A privately-financed solar charging station in Santa Clara has emerged as a market-driven solution to Cuba's ongoing energy crisis, demonstrating how entrepreneurial initiative can address infrastructure failures where government systems have fallen short. The facility, which opened about one month ago in early April, offers free charging services to residents struggling with chronic blackouts and severe gas shortages.
The station, known locally as a "solinera," is believed to be Cuba's first solar-powered charging station and represents a collaboration between private business and government that has enabled mobility and commerce for families across central Cuba. Alexander Gutiérrez Altuve, who works at the business next door that helped finance and set up the station, said the owner of the business worked with the government to install solar panels that provide 30 kilowatts of energy and a battery of 60 kilowatts. He said that is enough energy to power the average U.S. home for a single day.
Economic Impact on Local Entrepreneurs
The station has proven particularly valuable for small business owners like Yudelaimys Barrero Muñoz, who depends on reliable transportation to maintain her family's income. The 43-year-old mother of two travels the 43-mile distance from Cienfuegos to Santa Clara to purchase supplies for resale, supporting her husband and two young children. Before the charging station opened, Barrero Muñoz spent 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. Her husband's bicycle was once the family's only mode of transportation, later replaced by a rechargeable three-wheeled vehicle whose battery could not handle the round trip.
Barrero Muñoz said, "They have solved many problems for many people." She and her husband, Lorenzo Ravelo, and their children, ages 3 and 4, now drive regularly to Santa Clara because they can charge their three-wheeled 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 she had to hitch a ride. "I have more clients because I have more merchandise," she said.
Meeting Demand During Infrastructure Failure
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, rice cookers, pressure cookers and other gadgets, appliances and vehicles that need power. The station has 20 sockets to charge equipment, 16 spots to charge vehicles and 12 for cooking. Gutiérrez Altuve said, "This is something that hadn't really been done before." Lisandra Couto Pérez, a co-worker who helps track usage, said, "They are truly surprised when you tell them that it's free."
The facility has transformed daily life for families who previously lacked basic mobility. Before buying the small three-wheeler, Ravelo 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. Ravelo said, "It's a great solution."
Government Energy Policy Context
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.
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 67 years ago, 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:
This privately-financed solar station illustrates how entrepreneurial solutions can address infrastructure failures more effectively than centralized government systems. While Cuba's renewable energy generation has increased from 3.6% to 10% of the island's electricity, distribution remains limited and few Cubans can afford such systems—highlighting the gap between government policy and practical implementation. The station's success in enabling commerce, mobility, and improved living conditions for families demonstrates the value of private-sector initiative in solving community problems. The fact that a single business working with government could establish a facility serving thousands while official energy infrastructure continues to fail raises questions about resource allocation and the potential benefits of greater private sector involvement in Cuba's energy sector. The model shows how market-driven approaches, even in heavily regulated economies, can deliver tangible improvements in citizens' daily lives and economic productivity.