Hive Energy (West Wellow, Romsey, UK) has
become the first British company to secure a major
solar photovoltaic
(PV) project contract in Cuba.
The contract to deliver the 50 MW PV project
on the Caribbean island was awarded to Hive Energy at the end of May
2016 by the Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE).
The solar development will be the first
utility-scale solar PV project to be built in Cuba and is expected to
generate up to 93 GWh of solar power annually. The project is expected
to be completed by 2018.
The PV plant will be constructed by Hive Energy in
the Mariel Free zone, a huge new port which has been designed to act as a
regional hub for the island.
The 50 MW project will be similar in scale to the
UK’s largest 48 MW solar PV farm, Southwick, on the Hampshire coast
which was also developed by Hive Energy and visited by a delegation from
Cuba’s UNE in April 2016.
Following the end of half a century of isolation the
contract marks Cuba’s serious efforts to clean up its fuel supply and
move away from a dependence on foreign oil to a portfolio of wind, sun
and sugar cane.
Combustible fuels are also the island’s primary
source of contamination and following five decades of a U.S. embargo
Cuba’s power grid and plants are costly and inefficient. All of these
factors have forced the island to look for renewable solutions to
support the nation’s economy.
The country has plans to spend USD 3.5 billion in
the coming years to increase its supply of renewable energy. In 2015
only 4% of Cuba’s electricity came from renewable sources but by 2020
the island plans to deliver over 20% utilisation of renewable energy and
drive down the cost of electricity.
“Hive Energy strives to deliver solar power to the frontiers of new markets,” comments Giles Redpath, CEO Hive Energy.
“We are excited and delighted to be working with
Cuba’s UNE to support their plans for a future powered by renewable
energy. Delivering the first utility scale solar project in the
Caribbean is just one step towards the island achieving this goal.”
source: http://www.solarserver.com/
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