Distri Generation Cuba

7/31/2019 Distri Generation Cuba

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Distributed generation in Cuba feature

More than 40% of the electricity generation capacity in Cuba is small-scale distributed

plant. This is among the highest proportions in the world, although around half are diesel

generators. The country is making progress towards its goal of a new energy paradigm

writes Mario Alberto Arrasta Avila.

Distributed

generation in Cubapart of a transition towards a new energy paradigm

Cuba depends on fossil fuels to generate electricity andthe country consumes 7.6 million tons of oil a year.Before 1959, the Cuban Electric Power Industry wascontrolled by foreign capital. The process of nationali-

zation carried out by the Cuban Government in the early 1960sresulted in an oil blockade, thus forcing the country to importoil from the former Soviet Union.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, the impacton the Cuban economy was devastating, with Cubas oilconsumption falling by 20% in only two years. The effect of thiswas felt immediately across all sectors; transport, industry andagriculture virtually collapsed. Blackouts lasting up to 16 hoursbecame a common issue.

Renewable energy technologies began to be deployedin Cuba at the end of the 19th century. There were applica-tions of hydroelectricity, solar water heating, solar dryingof coffee, cocoa, and herbal medicines, as well as waterpumping with wind energy. The installation, in 1930, of theOcean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant in the Bayof Matanzas (22 kW), was an historical event. In the secondhalf of the 20th century, the country began the qualificationof specialized human capital, and scientific research intosolar cells, solar dryers, solar water heaters and wind energywas conducted. Today the country is implementing renewableenergy technology application projects at national scale.

The Cuban Electricity Saving Programme and the EnergySaving Programme of the Ministry of Education (PAEME)were launched in 1997. Both programmes have had goodresults in demand side management, energy efficiency and

Industry

26.7%

Construction

0.5%

Agriculture

1.7%

Transport

0.6%

Commerce

2.3%

Households

35%

Losses

16.8%

Other sectors

16.6%

Diesel generator cluster in Pinar del Rio. Credit: Pablo Massip Ginest

Figure 1. Electricity consumption per sector in Cuba

Cogeneration and On-Site Power Productionnovemberdecember 2008 |61


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vulnerable. Also, due to the dispersion of the power plants,there were a high percentage of technical losses in the trans-mission of electricity.

Cuba has a generating capacity of 2497 MW based ondistributed generation 1280 MW corresponds to dieselgenerators and the rest are fuel oil motors (540 MW), CHP(529 MW) and renewable technologies (69 MW). The country alsohas a reserve of more than 6000 small diesel generators installedin key centres of the economy and services to the population suchas bakeries, shopping centres, hospitals, clinics, food productionsites, and schools, among others. The combined power of allthese generators reaches the figure of 690 MW and the purposeis to interconnect them to the National Electrical Grid.

The DG model of electricity generation has shown itsbenefits in terms of resistance to natural disasters. This hasbeen illustrated after the impact of two hurricanes on theCuban territory within two weeks of August/September, whenmore than 130 transmission line towers were destroyed in thewestern province of Pinar del Ro. Distribution lines in theeastern part of the country and the centralized power stationlocated in Nuevitas, north of Camaguey province, also sufferedtremendous damage as well. Although the magnitude of thedisaster created by the hurricanes was compared to a nuclearbomb, decentralized energy systems remained operationaland guaranteed critical services and water supply. After thehurricanes, diesel gensets were situated in specific placescreating micro-electrical systems, or islands, in order toguarantee the services to the population.

DISTRIBUTED RENEWABLES

Solar energy is available in Cuba throughout the year with anaverage value of 5 kWh/m per day. Each day, every square metre

of Cuban territory receives an amount of solar energy that isequivalent to the energy content of half a kilogram of petroleum,considering the heating capacity of oil equal to 9600 kJ/kg.

