From solar to charcoal, Cubans look for alternatives amid outages and fuel shortages

HAVANA — Cuba’s energy crisis was taking a toll on Guillermo Sánchez’s business.

He invested in a gasoline-operated generator in 2024, after electric cables fell near Casablanca, the gym he opened 13 years ago, hindering his ability to get electricity. But by last year, gasoline was in short supply, so it wasn’t a reliable solution during the country’s constant blackouts.

That’s when Sánchez, his wife and his mother chipped in for a solar panel system. It cost almost $5,000, something well out of reach for most Cubans, who struggle to buy food and basic necessities.

“The blackouts would begin at 11 a.m. and last until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., so the solar panels have worked wonderfully for us,” Sánchez said. “Once we got solar panels, we were able to set the gym schedule without any disruptions.”

But only a small percentage of Cubans have this backup system of solar energy; those who can afford solar panels are business owners like Sánchez or Cubans who have family overseas who send them money.

Amid Cuba’s economic and energy crisis, the government recently announced plans to move completely to renewable energy by 2050. Though some experts have questioned the feasibility of achieving this goal, the country has taken substantial steps with China’s help in installing solar panels and solar farms and has built several solar-powered charging stations.

In recent days, the Trump administration’s indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro — announced in Miami and celebrated by members of the city’s Cuban American community — shifted attention to the ongoing political standoff between the two governments and to the threat of possible U.S. action against Cuba.

But in the communist country, the daily struggle of fuel shortages and frequent blackouts makes daily life, including the storing of perishable food and cooking, a constant challenge.

Amid desperate times, going for the charcoal

Sánchez’s use of solar energy during blackouts is a stark contrast to the alternative used by Havana resident Lisbet Reyes.

The audiovisual producer began using charcoal around December or January when extended blackouts began to hit the capital city.

“I will never get used to cooking with charcoal,” she said, showing NBC News in her apartment’s kitchen the long process of igniting and cooking with it. The charcoal is placed in a small grill in her apartment kitchen, which is not ventilated.

Reyes said that while rice usually takes about 15 minutes to cook in the rice cooker, it takes about an hour to cook on top of the charcoal grill. And that’s just one part of the meal.

“When I see it’s 6:30 p.m. and we still don’t have power, I have to turn to charcoal,” Reyes said. “And sometimes it’s 10 p.m. and we still haven’t eaten.”

She said the worst part is coping with the smoke inhalation, since her entire apartment fills with smoke when she cooks with charcoal. Reyes said it’s affected her respiratory system and she recently had to take antibiotics, which are also in short supply on the island.

Like Reyes, it’s become common for Cubans to cook with charcoal or with wood, despite the drawbacks. Aside from the environmental and health concerns, charcoal can be expensive for the average Cuban.

A small bag of charcoal costs about $1 and the average state salary is about $13 a month. The pension of a retired state worker is about $4 a month.

Amid residents’ frustrations over their energy situation, the Cuban government detailed its intent to move to renewable energy in the next 24 years.

“#Cuba is moving on with its energy transition program to achieve greater sovereignty in this sector, under the leadership of our Party and Government,” Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez wrote on X recently.

According to Rodríguez, renewables are projected to cover 15% of energy demand by the end of the year. Renewables currently provide 10% of demand, up from 3% in 2024. By 2035, according to Cuban officials, renewables will cover 40% of demand, and by 2050, they will fully cover energy needs.

In the last few years, the government has dramatically increased the installation of solar panels with Chinese financing and equipment donations; these have been placed in public spaces and hospitals. Right now, there are 54 solar parks, and by 2028 Cuba’s government expects to have 92 parks with China’s help, the government has said.

The Cuban government has not given a breakdown of how it will use energy sources, like solar, wind, biomass and hydropower, in its quest to achieve its goal.

Jorge Piñon, an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, thinks it will be very difficult for Cuba to fulfill its plans amid the country’s economic crisis and the high cost of transitioning to renewables, especially given the deteriorated state of its energy infrastructure.

“It is highly unlikely that, considering their current situation today, Cuba could achieve the goal of 100% renewables by the year 2050,” said Piñon, a senior research collaborator at UT Austin’s Energy Institute.

There is potential for harnessing renewable energy, but it requires big investments, according to Piñon. For example, the energy from sugarcane could be as important as solar.

“It is ethanol, it is biomass, it is alcohol, it is employment in the countryside,” Piñon said. “You can take ethanol and blend it with gasoline and therefore cut back your imports of gasoline.”

Though Cuba was among the world’s largest sugar producers, its industry has pretty much collapsed.

The Cuban Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the specifics of the energy plan or questions on whether a switch to renewables is feasible by 2050.

For now, most Cubans live amid the challenge of not having a constant supply of electricity.

By the time the Trump administration cut the flow of fuel to the island earlier this year, people, especially outside Havana, were already experiencing outages that lasted 20 hours or more a day. The cut in fuel access exacerbated an already dire situation.

Now, the blackouts are even longer, and adding to people’s anxiety is not knowing when they will have power next, since the outages are not consistent. They vary day by day and by neighborhood. For example, one section of a city may go 40 hours without power and the next outage may last 15 hours.

For now, the only Cubans who have reliable energy are mostly those with solar panels or rechargeable batteries.

Rafael Huergo is one of the lucky ones. He decided to invest in solar panels to save the massage and aesthetics business he runs from his home.

Some friends in Europe and his brother helped him financially so he could purchase six panels that cost about $100 each. With the panels, his home has full power.

He said he doesn’t have to worry about blackouts anymore and there’s an added benefit.

“I save money on the electricity bill,” Huergo said. “I connect in the morning, and I don’t use the public electricity all day.”