Cuba’s first solar power plant has started operations enabling the country to reduce its reliance on imported oil supplies and double its existing solar energy capacity. The power plant was built by state-owned company Hidroenergia official Ovel Concepcion incorporating 14,100 solar panels. It is located in the city of Cantarrana, a city in Cienfuegos province located about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Havana, according to the official Cubadebate Web site.
Cuba benefits from lots of solar irradiation with around 5kW per hour of energy per day per square meter of ground. The plant actually began operating in April, but the country’s state-owned media have only just announced its existence. So far the plant has enabled the country to save around 380 tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere and generating enough power to supply 780 homes.
Six other solar power plants are scheduled to follow in the coming months.
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