Responsible “Green” Travel to Cuba
Sustainable Eco-Tourism in Cuba
Cuban Adventures is a local tour operator with a “Responsible Tourism Policy” from its parent company Big Planet Adventures from Australia. They believe that sustainable, sensitive tourism plays an invaluable role in helping to develop communities, local and national economies, and preserve the natural environment. They claim to adhere to the guidelines set out by the World Committee on Tourism Ethics (UNWTO).
Sustainable Energy Production in Cuba
In 2014, the government of Cuba committed to obtain 24% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by the year 2030. As of 2016, 96% of Cuba’s electricity came from non-renewable resources. Notable milestones on the way to reach this goal include:
- 2006: An “energy revolution” is announced, to find efficient solutions for a local energy crisis
- 2007: A National Group created to support and promote renewable sources of energy
- 2016: The ‘Cuba Energy and Infrastructure Summit’ is held to discuss the island’s current energy infrastructure and to attract international investors
Cuba currently has four Wind Farms in operation, with an annual output of 11.7 MW. Plans exist for 13 more Wind Farms along the island’s central and north-eastern coast which will generate up to 633 MW. One of those Wind Farms, the Herradura 1, is expected to be operating in 2018, providing 51 MW of electricity.
Utilizing a diverse range of natural resources for energy production, Cuba is tapping the island’s streams and rivers, as well as it’s sugarcane industry. There are 100s of Micro-Hydro systems providing electricity to small villages all over the island. As of 2017, the major renewable energy resource on Cuba came from sugarcane (waste products) – Biomass Energy Plants are producing 100s of MW of electricity, with additional facilities being built that could generate 755 MW of electricity.
Cuba’s plan to reach 24% renewable energy includes 700 MW of solar energy capacity. In 2013 the first Solar Park was built 190 miles (300 kilometers) east of Havana, producing less than 3MW of power. That said, as of 2014, Granma Province in the south-east end of the island was utilizing more than 1,500 off-grid solar systems on homes, schools, community centers, and health clinics, providing 37% of the province’s power needs.
To support the development of Solar farms in Cuba, solar panel manufacturing facilities have been established in three geographically dispersed provinces on the island.
Cuba is building a solar power generating plant on the north-west coast of the island at the Port of Mariel which is expected to generate up to 93 GWh of electricity per year.
With other planned initiatives, the Cuban government aim to improve energy efficiency by replacing old lightbulbs and coil-based electric cookers with more modern LED lights and induction cookers respectively.
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