Solar energy

In Cuba, solar radiation has a significant energy value (∼5 kW·h·m^–2·d^–1).

This value does not vary much from one place to another owing to the island’s elongated shape and its east–west orientation. The variation is minimal from one month to another, which favours the use of this source of energy throughout the year. Solar radiation is used directly in thermal and photo-voltaic transformations in the form of heat and electricity.

More than 8000 photovoltaic panels are installed in the country in rural schools, medical locations, social facilities, signal systems, etc., to provide an important supply of electricity during the day, during periods of high electricity demand for the mentioned activities, with minimal storage necessary for electricity use at night and for communication systems.

A programme evaluating the massive use of solar water heaters has been implemented.

3.5. MAIN ISSUES

The analysis of energy resources in Cuba shows that fossil fuels will maintain their dominant role in the national energy balance, mainly because of the current large share of domestic and imported oil and associated gas and the prospects for increases in domestic production. The Cuban oil and gas industry has been one of the most dynamic sectors in the Cuban economy in recent

years, achieving significant progress in exploration and extraction and in the development of transport infrastructure for fuels.

However, the reserves being exploited in the north of the country are heavy crude oil with a high sulphur content. The use of this crude oil in the refining process is limited for this reason and the dependency on petroleum product imports is high. Preliminary studies carried out in the EEZ in the Gulf of Mexico have demonstrated the existence of light crude oil. The exploitation of this zone would enable the country to cover the demand for crude oil and petroleum products in the long term.

The decrease in sugar production, and therefore in sugarcane biomass, at the end of the 1990s has caused a reduction in the share of this renewable source in the country’s energy mix. It is expected that restructuring of the sugar industry will enable the country to recover and return to previous levels of efficiency and productivity. To exploit this potential, it will be necessary to increase the sugarcane yield per hectare, to increase energy efficiency and to install boilers with more efficient parameters and new turbines in existing sugar mills in order to increase electricity cogeneration.

Wind energy is the form of renewable energy most likely to penetrate the market, since the preliminary potential can already cover up to 6–8% of current electricity generation. The wind atlas of the country was completed in 2007 and includes all the wind potentials identified in the country to date. The Government has decided to install 100 MW of wind energy plant in different parts of the country by 2008. It will be a challenge for the national industry to manufacture some of the parts of the wind generators, which would reduce their cost. The expected availability of electricity from wind converters is around 25%.

Exploitable hydropower potential is limited and whether or not it will be used will be determined mainly by technical, economic and environmental conditions.

The solar potential in Cuba is very high and its exploitation is currently very low. Social programmes dedicated to providing electricity to 100% of the population in the country have favoured the use of photovoltaics. Solar thermal energy could increase its share, at least in the public sector. Some subjective and objective problems need to be resolved, such as reassuring public opinion about the reliability of this kind of system and the enhancement of infra-structure for the maintenance of solar photovoltaic installations.

Although the country has large reserves of peat, these have not been exploited owing to the potentially negative environmental impacts. Never-theless, studies are continuing to evaluate whether it is possible to exploit peat on a small scale in such a way that minimizes the environmental consequences.

In conclusion, the country has limited energy resources. If oil is discovered in the EEZ of the Gulf of Mexico and if it is possible to introduce biomass gasification integrated combined cycles, Cuba’s dependency on energy imports would be reduced considerably. Furthermore, it is necessary to find alternative financing to increase the introduction of other forms of renewable energy that can meet the energy needs of isolated regions.

REFERENCES

[3.1] CUBAPETRÓLEO, Situación Actual y Perpectivas del Petróleo y el Gas, in III Seminario Nacional de Energía en Apoyo a la Adopción de Decisiones (2003), http://www.energia.inf.cu/eventos/memorias3/memorias3.htm

[3.2] NATIONAL ENERGY COMMISSION, Programa de Desarrollo de las Fuentes Nacionales de Energía, CNE, Havana (1993).

[3.3] GEPROP, Acciones de Ciencia e Innovación Tecnológica para el Aprovecha-miento del Recurso Eólico en Cuba, Informe al Consejo Asesor de Asuntos Energéticos del Ministerio de Economía y Planificación, Havana (2005).

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

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

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

[3.7] DELGADO, G.C., Cuba y la Geopolítica Petrolera Imperial en el Golfo de México, Rebelión, Mexico City (2004),

http://www.rebelion.org/cuba/040517delgado.html

[3.8] COMITÉ ESTATAL DE ESTADÍSTICAS, Anuario Estadístico de Cuba — 1985, CEE, Havana (1986).

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

[3.10] OFICINA NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICAS, Anuario Estadístico de Cuba — 2002, ONE, Havana (2003).

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

4. TECHNOLOGIES, EFFICIENCY AND