Hydroelectricity and wind-powered water pumping were

the two most utilized renewable energy technologies in Cubain the first half of the 20th century. The two oldest hydropower plants built in Cuba date back to 1912 (Pilotos, Pinardel Ro province, 155 kW) and 1917 (Guaso, Guantnamoprovince, 1.75 MW). Both power plants are still operating. Thehydropower potential in Cuba is relatively low, and whether or

0 20 40 60

Denmark

CUBA

Holland

Finland

Russia

Germany

Canada

Chile

China

Portugal

USA

UK

Mexico

Brazil

Japan

France

India

53

40.5

38

36

30

13

11

10

10

10

8

6.7

6.2

3.1

3

3

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Figure 3. Percentage of distributed generation in selected

countries (2004) and Cuba (2007)Photovoltaic system in a rural primary school donated by PNUD.

San Narciso, Cienfuegos province


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64 |novemberdecember 2008 Cogeneration and On-Site Power Production

featureDistributed generation in Cuba

The assessment of wind resources for electricity generationpurposes has been accelerated since the beginning of theEnergy Revolution. Today, the country has three key decision-making tools for the installation of wind farms: the map ofecological evidences of the wind, the map of risk of hurricanes,flooding and electric storms, and the national wind map.

There is a comprehensive program for the applicationof biogas, forest biomass, hydroenergy, solar photovoltaic,solar thermal and wind in the Isla de la Juventud SpecialMunicipality. It is expected that the territory will satisfy40% of its electricity demand from renewable energy sourcesby 2013.

With the Energy Revolution, two municipalities of theeastern region of the country have sped up their activities inorder to achieve energy self-sufficiency from renewable energytechnologies. Guam will achieve it from the interconnection ofa network of hydroelectric power plants, and Bartolom Maswill achieve it by combining hydroenergy, photovoltaic andcogeneration in the local sugar cane industry.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND EDUCATION

Understanding that looking for more ways of generating elec-tricity efficiently is just as important as decreasing electricitydemand, Cuba began a programme to switch to efficient appli-ances in households. The most popular of the actions carriedout as part of the Cuban Energy Revolution is the change ofincandescent bulbs for energy saving lamps. This was followedby the substitution of inefficient appliances and the introduc-tion of new ones such as electric pressure cookers and electricrice cookers. Social workers, University Brigades of Social

Work and community-based organizations all distributedenergy-saving bulbs and traditional fluorescent lamps free ofcharge. In less than a year, the country phased out inefficientlighting the first country in the world to do so.

not it will be exploited will be determined by technical andeconomic studies and corresponding evaluations of environ-mental impact.

The first Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion power plantin the world was developed and installed in Matanzas Bay in1930 by two French scientists. Solar water heaters were alsointroduced in Cuba as early as the 1930s. It is acknowledgedthat the first commercial advertisement about a commerciallyavailable renewable energy technology in Spanish language

was published in a Cuban newspaper.The Energy Revolution in Cuba has also meant anaccelerated take off in the application of renewable energytechnologies. The set up the National Group for RenewableEnergy Sources, Energy Efficiency and Cogeneration, thecreation of a Vice Ministry for Renewable Energies attachedto the Ministry of Basic Industry; the deployment of nationalprograms for the development of electricity generation basedon wind energy, solar water heating for domestic, social andindustrial purposes; the development of capacities in hydroand solid waste energy; and research on geothermal, oceanenergy and other technologies, all demonstrate the advancesof the country in favour of the ever increasing inclusion ofrenewable energy technologies within the distributed gener-ation model.

So far the country has installed 7098 photovoltaic systems(2.57 MW), with the support of foreign NGOs and fromgovernmental programs. The latter made possible the instal-lation of these systems on 2,364 rural schools making lights,computers, television and videos accessible to all primaryschool children.

Regarding bioenergy, there is experience in the country inthe use of bagasse (sugar cane residues) to produce thermalenergy for the sugar production process and to generateelectricity to meet the demand of sugar cane mills andsend the surplus energy to the national grid. The sugarindustry continues to be a strategic component of the devel-opment of domestic energy sources. After the economic crisisof the 1990s, the share of biomass in the countrys energy mixhas declined.

