Cuba | SITMIC bets on renewable energy solutions to sustain island’s energy needs

4 months ago

TeleSUR correspondent Belen de los Santos reports on non-agricultural cooperative SITMIC, which aims to provide renewable-energy-based solutions for the country’s energy production struggles, a bet on sustainable development backed by public institutions. teleSUR

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00:00Today we will present the fifth and last episode of our series, The Cuban Way, through which we

00:22have showcased the Caribbean islands efforts to face its most pressing needs with innovation

00:27and inventiveness. Hello studios, we're here in Havana once again. Today we're talking about

00:34one very important topic, that is energy. The world is looking at renewable energies as a key

00:41point in transition in this moment of climate crisis and Cuba, with its Caribbean sun, is not

00:48an exception. Today, in The Cuban Way, we're talking about SITMIC. Cuban rooftops show that something is

00:56changing. Faced with the challenge of the country's energy situation, a group of 23 workers decided

01:02to use their technical knowledge to find a solution in the use of renewable energies.

01:08This is the work of SITMIC, the non-agricultural cooperative that seeks to provide a concrete

01:13answer by utilizing one of the island's most valuable resources, the sun. The cooperative

01:20submitted the initial paperwork. There was already a group of members who were committed

01:24to renewable energy, who were certain that it was the future of the country, and that

01:27the country had to get involved in the use of all these forms of energy.

01:31In the case of solar radiation, it is widespread throughout the world. Countries such as Spain,

01:38Germany, China and the United States have highly developed it. However, they do not have

01:42the radiation regime that our country has, which is very favorable. It would be difficult for

01:47anyone to put a blockade on the sun. And simply, with high-quality technology that we can import,

01:52with high standards, we could work precisely on that sustainability in replacing the fossil

01:57fuels which is so necessary for the country.

02:02On top of working with private initiatives and government agencies, the cooperative seeks

02:07to collaborate with public institutions to bring this technology to different corners of the country.

02:14In Trio Park, in the heart of Havana, this dream has become a reality. It's a pilot project

02:20designed with the national company, Geysel.

02:24It all begins with a solar panel, which captures the radiation and sends it to a battery inside

02:31the lamp. It has an automated program that turns on as night falls and turns off as dawn breaks.

02:40And it has really had a huge impact. Neighbors have told us repeatedly that it has been the

02:47meeting place in the midst of the blackout, where everyone, children and elderly people

02:52have found a beacon of light.

02:56We believe that any project related to renewable energy sources, which is focused on replacing

03:01fossil fuels, but also on sustainability, should not be undertaken without a community base.

03:07That is the daily work of the cooperative trying to find solutions that have a positive impact

03:11on our society.

03:13The decision to form a cooperative is one of the keys to SITMIC's success. Teamwork and

03:18horizontal dialogue in search of solutions.

03:23We discuss every project, every solution, every proposal. And we always try to improve it with

03:30the opinion of the group. And that is how we move forward.

03:37From a social and humane perspective, the work of the cooperative is very fulfilling and we

03:41are very satisfied to be working in this way.

03:46With this, SITMIC continues its day-to-day efforts to make sure that Cuba, with its optimal climatic

03:51conditions and available technical knowledge, finds in this technology a key to its sustainable

03:57energy development.

03:58We are a Cuban enterprise. We are small, but we are a Cuban enterprise. We are in Cuba.

04:06We know about the daily situation that the people, industries, government, how all of us

04:12are suffering due to the blockade, its financial limitations, all these things. When you share

04:18that feeling and that daily experience, you are motivated to be part of the solution.

04:24The country is currently committed to renewable energy. I want to do our part as a cooperative

04:33in finding the most efficient way to bring renewable energy sources to the development of our country,

04:39to the sustainable development of our country.

04:42Belen de los Santos, Denise Araví, Fortela Sur, from Havana, Cuba.

04:48One of the key aspects of this cooperative that is SITMIC was its passion for collaborative work.

04:56And with this, we end this series that sought to bring Cuba through the lens of its collaborative

05:02efforts and community projects. That is the Cuban way.

Cuba | SITMIC bets on renewable energy solutions to sustain island’s energy needs

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