SANTA CLARA, Cuba — A free solar-powered charging station that opened in early April in this central Cuban city has quickly become a vital resource for residents grappling with chronic blackouts and a severe gasoline shortage, according to an Associated Press report from the site. The station — known locally as a “solinera” — offers a place to recharge electric vehicles, power kitchen appliances, and top up cellphones, drawing people from miles around on rechargeable motorcycles and three-wheelers, or on foot.
The station was funded by a local business whose owner was not available for an interview, according to Alexander Gutiérrez Altuve, an employee at the neighboring business that helped set up the project. He said the owner worked with the government to install solar panels providing 30 kilowatts of energy and a battery with 60 kilowatts of storage — enough to power the average U.S. home for a single day. The facility has 20 sockets for equipment, 16 vehicle-charging spots, and 12 cooking areas.
“This is something that hadn’t really been done before,” Gutiérrez Altuve told the AP.
Lisandra Couto Pérez, a co-worker who helps track usage, said many people are initially hesitant. “They are truly surprised when you tell them that it’s free,” she said.
For Yudelaimys Barrero Muñoz, the station has transformed her livelihood. The mother of two young children used to spend up to three hours on the side of a highway, waving money at drivers to hitch a ride from Cienfuegos to Santa Clara, a 43-mile trip she made to buy supplies for reselling. At the time, the family’s only transportation was a bicycle, and later an electric three-wheeled vehicle whose battery couldn’t handle the round trip.
Now, she and her husband, Lorenzo Ravelo, drive the three-wheeler to the station to charge it, with their children, ages 3 and 4, in tow. Barrero Muñoz said she can buy rice, sugar, hot dogs, soap and other items regardless of weight — it all fits in the vehicle instead of the two bags and a backpack she used to carry.
“They have solved many problems for many people,” she said. “If it hadn’t been for this, I wouldn’t have been able to keep selling.”
She now has more clients because she can bring more merchandise, she said with a smile.
Ravelo grew emotional describing how the charging station had changed family life. Before buying the three-wheeler, he would borrow money from neighbors to rent a car if the children needed medical care, “and later make payments however you can and whenever you can.” With only a bicycle, he couldn’t take his family on outings. Now, he said, tearing up, they can even drive to the beach.
“It’s a great solution,” he said.
Danailys Arboláez Pérez, a 32-year-old mother of two who sells sandwiches, coffee, beer and cigarettes from her home a short walk from the station, said nearly everyone in her neighborhood uses it. She cooks rice, beans and even fries fish there, even when she has electricity at home, 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 temperatures rise, recalling that last year’s power outages were “apocalyptic.”
“We’re not running around so much,” she said. “I cook slowly, calmly. … If the power goes out, I’ll just take the pot there.”
Cuba has stepped up solar panel installations in hospitals and other public facilities and established solar farms in response to the energy crisis. Renewable sources now account for about 10% of the island’s electricity, up from 3.6% in 2024, but distribution remains limited and most Cubans cannot afford private systems. Globally, renewables generate just over 30% of electricity, according to energy think tank Ember.
On a recent afternoon, Ravelo pulled his three-wheeler into the station and plugged it in as his wife and children hopped out — a family routine now possible because of the solinera’s free charge.