SANTA CLARA, Cuba (AP) 鈥� Yudelaimys Barrero Mu帽oz used to spend up to three hours on the side of a highway under the blazing sun waving money at drivers as she attempted to hitch a ride from Cienfuegos, to Santa Clara, where she buys supplies to resell and support her husband and two children.
The 43-mile (70-kilometer) trip was impossible to make on her husband鈥檚 bicycle 鈥� at one time the family鈥檚 only mode of transportation 鈥� and later, with a rechargeable, three-wheeled vehicle whose battery didn’t have the capacity for the round trip.
Then, in early April, a local business owner opened what is believed to be Cuba鈥檚 first solar-powered charging station 鈥� and it was free. Cubans soon flocked to the solar station 鈥� or 鈥渟olinera鈥� as it’s known in 鈥� recharging everything from electric vehicles to UV nail lamps.
The Cuban government has stepped up the installation of solar panels in hospitals and other public places and established solar farms in the face of and in recent months, a stemming from a .
Renewable energy now accounts for some 10% of the island’s electricity, up from 3.6% in 2024, but distribution remains limited, and few Cubans can afford such a system. Globally, just over 30% of electricity generation comes from like solar, wind and hydropower, according to energy think tank Ember.
Because there is little gas for cars these days, Cubans are traveling miles to the Santa Clara solar station on rechargeable motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles. Others walk to the station. They haul cellphones with nearly depleted batteries, rice cookers, pressure cookers 鈥� an endless array of gadgets, appliances and vehicles that need power.
鈥淭hey have solved many problems for many people,鈥� Barrero Mu帽oz said.
She and her husband, along with their children, ages 3 and 4, drive regularly to Santa Clara now that they can charge their three-wheeled vehicle at the solar station.
鈥淚f it hadn鈥檛 been for this, I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to keep selling,鈥� she said.
Barrero Mu帽oz now buys rice, sugar, hot dogs, mortadella, soap, shampoo, deodorant and other items regardless of their weight, because it all goes into the vehicle instead of the two bags and a backpack she used to haul when she was forced to hitch a ride.
鈥淚 have more clients because I have more merchandise,鈥� she said with a smile.
A historic city where life is less frantic
Cars are largely absent on the highway from to Santa Clara; horse-drawn carts are a more common sight in rural areas, where, inevitably, crises in Cuba hit harder.
With nearly a quarter of a million people, Santa Clara is one of Cuba鈥檚 most populous cities, best known as the city of 鈥淢arta and El Che.鈥�
El Che 鈥� 鈥� led a key battle during Cuba’s 1959 Revolution in Santa Clara, where his remains are housed in a mausoleum.
It is also the town of Marta de los 脕ngeles Gonz谩lez Abreu y Arencibia, a well-known philanthropist who supported Santa Clara and Cuba鈥檚 push for independence.
Santa Clara is home to people like Danailys Arbol谩ez P茅rez, a 32-year-old mother of two who sells sandwiches, coffee, beer and cigarettes out of her home. It is a short walk away from the solar station.
鈥淎lmost everyone in this neighborhood goes there,鈥� she said.
Arbol谩ez P茅rez has cooked rice and beans and even fried fish at the solar station, even when she has electricity because she would like 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 Cuba鈥檚 temperatures start rising, noting that last year were 鈥渁pocalyptic.鈥�
She鈥檚 grateful that she no longer has to jump out of bed when the power suddenly comes on, forcing her to cook or wash at untimely hours including 2 a.m.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not running around so much,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 cook slowly, calmly. 鈥� If the power goes out, I鈥檒l just take the pot there.鈥�
A free charge changing people’s lives
Alexander Guti茅rrez Altuve works at the business next door that helped finance and set up the solar station in Santa Clara.
It鈥檚 unknown how much the project cost, but he said the owner of the business, who was not available for an interview, worked with the government to install solar panels that provide 30 kilowatts of energy and a battery of 60 kilowatts. That’s enough energy to power the average U.S. home for a single day.
The station has 20 sockets to charge equipment, 16 spots to charge vehicles and 12 for cooking.
鈥淭his is something that hadn鈥檛 really been done before,鈥� Guti茅rrez Altuve said.
Some people are too shy to try it out.
鈥淭hey are truly surprised when you tell them that it鈥檚 free,鈥� said Lisandra Couto P茅rez, a co-worker of Guti茅rrez Altuve who helps track usage.
On a recent afternoon, Lorenzo Ravelo, Barrero Mu帽oz鈥檚 husband, drove his three-wheeled vehicle into the station and plugged it in as his wife and two young children hopped out the back.
Before buying the small three-wheeler, Ravelo would borrow money from neighbors to rent a car if their children needed medical care, “and later make payments however you can and whenever you can.鈥�
With only a bicycle at the time, he couldn’t take his family on fun road trips to help them escape Cuba鈥檚 daily grind. Now, they can even go in their own vehicle to the beach, he explained, tearing up.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great solution,鈥� he said.
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