Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Cuba

2006 was "The Year of the Energy Revolution" in Cuba. Government Ministries and NGOs like the award-winning Cuba Solar developed a nationwide plan focused on energy efficiency and independence. The entire electrical system was upgraded, efficient appliances were distributed among the citizenry, and cadres of young social workers went from house to house in every community teaching energy efficient methods of home maintenance. Cuba became the first country in the world to completely phase out incandescent light bulbs.

During 2006 - 2007 Cuba saved close to one million tons of imported oil through these measures, and reduced their CO2 emissions by 5 million tons.

It was exactly ten years earlier, in 1996 that Global Exchange and Solar Energy International made our first research tour to Cuba to learn about their renewable energy plans. Since then Cuba Solar has installed thousands of solar panels on rural schools and family doctor clinics, and maximized their use of the regions in Cuba where wind, water, biomass and biogas resources for energy production are available.

View a video of students at a rural school visited on the 2012 trip presenting on renewable energy technologies here:

Eco Cuba Exchange and Solar Energy International again invite renewable energy professionals and active lay enthusiasts to participate in this exciting delegation!  This is your chance to see Cuba's remarkable achievements in this crucial field for yourselves!
 

Program Highlights may include:   

• Site Visits to urban and rural renewable energy installations and energy efficiency projects
• City Tour of Havana and Old Havana with focus on projects in sustainable development
• Meetings with engineers from CUBAENERGIA and CUBA SOLAR
• Meet with representatives of PAEME, Cuba's national renewable energy educational program
• Visit Cuba's vocational-technical high schools and colleges for renewable energy training
• Small group meetings according to interest
• Cultural activities
• Program Itinerary and CUBA SOLAR Conference schedule to be uploaded soon!

 

 

Price Includes:

• Round trip flight from Cancun to Havana
• Cuban visa
• Required Cuban Health Insurance
• Comprehensive daily program in Havana and Pinar del Rio
• Three star hotel accommodations
• Two to three meals per day (occasionally lunch is on your own)
• Workshop fee
• Program guides
• Site visits
• In-country translation
• In-country transportation
• Program fees
• Price is based on double room accommodations; add $300 for single room
• Price does NOT include airfare to/from Cancun or Miami, beverages, gratuities, travel insurance, personal expenditures, etc.

This delegation is co-organized by Eco Cuba Exchange (a program of Global Exchange Reality Tours) and Solar Energy International**

Eco Cuba Exchange is a program designed to promote environmental interchange between U.S. and Cuban environmentalists. Global Exchange Reality Tours has over 20 years experience arranging Cuba travel for professional, educational, cultural, and "people to people" delegations to research every aspect of Cuban life. For information on the travel logistics for the Cuba Solar delegation, see contact information below.

For more information on Eco Cuba Exchange and on the program for the Cuba Renewable Energy Research Tour, please contact:
Pamela Montanaro or call 510-649-1052.

How to Register:

To register, please send in your application form and a deposit of $500. Payments by Mastercard, Visa and Discover are welcome. Deposits for Cuba delegations are non-refundable unless the trip is canceled by Global Exchange as explained below.

Please note: We must meet a minimum number of trip participants on every trip, so please register early!

To ensure that all participants can plan accordingly, the minimum number of participants must be reached within 30 days before departure, or the trip will be canceled. Registered participants can choose to receive a full refund or transfer to a future group. Once a trip is confirmed (reaches the minimum # of participants) registrations may be accepted up to 1 week before departure.

This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life experiences. We strongly urge people of color to apply. In some cases, a limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.

We strongly recommend travel insurance for all international travel!

Make your reservation online now!

 

Contact Pamela with any questions about this trip, or call toll-free 1-800-497-1994 .

*We have a 31 day cancellation policy.  Should you cancel any time after the 31 day window period, program fee is non-refundable and non-exchangeable.  However, should Global Exchange cancel the trip due to insufficient participation size, your payment will be refunded.

Global Exchange
2017 Mission Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94110
1-800-497-1994 ext 242 or 415-575-5530
Fax 415-255-7498
leslie@globalexchange.org
www.globalexchange.org

Global Exchange mission
Within a strong framework of socially responsible travel, our delegations inspire individuals to become advocates of social and environmental justice.  Our mission is to help individuals move beyond mainstream media and contextualize complex socio-political issues, while striving to integrate and intimately engage participants with community struggles. We encourage participants to learn from and join movements working towards sustainable and socially just models of development. We hope citizens of the Global North will recognize their own capacity and personal responsibility to impact US foreign policy which ultimately influences social change. For more information, visit www.globalexchange.org

For information on SEI's Solar Professionals Certificate Program please click here.  For information on SEI's workshop and training program policies please click here. 

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