China commands roughly 90% of the global solar market, and its export data shows Cuba has driven a record‑fast solar transition over the past two years. Its monthly investments in solar panels and related components jumped to $37.8 million in late 2025 from roughly $1 million a year earlier.
Cuban officials recently said renewables met 10% of the country’s energy needs in 2025—a 350% annual surge driven by more than 1,000 new photovoltaic installations. The Energy Ministry now aims for 15% by the end of 2026 and 24% by 2030.
The rapid transition occurs under a severe US‑led trade embargo that has targeted Cuban infrastructure since 1962. The island’s energy crisis intensified drastically in January after the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and tariff threats that choked off vital oil imports from Venezuela and Mexico. Much of the new solar output is now lost to an unstable grid as daily blackouts stretch up to 22 hours and a devastating humanitarian crisis unfolds on the besieged island.
