A free solar-powered charging station in Santa Clara has emerged as a critical resource for Cuban families struggling under the weight of chronic blackouts and a severe gas shortage, offering a glimpse of how public investment in renewable infrastructure can directly address the daily hardships faced by working families.
The station, known locally as a "solinera," opened in early April and is believed to be Cuba's first solar-powered charging station. Residents have been traveling miles to access the facility, which provides free electricity to charge everything from electric vehicles to cellphones, rice cookers, and UV nail lamps—essential tools for families navigating an economy starved of reliable energy.
A Lifeline for Working Families
For Yudelaimys Barrero Muñoz, a 43-year-old mother of two who supports her family by reselling goods, the station has transformed her ability to earn a living. She used to spend up to three hours on the side of a highway under the blazing sun waving money at drivers as she tried to hitch a ride from Cienfuegos to Santa Clara, a 43-mile trip impossible on her husband's bicycle. Even after acquiring a rechargeable three-wheeled vehicle, the battery could not handle the round trip.
"They have solved many problems for many people," Barrero Muñoz said. She and her husband, Lorenzo Ravelo, and their children, ages 3 and 4, now drive regularly to Santa Clara because they can charge their vehicle at the station. "If it hadn't been for this, I wouldn't have been able to keep selling," she said. She now buys rice, sugar, hot dogs, mortadella, soap, shampoo, deodorant and other items regardless of their weight because they go into the vehicle instead of the two bags and a backpack she used to carry when hitching rides. "I have more clients because I have more merchandise," she said.
Community Infrastructure Filling Critical Gaps
Because there is little gas for cars, Cubans are traveling miles to the Santa Clara solar station on rechargeable motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles, while others walk there carrying cellphones with nearly depleted batteries and essential cooking appliances. Alexander Gutiérrez Altuve, who works at the business next door that helped finance and set up the station, said the owner worked with the government to install solar panels that provide 30 kilowatts of energy and a battery of 60 kilowatts—enough energy to power the average U.S. home for a single day.
The station has 20 sockets to charge equipment, 16 spots to charge vehicles and 12 for cooking. "This is something that hadn't really been done before," Gutiérrez Altuve said. Lisandra Couto Pérez, a co-worker who helps track usage, said, "They are truly surprised when you tell them that it's free."
Healthcare Access and Family Dignity
For Lorenzo Ravelo, the station has meant more than just transportation. Before buying the small three-wheeler, he would borrow money from neighbors to rent a car if their children needed medical care, "and later make payments however you can and whenever you can." With only a bicycle at the time, he could not take his family on road trips to help them escape Cuba's daily grind. Now they can even go in their own vehicle to the beach, he said, tearing up. "It's a great solution," Ravelo said.
Renewable Energy Expansion Amid Crisis
The Cuban government has stepped up the installation of solar panels in hospitals and other public places and established solar farms in the face of chronic blackouts and, in recent months, a severe gas shortage stemming from a U.S. energy blockade. Renewable energy now accounts for some 10% of the island's electricity, up from 3.6% in 2024, but distribution remains limited and few Cubans can afford such a system. Globally, just over 30% of electricity generation comes from renewable energies like solar, wind and hydropower, according to energy think tank Ember.
A Model for Community-Based Solutions
Santa Clara, with nearly a quarter of a million people, is one of Cuba's most populous cities and is best known as the city of "Marta and El Che." El Che, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, led a key battle during Cuba's 1959 Revolution in Santa Clara, where his remains are housed in a mausoleum. It is also the town of Marta de los Ángeles González Abreu y Arencibia, a well-known philanthropist who supported Santa Clara and Cuba's push for independence.
Santa Clara is also home to Danailys Arboláez Pérez, a 32-year-old mother of two who sells sandwiches, coffee, beer and cigarettes out of her home a short walk from the solar station. "Almost everyone in this neighborhood goes there," she said. Arboláez Pérez has cooked rice and beans and even fried fish at the solar station, even when she has electricity because she wants to save money on natural gas. She also recharges two fans that cool the rooms of her 2-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter as Cuba's temperatures start rising, and said the power outages last year were "apocalyptic."
She said she no longer has to jump out of bed when the power suddenly comes on, forcing her to cook or wash at untimely hours including 2 a.m. "We're not running around so much. I cook slowly, calmly. … If the power goes out, I'll just take the pot there," she said.
Why This Matters:
The Santa Clara solar station demonstrates how public investment in renewable infrastructure can directly address economic inequality and provide essential services when market forces and international pressures leave working families without basic necessities. The free charging station has restored economic opportunity for vendors like Barrero Muñoz, enabled healthcare access for families like the Ravelos, and provided cooking capacity for mothers like Arboláez Pérez—all basic needs that should not depend on individual purchasing power. As renewable energy accounts for just 10% of Cuba's electricity while global adoption reaches 30%, the station highlights both the potential of community-based renewable infrastructure and the urgent need for expanded public investment in sustainable energy systems that serve all residents, not just those who can afford private solutions. The facility's impact on mobility, healthcare access, and economic activity underscores how energy policy is fundamentally a question of social equity.