Cuba Island Energy Storage Project

Building a Cleaner, More Resilient Energy System in Cuba recommends numerous ways by which domestic policy in Cuba can prioritize working towards a more sustainable, resilient grid — especially by investing in the energy transition — and ways in which international cooperation can support these goals.

While small-scale, such renewable energy initiatives can reduce pressure on the energy grid and provide relief in especially vulnerable places. Due to rising temperatures and increasingly unreliable energy infrastructure, action to update Cuba's energy grid is urgently necessary.

These solar microgrid and battery storage systems allowed the Culebra residents with the systems to maintain essential energy throughout hurricane Fiona in September, 2022, when others on the island lost power.

The report highlights the issue that not only is Cuba's energy infrastructure in a precarious state of aging and disrepair, but also that its entire energy system relies heavily on external aid and imported fossil fuels.

Cuba is dependent on fossil fuels for energy generation and relies on oil imports of crude and fuel oil from Venezuela and Russia, as well as floating power plants provided through an agreement with a Turkish business group.

The lack of adequate energy generation, coupled with deteriorating energy transmission infrastructure and barriers to foreign investment due to U.S. policy toward Cuba, result in risks for Cubans and problems for everyday activities on the island, especially in conditions of severe heat.