Cuba Set A Solar Power Record, And China Is Partially To Thank

Cuba might not be the first country people think of when it comes to renewable energy and solar power. Instead, news about solar energy often focuses on countries like China, thanks to the sheer scale of its solar-focused megaprojects. In fact, the domination of large countries in matters relating to solar power often obscures achievements made by smaller countries. Take Cuba as an example. This country is making major strides when it comes to developing renewable energy — and China is playing a big role in the process.

Cuba received global attention in February 2026 when the country announced that it generated more than 800MW of solar power one afternoon. The very next day, Cuba broke its own record with 900MW. This prompted a celebratory tweet from the country's Ministry of Energy and Mines. These numbers came shortly after Cuba invested in its solar capacity in 2025, marking a major shift in the country's energy policy. In fact, in 2025 alone, the share of solar power in the country's total energy generation jumped from a meager 5.8% in January 2025 to a respectable 20% by the same time the following year.

For a long time, Cuba has been heavily dependent on expensive imported fossil fuels to fulfill its energy needs in part due to prolonged U.S.-imposed sanctions. In recent years, however, China has stepped in to help create dozens of new solar parks across the country. Cuba aims to ultimately construct 92 parks with the help of China by 2028.

There is no denying that Cuba is making rapid progress in terms of solar power generation. However, the fact that this source is available only during daylight hours makes things a little tricky. In Cuba, the demand for power peaks between about 7 and 8 p.m., which is past sunset. Unless the country has a robust battery storage capacity, all this solar-generated power during the day will have nowhere to go. To help with this problem, China is also exporting batteries to Cuba.

Besides helping Cuba increase its solar power generation, China is also playing a key role in installing standalone solar power kits, somewhat similar to the ones recommended by SlashGear. Unlike the ones in our list, the kits supplied by China are designed for homes and institutions that are not yet connected to the national electrical grid. More than 10,000 such individual kits — which are good enough to power a small home and run basic things like refrigerators, fans, and TVs — have already been installed across the country. While it may not sound like much, access to these systems could be life-altering to thousands of people across Cuba.

China's contribution to Cuba isn't just restricted to solar energy programs. The country is interested in harnessing Cuba's wind energy potential and is also investing in that space. So far, wind farms set up in various parts of Cuba by Chinese firms have already prevented several tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the air.