With Cuba being pushed to the brink of collapse by oil blockades, and even with the arrival of a much-awaited Russian oil tanker, the whole island keeps experiencing power outages, putting the most vulnerable, such as hospitals, at major risk.
According to a new report, many medical centers and hospitals in Cuba have been able to counter those outages with solar panels, with the support of the humanitarian organization Nuestra America Convoy, and authorization from the Cuban government.
According to El País, about 5,000 modules have been installed by the Cuban government in clinics and hospitals over the past six months in key facilities that did not have their own generators. Meanwhile, at least 10,000 more clinics and centers are paying in installments for their own panels with government support.
According to the outlet, some solar panels will be donated by Nuestra America Convoy and installed in isolated communities and vital centers such as polyclinics, nursing homes, bakeries and communication stations.
The effort falls into the Miguel Díaz-Canel administration, which began building solar parks in 2025 and, just last year, installed 52 photovoltaic solar parks, which provide half of the energy consumed during the day.
As noted by the report, Cuba plans to have 92 parks by 2028, which according to estimates would generate twice the energy currently produced.
"The path is long and complex, but we are clear about where we are going: toward full energy sovereignty," said Minister of Industry Eloy Álvarez Martínez on the Cuban television program Mesa Redonda in early March.
According to Microgrid Media, an independent outlet that focuses on renewable energy, over the last 12 months Cuba has managed to increase its solar-generated electricity from 5.8 percent to over 20 percent of total generation.
But as highlighted in the report, solar panels and the Cuban government's push to move away from oil have turned the energy transition into a lucrative business.
A woman who spoke to El País and was identified as Petra said the business has allowed her to live above the average income of someone earning a state salary.
"That sells itself, dear. I pay for my trips with half of the lamps and panels I sell," she said, referring to trips she has made this year to Mexico and Panama.
According to El País, private businesses in Cuba told the outlet they install at least three solar panels a day, with prices ranging from $2,000 to $78,000.
Despite the investment made by clinics and business owners to eliminate power outages that can last up to 20 hours, many shortages still prevent medical centers from operating as they should.
Oliver Perera, a nurse in charge of an emergency center, told the outlet that the lack of electricity is just one of many issues complicating daily operations. Of the 34 ambulances at the center where Perera works, only 16 are operational.
"If it's not because the glass is broken, it's because a part is missing that no one will export to us... When it's not one thing, it's another," he said.
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