www.powermag.com POWER | March 20156

SPEAKING OF POWER

Speaking of Cuba, Change, and Coincidence

Sometimes, circumstances have a way of developing in such an unexpect-edly serendipitous way that they

practically force one to take notice. So it is with Cuba and its power sector.

CoincidenceIt all started with a letter to the POWER editorial team from Cuba that I received in mid-December. It had been written in October and was forwarded by our corpo-rate office. The very next week, on Dec. 17, President Obama announced the administra-tions changes in policy toward Cuba. After sharing news of the letter with Contribut-ing Editor Ken Maize, I learned that he was headed to Cuba in January for a cultural ex-change trip. (See Cuban Revolucion Ener-getica? at powermag.com/blog.) Then, in mid-January, I received another letter from Cubathis time via email. (Both the letter and the email were from the same person, to whom I have replied.)

Several things made these develop-ments interesting. First, the stamp on the letter bore a picture of a lizard not unlike those in my backyard. It was also the first letter to the editor Ive seen in hard copy. Usually, if we get something via the mail service, its marketing materials or an un-solicited article. (Note that both hit the recycle bin because were a totally digital organization.) As for the messages, both were very complimentary about a wide range of work written and published by POWER and its editors. Usually, when we get comments about content, its either strongly for or against a single article and is typically fueled by the writers political or economic views. But this author noted that his team of professionals discuss al-most all the articles.

I appreciated the messages from Cuba because its gratifying to know that ones work is useful, but I also learned some-thing about Cubas power sector and the dedicated people working in it, and that prompted me to research further.

Cubas Energy RevolutionMost readers are familiar with Germa-nys Energiewende, or energy transition; fewer are aware that Cuba instituted a

plan in 2005 that goes further, in some areas, according to German consultant and author Dieter Seifried. One example: A complete switch from incandescent to compact fluorescent lamps was made in Cuba five years earlier than in Germany and the rest of the European Union. This revolution entails efficiency measures, adding distributed generation (DG), im-proving transmission and distribution (T&D), developing renewable energy as well as domestic fossil fuel resources, and increasing both international coop-eration and public awareness of energy issues. Theres still a long way to go with this revolution, as Kens post notes.

According to the International Ener-gy Association, in 2012 the majority of Cubas 18,432 GWh for its roughly 11.3 million citizens was generated by oil (15,652 GWh), with gas supplying 2,082 GWh. As for renewables, biofuels supplied 555 GWh, hydro 111 GWh, wind 17 GWh, and solar photovoltaics 5 GWh. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that 2012 installed capacity was 6.24 GW. The EIA notes that, In an effort to diversify its energy portfolio, Cuba has set a goal of producing 24% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. To meet this goal, Unin Elctrica, the state-owned power company, is plan-ning 13 wind projects with a total capac-ity of 633 MW. In addition, Cuba plans to add 755 MW of biomass-fired capacity, 700 MW of solar capacity, and 56 MW of hydroelectric power.

Multiple sources note that the island na-tion has a high proportion of mostly die-sel-fueled distributed generation. The DG emphasis makes sense for a largely rural, sparsely populated, elongated island nation that covers a relatively large area. Cuba is the largest Caribbean islandslightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania.

The sudden loss of economic support resulting from the collapse of the Soviet Union was another driver of DG, accord-ing to a 2008 article by Mario Alberto Ar-rasta Avila, energy specialist at Cubas Centre of Information Management and Energy Development. Oil consumption fell 20% in two years, Avila notes, affecting

all sectors and making 16-hour blackouts common. Hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 made matters worse, particularly for the T&D system. Emergency generators, most capable of burning diesel or fuel oil, were the fastest way to restore service in many areas and to ensure less-widespread loss of power in the event of future hurri-canes. DG accounted for as much as 40% of total generation by 2009, according to one source.

Change and Common InterestsMore recently, renewable DG is being pur-sued. The email I received mentioned a new five-year program to develop solar and wind projects. Today, the writer said, almost all rural schools are equipped with solar panels to power everything from TVs and computers to lamps, water pumps, and air conditioners; this DG model is be-ing expanded to other sectors. Though the country still relies on fossil fuels for the vast majority of generation, it is bet-ting, he said, on a future that will rely on diversity and efficiency. And although he and his group are in the business of providing technical services to existing fossil plants, they are fully supportive of renewables.POWER covers the global power indus-

try, even though the majority of our audi-ence is in North America, because power is of global concern. That is more true today than ever before, as all nations look for ways to develop and use energy affordably but in more environmentally benign ways. Heres hoping we all can continue to learn from each other, even when the politicians and leaders of our many different coun-tries disagree. Gail Reitenbach, PhD is POWERs editor.

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