U.S. Solar Exports to Cuba Surge 1,070% as Fuel Blockade Forces Energy Shift

U.S. exports of solar cells and modules to Cuba topped $6.3 million in the first seven months of the year, an annual increase of 1,070%, as a U.S. naval blockade cuts off fuel shipments to the island, according to U.S. Census data cited by Bloomberg. Solar imports from China, still Cuba's largest supplier, fell as much as 83% from a year earlier. Cuba now has 144 solar installations with a combined 1,418 MW capacity, covering 20% of national electricity demand, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said. Jorge Pinon of the University of Texas Energy Institute said the expansion lacks utility-scale battery storage, though U.S. sanctions bar such exports to Cuba. This week, U.S. forces seized $3 million worth of biofuel across 90 shipments bound for the island, Reuters reported. Cuba produces about 40% of its crude needs.