‘Instruments Subjected to Mandatory Verification’. Traceability is guaranteed, starting from the National Laboratory of Engineering Enterprise for Electricity Pattern. The laboratories involved are accredited by the National Accreditation Body of the Republic of Cuba, which belongs to MEP. Verification and repair of the electricity meters are the responsibility of the Ministry of Basic Industry and are implemented by the electric utility staff in each territory.

Metering the use of fuels is also of great importance. Therefore, factories producing gas and fuel meters have been established and new digital measurement technologies introduced. The gauging of tanks and liquid transport vehicles is obligatory, as is the measurement of flow in pipelines and in all fuel distribution devices according to the standards. Laboratories for the verification and calibration of instruments are duly accredited.

4.6. MAIN ISSUES

Most of Cuba’s industrial sector is characterized by its inefficiencies and technological obsolescence as a result of two decades of economic crisis and the technology inherited from former socialist countries. The sugarcane agro-industry and the electric power agro-industry are two of the sectors most affected. In the case of the electric power industry, it has been necessary to keep in operation facilities over 30 years old owing to the current electricity generation deficit. Regarding the sugar industry, the partial or complete closure of facilities could not be postponed owing to their low efficiencies, among other reasons.

Cuba has assimilated foreign energy technologies and in turn developed its own technologies to achieve development. This is especially true with respect to the sugarcane agro-industry, solar energy applications, hydropower and electric power generation.

The development of the oil and gas industry and transport and fuel distri-bution infrastructure has been very important. It has enabled an increase in electricity generation and a greater supply of domestic fuels, which has boosted

the country’s economic recovery. Particularly remarkable are the assimilation and adaptation of power stations to burn domestic crude oil and the increase in efficiency of electricity generation and the reduction in transmission losses.

In the sugarcane industry, a high level of mechanization in sowing and harvesting has been reached with tools and machinery produced domestically.

This has allowed Cuba to increase production in some periods, to reduce the labour force needed in the fields and to raise income through the export of machinery and equipment. The restructuring process of the sugar industry has made it feasible to increase productivity and efficiency by replacing old equipment and machinery with new models. The results in the design and construction of boilers are remarkable, particularly in the sugar industry. The production of high parameter boilers is expected in the near future. This process of modernization and restructuring will continue in the coming years, provided that financial resources are available.

Significant developments have been made in the design and construction of turbines and other hydraulic devices. Important components, including two types of water turbine, have been developed domestically. The use of wind power has also increased and has been improved with the design and construction of small aerogenerators and water pumps. The production of the latter should increase in the coming years, given the existing domestic demand.

Technologies for the use of solar energy have been assimilated and developed. Examples of such solar technology applications include different models of heaters, dryers and climate controlled chambers. The last item is internationally patented and has many applications in agriculture and biotech-nology. In spite of the strong domestic development in solar energy, there are many problems to be solved before its introduction on a larger scale.

The concept of environmentally friendly architecture is being considered in Cuba for the first time. In this respect, actions and measures have been carried out to promote its use in new construction projects.

Low efficiency prevails in electricity generation in Cuba’s conventional thermal power plants, although this is not the case in gas turbines and combined cycles.

Although there have been important developments and growth in the transport and energy distribution infrastructure, they have not been enough to cope with the possible development of oil in the EEZ of the Gulf of Mexico.

REFERENCES

[4.1] COMITÉ ESTATAL DE ESTADÍSTICAS, Compendio Estadístico de Energía de Cuba — 1985, CEE, Havana (1986).

[4.2] COMITÉ ESTATAL DE ESTADÍSTICAS, Compendio Estadístico de Energía de Cuba —1989, CEE, Havana (1990).

[4.3] OFICINA NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICAS, Anuario Estadístico de Cuba — 2003, ONE, Havana (2004).

[4.4] PATURAU, J.M., By-products of the Sugar Cane Industry: An Introduction to Their Industrial Utilization, Elsevier, New York (1969).

[4.5] OFICINA NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICAS, Inventario Nacional de Fuentes de Energía Nuevas y Renovables, ONE, Havana (2002).

[4.6] VALDÉS, A., LÓPEZ, P., ISAAC, J., “Caña de azúcar: Generación de electri-cidad, alcohol y biogás”, in Proc. II Workshop on Energy and Environment, Havana, 1996.

[4.7] ORAMAS, I., personal communication, 2003.

[4.8] MINAZ, Programa de Desarrollo Energético Sostenible (2003), http://www.energia.inf.cu/eventos/memorias3/memorias3.htm

[4.9] CURBELO, A., GAREA, B., VALDÉS, A., “Generación de electricidad a partir de bagazo”, Memorias de la Reunión Regional sobre Generación de Electricidad a Partir de Biomasa, Montevideo, 1995, FAO, Santiago de Chile (1996) 117–121.

[4.10] PROGRAMA DE DESARROLLO DE LAS FUENTES RENOVABLES DE ENERGÍA, Actualización del Programa de Desarrollo de las Fuentes Renova-bles de Energía, PDFNER, Havana (2003).

[4.11] OFICINA NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICAS, Inventario Nacional de Fuentes de Energía Renovables — 2004, ONE, Havana (2005).

[4.12] BETANCOURT, H., Petróleo: Estrategia, Resultados y Perspectivas (2001), http://www.eleconomista.cubaweb.cu/2000/2001/nro128/128_3.html

[4.13] CUBAPETRÓLEO, The Oil Industry in Cuba: Opportunities in the New Century, CUPET, Havana (2001).

[4.14] CUBAPETRÓLEO, Situación Actual y Perspectivas del Petróleo y el Gas (2003), http://www.energia.inf.cu/eventos/memorias3/memorias3.htm

[4.15] MADRUGA, E., La Fabricación de Turbinas Hidráulicas en Cuba (1), Energía y Tú 4 (1998).

[4.16] INSITUTO NACIONAL DE RECURSOS HIDRÁULICOS, El Aprovecha-miento de la Hidroenergía en Cuba (2003),

http://www.energia.inf.cu/eventos/memorias3/memorias3.htm [4.17] RÍOS, G., personal communication, 2002.

[4.18] CASTRO, D.-B.F., Energía Nuclear: Peligro Ambiental o Solución para el Siglo XXI, Mec Graphic, Turin (1997).

[4.19] CUBAENERGÍA, Base de Datos para Estudios de Expansión del SEN, CUBAENERGÍA, Havana (2005).

[4.20] DESPACHO NACIONAL DE CARGA, Memoria Anual — 2004, Unión Eléctrica, Havana (2005).