Cuba: Between Charcoal and Solar Panels

Havana, Cuba - In an electronics store in central Havana, Camilo Merejon carefully examines several photovoltaic systems displayed on the floor. Around him, customers move between solar panels, lithium batteries and solar-powered fans, comparing prices and asking sales staff for information.

The 61-year-old taxi driver studies the price tags closely. A three-kilowatt solar system costs $3,678, while a 10-kilowatt installation exceeds $10,000.

"To cover my basic needs, maybe three kilowatts would be enough" he says. "My Italian friends want to help me buy one, but it's extremely expensive."

Like millions of Cubans, Camilo has grown accustomed to living without electricity for long periods. On the day he visits the store, his neighbourhood of Regla has been without power for 26 hours.

Since the beginning of 2026, Cuba has been facing one of the worst energy crises in recent history. Long dependent on Venezuelan oil, the island now struggles with fuel shortages and an ageing electrical grid weakened by decades of underinvestment. Across much of the country, blackouts last more than 12 hours a day.

Faced with this reality, Cubans are adapting however they can. But the crisis is not affecting everyone equally. Those with savings, successful private businesses or financial support from relatives abroad are investing in solar panels and lithium batteries. Others are turning to charcoal and homemade stoves. The energy crisis is creating a new fault line within Cuban society.

On the side of a dusty road in Cotorro, on the outskirts of Havana, bags of charcoal are stacked beside homemade stoves built from metal sheets. Cars occasionally slow down and pull over to buy charcoal.

Amora Rodriguez sells charcoal seven days a week and says she has never seen so much demand.

"More and more people are buying it because of the power outages " she says. "Things are becoming increasingly difficult."

A bag of charcoal costs around 2,500 Cuban pesos - roughly $4 at the informal exchange rate, or nearly half an average monthly salary.

"People have to find alternatives," she adds.

The trend is particularly visible in Havana's working-class neighbourhoods and across the rest of the country. While some residents of central Havana still benefit from a piped gas network, most Cubans rely on gas cylinders and with current shortages, they have become increasingly difficult to obtain. Instead, many families have turned to charcoal for cooking.

Inside their home in Cotorro, Cari and Idalberto Espinoza prepare lunch. In the kitchen, a pressure cooker sits atop a charcoal stove while thick smoke slowly rises towards the ceiling.

"We have very little gas, so we're forced to cook with charcoal," says Cari.

The couple only began using this method a few months ago.

"It takes longer and produces a lot of smoke. But we don't have a choice," she said.

"Most people cook with charcoal here now."

- Author: Julien Menier, Al Jazeera