May 23, 2026, 12:00 p.m. EDT
HAVANA — The energy crisis in Cuba was putting a strain on Guillermo Sánchez’s business.
He invested in a gasoline generator in 2024, after electrical cables fell near Casablanca, the gymnasium he opened 13 years ago, preventing him from having electricity. But last year, gasoline was in short supply, making it an unreliable solution during the country’s constant power outages.
That’s when Sánchez, his wife and his mother purchased a solar panel system. It cost nearly $5,000, well out of reach for most Cubans, who struggle to buy food and basic necessities.
“The outages would start at 11 a.m. and last until 7 or 8 p.m., so the solar panels worked wonderfully for us,” Sánchez said. “Once we got solar panels, we were able to set gym hours without any interruptions. »
But only a small percentage of Cubans have this solar-powered backup system; those who can afford solar panels are business owners like Sánchez or Cubans who have family abroad and send them money.
Amid Cuba’s economic and energy crisis, the government recently announced plans to shift entirely to renewable energy by 2050. Although some experts have questioned the feasibility of achieving this goal, the country has taken substantial steps with the help of China to install solar panels and solar farms. and built several solar-powered charging stations.
Solar panels cover the roof of Félix José Morfi’s house, where mechanics push his broken down Lada car in Regla, Cuba, January 29.Ramon Espinosa / AP fileIn 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 — drew attention to the ongoing political standoff between the two governments and the threat of possible U.S. action against Cuba.
But in the communist country, the daily struggle with fuel shortages and frequent power outages make daily life, including storing perishables and cooking, a constant challenge.
In the midst of desperate times I go for the charcoalSánchez’s use of solar power during power outages stands in stark contrast to the alternative used by Havana resident Lisbet Reyes.
The audiovisual producer started using charcoal around December or January, when prolonged power outages began to hit the capital.
“I’ll never get used to cooking with charcoal,” she said, showing NBC News in her apartment kitchen the time-consuming process of lighting and cooking with it. The charcoal is placed in a small grill in the kitchen of his apartment, which is not ventilated.
Reyes said that while rice typically takes about 15 minutes to cook in the rice cooker, it takes about an hour to cook on the charcoal grill. And that’s just part of the meal.
Lisbet Reyes cooks with charcoal in her Havana kitchen.NBC News“When I see it’s 6:30 p.m. and we still don’t have electricity, 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 dealing with smoke inhalation because her entire apartment fills with smoke when she cooks with charcoal. Reyes said it was affecting her respiratory system and she recently had to take antibiotics, which are also in short supply on the island.
Like Reyes, it has become common for Cubans to cook with charcoal or wood, despite the drawbacks. Besides environmental and health concerns, charcoal can be expensive for the average Cuban.
A small bag of charcoal costs about $1, and the state’s average wage is about $13 per month. The pension of a retired civil servant is approximately $4 per month.
Amid residents’ frustrations with their energy situation, the Cuban government has detailed its plans to transition to renewable energy over the next 24 years.
“#Cuba continues its energy transition program to achieve greater sovereignty in this sector, under the leadership of our Party and our government,” said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. written the recently.
A woman cooks with charcoal at her home in Yaguaramas, Cienfuegos province, Cuba, in 2025. Yamil Lage / AFP via Getty Images fileAccording to Rodríguez, renewable energies should cover 15% of energy demand by the end of the year. Renewable energy currently covers 10% of demand, up from 3% in 2024. By 2035, according to Cuban officials, renewable energy will cover 40% of demand and by 2050 it will fully cover energy needs.
In recent years, the government has significantly increased the installation of solar panels thanks to financing and donations of Chinese equipment; these were placed in public spaces and hospitals. There are currently 54 solar parks and by 2028 the Cuban government hopes to have 92 with help from China, the government said.
The Cuban government has not given details on how it will use energy sources, such as solar, wind, biomass and hydropower, in its quest to achieve its goal.
Jorge Piñon, an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, believes it will be very difficult for Cuba to realize its projects amid an economic crisis and the high cost of transitioning to renewable energy, especially given the deterioration of its energy infrastructure.
“It is highly unlikely that, given the current situation, Cuba will be able to achieve the goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050,” said Piñon, a senior research associate at the UT Austin Energy Institute.
There is potential to harness renewable energy, but this requires large investments, according to Piñon. For example, the energy produced by sugarcane could be as important as solar energy.
“It’s ethanol, it’s biomass, it’s alcohol, it’s employment in the countryside,” Piñon said. “You can take ethanol and mix it with gasoline, and therefore reduce your gasoline imports.”
Although Cuba is one of the largest sugar producers in the world, its industry practically collapsed.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment on the details of the energy plan or to questions about the feasibility of a shift to renewable energy by 2050.
For now, most Cubans live with the challenge of not having a constant supply of electricity.
As the Trump administration cut off fuel flow Arriving on the island earlier this year, people, especially outside Havana, were already facing outages that lasted 20 hours or more a day. Reduced access to fuel exacerbated an already dire situation.
Today, the power outages are even longer, and not knowing when they will have power next time adds to people’s anxiety, because the outages are not constant. They vary from day to day and depending on the neighborhood. For example, part of a city may go without power for 40 hours and the next outage may last 15 hours.
A solar panel on a residential building in Matanzas, Cuba, April 13.AFP via Getty ImagesFor now, the only Cubans with 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 beauty business he runs from his home.
Friends in Europe and his brother helped him financially so he could buy six panels costing about $100 each. With the panels, his house has all the power.
He said he no longer had to worry about power outages and there was an added benefit.
“I save money on the electric bill,” Huergo said. “I connect in the morning and I don’t use public electricity all day. »