According to Cuba: A country profile on SustainableDevelopment, a publication sponsored by the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency, CUBAENERGA and the United Nationsdepartment of economic and social affairs, cogeneration in thesugar industry accounted for 18% of all electricity generatedin the country in 1970 by 2003 this figure had decreased to5%. Efforts are now made to increase energy efficiency in the

sugarcane industry and cogeneration is expected to increasewith the installation of higher efficiency boilers and new turbogenerators in operating sugar mills. The country accounts witha total CHP potential capacity of 1355 MW.

Table. CHP potential in Cuba

Sector of the economy CHP potential (MW)

Sugar cane industry 1,250

Tourism 50

Health care centres 30

Metallurgy 25TOTAL 1,355

Solar photovoltaic system (11.5 kWp) in Santa Mara del Loreto,

Santiago de Cuba


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conservation. But in spite of the many educational andinformative efforts, there is still a lot to be done, mainly in theindustrial and commercial sectors.

A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PARADIGM

Between 2005 and 2007 Cuba reduced its carbon dioxideemissions by approximately 5 million tons, which represents18% of the total emissions of the country in 2002, accordingto the last report rendered by Cuba to the IPCC. The EnergyRevolution has also played a key role in the countrys accom-plishment of the Protocol of Montreal, as more than threemillion domestic refrigerators and air conditioners have beenchanged for efficient ones that do not use CFCs leadingto the phasing out of CFCs in the domestic sector in a shortperiod of time.

The shift towards a more sustainable energy paradigm thatis taking place in Cuba is not only characterized by energysaving measures and the implementation of efficient andrenewable energy technologies, but also by paying specialattention to international co-operation and encouraging theparticipation of youth in the different tasks to be carried out.That is why Cuba is working together with Venezuela and otherLatin American nations in the implementation of strategies forthe reduction of their energy demands and the use of renewableenergy technologies. Cuban social workers have changed about100 million incandescent bulbs in a dozen countries of theregion. The sustainability of the Cuban Energy Revolution isguaranteed by its own educational actions.

Mario Alberto Arrasta Avila is an energy specialist at

the Centre of Information Management and Energy

Development, Havana, Cuba.

e-mail: [email protected]

This article is available on-line. Please visit www.cospp.com

Almost three and a half million rice cookers and over threemillion pressure cookers were sold to families in the push tohave people switch from kerosene to cooking with electricity.And one of the best ways to encourage conservation was thenew residential electrical tariff structure. Before 2006, Cubashighly subsidized electricity was sold very cheaply, which didnot encourage saving. The new tariff structure allows peopleconsuming less than 100 kWh per month to continue payingthe previous low rate. But for every increase of 50 kWh permonth the electricity tariff skyrockets. Consumers using over300 kWh per month must pay 1.30 Cuban pesos/kWh.

Energy education began in the 1970s in Cuba whenchildren from primary and secondary schools were organizedat neighborhood level in what were called Click Patrols, inorder to promote energy saving at home. Since the introductionof PAEME, the education of all students in energy issues hasbeen a priority for the government, but the Energy Revolutionhas boosted energy education activities nationwide.

The initiative Technology for the Total Efficient EnergyManagement promotes the education of the labour forceand managers in energy issues. When social workers areappointed to work in large energy-consuming centres, theycarry out energy awareness activities that contribute tobetter understanding, the necessity, and the way to decreaseenergy consumption.

In the long term, energy education is the most cost-effective method for saving energy and promoting both energyefficiency and renewable energy technologies. Therefore, theCuban educational strategy goes far beyond increasing thedomestic electric tariffs. A national educational programmeon energy is taught in all the schools of the country, andthe mass media promote energy saving and demonstratethe importance of taking advantage of renewable sources of

energy and applying energy efficiency measures. There is aweekly programme on energy issues on the national televisionaddress to increase the energy culture to the population andscattered across the country are billboards promoting energy

Second largest photovoltaic system in Cuba (13.5 kWp)Solar water heater system, based on evacuated tubes,

at San Pedrits slaughterhouse

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