“Unlocking Cuba’s Wind Energy Potential: 21 Promising Regions for Wind Farm Development” 

Cuban researchers have identified 21 areas in the country with favorable conditions for the installation of wind farms. These areas are mainly located on the north-central-eastern coast, from the provinces of Camagüey to Holguín, in the south of the eastern region and in the westernmost southern portion of Pinar del Río province.Alfredo Rodríguez, coordinator of the Renewable Energy Sources Group of the Institute of Meteorology, pointed out that the technically installable potential for electricity generation from wind in Cuba is approximately 1,100 MW.Dr. Conrado Moreno, professor at the Center for the Study of Renewable Energy Technologies at the José Antonio Echeverría Technological University of Havana, noted that the unfavorable economic scenario that Cuba is facing demands viable options to take advantage of wind energy. In this sense, the expert highlighted the convenience of using medium-power wind turbines instead of planning the construction of large wind farms in the proximate future. “When I talk about this type of wind turbine, I am referring to those whose power varies between 100 and 1,000 kilowatts [kW],” he explained.Dr. Moreno said all wind turbines located in Cuba are classified in the medium-power range, and the largest located in the national territory are 850 kW, in the Gibara 1 Wind Farm, in Holguín province. But the equipment planned for installation for the future Herradura 1 and Herradura 2 parks, in Las Tunas province, will be of 1,500 kW and 2,500 kW, respectively. Between the two Herradura farms, there will be 54 machines, which constitutes, due to its dimensions, an unprecedented project in Cuba, but which faces various obstacles in the field of financing and material resources for its completion, he added.Dr. Moreno asserted that medium-power wind turbines, due to their technical characteristics, can be easily integrated into a variety of generation projects with renewable energy, self-consumption, and distributed generation, with adequate wind conditions. The aforementioned wind turbines are easy to install, operate, transport, and maintain; cause less environmental and visual impact than large machines; and, above all, occupy little space.Currently, there are four experimental wind farms installed with a total power of 11.8 MW. Of these, those installed in the north of Holguín (9.6 MW) province have reached an annual capacity factor greater than 27%.At present, two wind farms (Herradura 1 and Herradura 2) have begun construction in the province of Las Tunas, for a total power of 101 MW (Figure 1), while a third wind farm (Rio Seco) is under preparation in the province of Holguín, with 50 MW, all through the modality of Government Credit.1. Projected and under execution wind farms in Cuba. Source: Minister of Energy and Mines—Amaury Pérez Sánchez ([email protected]) is a chemical engineer based in Cuba with the University of Camagüey.