When Fossil Fuel Supplies Falter, Interest In Renewables Increases

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People who drive conventional cars sneer at those of us who drive EVs. Why take the risk of running out of battery power when there is always a gas station just a few miles away? That is an excellent question, assuming the nearest station has gasoline to sell. But what if it doesn’t?

People who are accustomed to getting electricity supplied by a fossil fuel powered generating station see no reason to consider renewable energy — until the electrons stop flowing. Conventional wisdom is always a source of comfort — until it isn’t.

Islands are especially well suited for the use of renewable energy. They typically are swept by ocean breezes almost all the time and are the beneficiaries of abundant sunshine. Yet they are slaves to fossil fuels to power their vehicles and keep the lights on, which is pretty silly when you think about it.

Most islands need to import coal or oil or LNG by ship, which makes the cost of fuel or electricity much higher than it is on the mainland. Sun and wind are free, however. No ships are needed to bring them ashore. They are there in abundance and free for the taking.

Cuba Embraces Solar

Just 90 miles south of Florida, Cuba has come to understand that renewables can help it break free of its dependence on fossil fuels, especially oil. For decades, it relied on oil from Venezuela to keep its economy going, but the US government, in its unending quest to shove its fist down the throats of its neighbors, has cut off the supply, leaving the people of Cuba without fuel to power their vehicles or keep the island’s electricity generators spinning.

Thanks to substantial assistance from China, it has begum doing the logical thing — transitioning to solar and wind power. According to MicroGrid Media, Cuba has transformed its electricity system in just 12 months. A year ago, less than 6 percent of its electricity came from solar, but today that figure has more than tripled to over 20 percent of total generation. The embrace of renewables is seen as essential to addressing the sanctions imposed by the US.

Cuba connected 49 new solar installations to its grid in the past year. Combined, they provide more than 1,000 megawatts of capacity. The expansion, made possible through supplies and financing from China, represents one of the fastest renewable energy transitions ever achieved by a developing country.

On February 11, 2026, Cuba generated more than 900 megawatts from solar panels for the first time, breaking a record set just one day earlier. The milestone showed that solar infrastructure had reached a scale capable of meeting substantial portions of daytime electricity demand.

With technical assistance from China, the additional solar power was installed in record time. Some facilities achieved grid connection within 35 days of equipment arrival. Multiple parks were synchronized simultaneously rather than sequentially as political constraints evaporated amid the deepening crisis.

2000 Megawatts By 2028

China has committed to building 92 solar parks by 2028 with a combined capacity of approximately 2,000 megawatts — roughly equal to Cuba’s entire thermal generation from burning fossil fuels today. Each park utilizes about $16 million in imported equipment, with Cuban investment covering domestic infrastructure.

In addition to those large solar farms, China has donated approximately 70 tons of power generator parts and committed to installing 10,000 photovoltaic systems for isolated homes and critical facilities such as maternity wards and clinics. China is also helping Cuba construct La Herradura 1 — a wind farm that will generate 33 megawatts of electricity from 22 wind turbines, according to OilPrice.com.

Each megawatt of renewable energy installed will eliminate the need to import about 18,000 tons of oil or other fuels. If Cuba reaches its 2,000 megawatt target by 2028, oil blockades could become economically irrelevant.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel explicitly framed the expansion as “energy sovereignty,” emphasizing that renewable sources “strengthen Cuba’s energy sovereignty” while contributing to environmental sustainability. By rendering the oil blockade ineffective through alternative energy, Cuba will neutralize the primary US economic weapon being used against Cuba and its people.

Residential Solar In Cuba

While government solar parks represent the most visible transformation, individual Cubans have begun installing panels on rooftops and in yards as diesel generators became impossible to operate. Raydel Cano, who services properties throughout Havana, said there have been a dramatic increases in customer inquiries about installing solar panels. “Private businesses see themselves obligated to install panels,” he said as the electrical grid deteriorated.

Cuban authorities have offered tax incentives, including the elimination of personal income taxes for up to eight years for business owners pursuing renewable projects. However, battery storage has yet to meet demand for electricity after the sun sets. Of 55 solar parks planned for 2025, only four were equipped with battery storage systems. Without sufficient storage capacity, the solar installations only generate electricity when demand is lowest.

Bring On The Batteries

By 2028, Cuba will need up to 600 megawatts of battery storage to make reliable renewable energy possible on the island. Until that happens, evening demand keeps the island partially dependent on imported fuel. If Cuba can sustain the pace of solar installations and can couple them with sufficient battery storage, that could allow it to reach energy independence that will render the US oil blockade economically irrelevant.

Such success would provide a template for other developing nations facing energy crises and prove that geopolitical pressure can paradoxically accelerate clean energy transitions, MicroGrid Media said. But the transition is largely dependent on continued economic support by China. Depending on the kindness of other nations is fraught with danger today, as the US continues to rip up international conventions that have been in place for 80 years.

Interest In Residential Solar And EV Charging Spikes

Fast Company reports interest in residential solar and EV chargers has increased in the US since Operation Epstein Shame began in the Middle East. EnergySage says that in the 11 days after the conflict began, it has seen a 17 percent increase in homeowners requesting quotes for solar installations and a 23 percent increase in requests for solar plus a home battery compared with the 11 days before the escalation.

EnergySage notes that it can’t specifically credit those increases to one cause, but believes the war is driving the change, particularly since demand for those installations  has been soft since the federal tax credits expired in December.

The company says it has also seen a 30 percent increase in requests for EV charger installations. Although, it is not clear if there is a corresponding increase in interest in electric cars. Fast Company suggests it could just be because drivers who already own plug-in hybrids are actually going to start plugging them in instead of relying exclusively on gasoline. That’s the kind of snarkiness CleanTechnica readers will appreciate. Edmunds says searches for hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs were up 20 percent last week.

Energy Dominance For All

The insanity gripping the US government at the highest levels may result in more people making their own case for personal energy dominance — by telling the government and the fossil fuel industry to take their implacable need to push their policies and products down our throats and shove it.

Sunlight and wind are not subject to the restrictions that affect cargo navigating the Strait of Hormuz. People are beginning to understand that personal renewable energy costs never vary, even if GigantaCorp decides to erect a massive data center in the next county and cut a sweetheart deal with the local utility to get its electricity at a far lower cost than is available to individual ratepayers.

Renewables are the path to personal agency. People are beginning to realize they do not have to be slaves to some tin horn tyrant. The more political and industry leaders conspire to keep us locked into an antiquated energy system, the more people see the wisdom of taking control of their own energy needs.

With every war fought over oil and methane, the idiocy of relying on a system that wastes more than three quarters of the energy it produces will become clearer. With any luck, the current insanity in Iran will be the tipping point when the world finally embraces renewables.