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CUBA:
Lights Shine at Night in Remote Los
Tumbos
Patricia Grogg
PINAR DEL RIO, Cuba, (Tierramérica) -
The families of the Cuban community of
Los Tumbos have replaced their candles
with clean-energy, bright lights -- and
now children are learning more, baseball
games are followed on television and
residents tap their feet to music
playing on the radio.
Everyone in Los Tumbos agrees that life
is incomparably better than three years
ago, when the lack of electricity meant
that residents settled in for the night
at an early hour.
Life in this small town has since been
transformed by the arrival of solar
energy.
”Just imagine, before there was no
choice but to go to bed at nine o'clock
at night,” says Marisol Chile, 31, in a
conversation with Tierramérica about the
changes in her village of 100 people
since solar panels were installed and
began to provide electricity.
To reach this small coffee-growing
community in the mountains of Pinar del
Río province, located 140 km west of
Havana, one must climb many hills.
The sun that bathes the green
surroundings indicates that this source
of renewable energy is the ideal
solution for the town, which is a long
way from the country's electrical grid.
The primary school was the first to
benefit from the solar panels, which
convert the sun's energy into
electricity. Now the classroom is
illuminated by light bulbs and a
television, a video-tape player and a
computer are plugged in, expanding the
students' educational horizons, say the
teachers.
Next in line was a medical office, where
the solar installation feeds a TV,
refrigerator, radio communications and
12 lights -- including in the homes of
the town's doctor and nurse.
The residents hope a computer will soon
round out the professional equipment at
the clinic, which now has instruments
that in the past would have been useless
due to lack of electricity.
In each of the 23 homes in the village,
a 12-volt solar panel has been
installed, connected to a
high-efficiency light bulb and a battery
sufficient for five hours. A small radio
rounds out the set of equipment that the
government provided each family, free of
charge.
The panel consists of interconnected
solar cells that absorb heat and the
sun's rays and convert them into
electricity. The interconnectivity
ensures constant voltage.
The initiative is being carried out by
the division of Ecosol Solar, of the
state-run company Copextel, which is in
charge of maintenance and replacement
parts.
”Before, everything was lamplight and
candlelight. Just look how pretty this
electric light shines,” laughs Alfreda
Bocourt, a 54-year-old mother of six, in
charge of cleaning at the town medical
office.
To watch television, Bocourt and her
neighbours cross the street to the
community hall, where there is also a
video player. The centre has seating for
30 people.
These changes have led to greater
communication among the people of Los
Tumbos, who are better informed, have
more issues to talk about, and greater
interest in the future of the community,
agree the residents themselves.
”People feel more motivated to work,
more united. Before, they wouldn't come
to the centre very often. Now they come
almost every day. There has been a
change for the better,” says teacher
Niuri Pérez.
She says she has seen dramatic progress
in the academic performance of the
students, particularly in their oral and
written work. ”The audio-visual media
help a lot,” she adds.
The mountainous zones of this Caribbean
island cover some 19,000 square km and
are populated by approximately 800,000
people. Accessibility is difficult for
nearly all communities in these areas.
For the remote populations in Cuba,
alternative approaches are needed and
are being implemented, such as solar
energy or small hydroelectric plants.
The country's electricity grid covers 95
percent of the Cuban population of 11.2
million people. For the remaining five
percent, different types of renewable or
environmentally friendly energy sources
are the optimal solution.
In the last three years, more than 2,300
primary schools in rural and mountainous
areas have been set up with solar power.
Also receiving electricity have been 400
rural sanitation stations and nearly
2,000 community centres, which have been
provided with televisions.
The solar panels produced in Cuba --
with components imported from Spain or
Germany --are the best option for
far-flung towns or remote homes, say
experts.
Some 100,000 Cuban households without
electricity stand to see their
lifestyles transformed by solar energy.
The non-governmental organisation
Cubasolar, which participates in the
installation of solar panel and energy
systems, has plans to provide the
options of nighttime illumination, and
television and computers to the extent
that finances permit.
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