Cuba gives Jamaican householders energy-saving bulbs

[Mika]

Cuba gives Jamaican householders energy-saving bulbs
Thursday, February 16, 2006

The Cuban government has given Jamaica 30,000 energy-saving bulbs that are expected to cut costs to consumers as well as reduce the country's high energy bill.

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Commerce, Science and Technology minister Phillip Paulwell said the donations were part of an energy conservation pilot project that would target his constituency, and eventually be extended to the rest of Jamaica.

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He told reporters that the joint venture between the governments of Jamaica and Cuba would advance conservation efforts and reduce Jamaica's high energy bill.
Paulwell noted that Jamaica's oil bill was more than US$1.2 billion for this fiscal year, a figure almost equal to net earnings from the tourism and bauxite sectors combined.

But on Tuesday, during the launch of Jamaica's energy conservation drive, Cuban Ambassador Gisela Garcia Rivera told reporters that Cuba had managed to save approximately 100 megawatts of power and changed out more than seven million bulbs under a similar conservation programme.

Reducing power/oil consumption is a commie plot that must not be accepted!

How long until BushCrimeInc threatenes to slap sanctions on Jamaica for such outrageous interaction with a dangerous global threat like Cuba?

:sarcasm:

[SpiralHawk]

1. Those no-good Commie Rats...

What's the big idea of modeling charity, and helping the poor? Where do they get off with this godless-commie shit? I sure hope BusnCo SpokesCrhistian Pat Robertson will get on their case. Who better to model neoCON Brand Dominionist Christianity (TM) by condeming the whole stinkin islands of Cuber amd Jamaicar, and damning those energy-saving light bulbs to ETERNal frikking TOASTING in the insanely wildly crackling fLAMEs of Beelzebub's Skull & Boner Krypt O' Hellacious Apocalyptic Upside-Down Left-Behind TIMES...

[Rose Siding]

4. Yeah!

It's just one more lucrative contract that feeds Cuba's vast Military Incandescent Complex :)

[1932]

2. Life and Debt is a documentary film about Jamaica's economy

and everyone should see it.

[Billy Burnett]

3. Yes. Go to lifeanddebt.org

www.lifeanddebt.org

www.lifeanddebt.org/links.html

[Judi Lynn]

6. Hi, Billy Burnett! Thanks for the info. on "Life and Debt." n/t

[Billy Burnett]

11. Hi Judi Lynn! Its a great doc.

:hi:

I've been seeing that you and Dr Mika have been repeatedly demonized as "Castro supporters" here on DU. Including a couple of threads suggesting that Dr Mika's threads should be banned as spam. How ridiculous! You two have really provided some great eye opening information that should be part of the debate on any website that has the name "Democratic" on it. Plus Dr Mika has some real long term experience in Cuba mentoring other surgical professionals, and is a really informed source.

Kudos to you both. Keep up the debate. I look forward to browsing DU and seeing your threads.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Ha ha. I saw that line of attack on Mika, too. Omigod.

It was a nice try, wasn't it? Some people would that attempt as a flying act of desperation!

You're right about Dr. Mika. He's had a LOT of experience over years there, meeting so many people at multiple levels of professional work, and social life.

[mitchum]

22. I also consider Judi Lynn and Mika to be two of DU's most valuable members

naysayers, be damned

[Mika]

5. Part of Cuba's energy Revolution

Millions of saving bulbs installed as part of the energy Revolution
http://www.cadenagramonte.cubaweb.cu/english/up_todate/january_06/190106_01.asp

Camagüey, Jan 19.- More than 7 millions energy-saving bulbs and fluorescent lamps were installed in the Cuban houses by the University Brigades of Social Workers over the last 60 days.

Vice President of the University Students Federation (FEU), Ernesto Zayas, highlighted that the force that carries out this high priority mission, as part of the energy Revolution in Cuba, is made up by youngsters studying at the highest education, and backed up by social workers and professors.

Zayas added that only in the first stage the daily consumption of electricity was reduced by 180 megawatts in the civil sector, what represents the power generated by a large fuel power station.

He also announced that another 6 millions lamps should be set in houses and state-run entities for the upcoming weeks, till all the heavy consuming bulbs existing today be substituted.

In the meeting held Wednesday with 300 grass-root leaders of the FEU, in Camagüey; Zayas applauded the work done by 2 300 students over the last twenty days in the territory.

During the past days, the youngsters worked in 119 thousand houses and they will make similar deed in the next few weeks.

The young leader explained that together with the substitution of the incandescent bulbs, the university students will also examine the power consumption in the residential and in the productive areas, and will immediately begin an analysis of the use of fuel in the current sugar cane harvest. (Tel Pino Sosa/AIN Camagüey).

[Mika]

8. A Battle Cuba is Sure to Also Win (one of Cuban TV's Round Table shows)

Interesting article.
Some very enlightened comments by Mr Castro.

I've seen some Round Table show in Cuba, they're just great. As close to DU TV as it can get.


-A Battle Cuba is Sure to Also Win-
http://www.radiohc.cu/ingles/especiales/noviembre05/especiales26nov.htm

[Judi Lynn]

7. Mika, what a great idea. I've read about these lightbulbs.

Caribbean islands need all the help with energy they can get. This is a very decent act by Cuba.

[Mika]

10. Cuba is developing a large solar cell system also

Cuba really is living in the stone ages. They should be burning vast quantities of oil and to hell with developing their social infrastructure. :sarcasm:



-Sunny Side Up - Cuba-
http://www.tve.org/ho/doc.cfm?aid=1436

Solar energy can bring electrification to places the national grid cannot reach. In Cuba, a local company has started assembling solar energy systems and these are being used to bring electric light to rural villages. In Las Tumbas village, solar power benefits the local primary school and means the health clinic is able to provide a better level of service. This has had a direct impact on improving people's lives.

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In Cuba 5 per cent of the population do not have a connection to national grid electricity. Although this is a low figure compared to many developing countries there is still a need to connect the remaining households because these are some of the poorest on the island. As some of these villages are in the mountainous interior of Cuba, and are far from the main infrastructure it is economic for these households to be served with solar energy systems.

Solar Energy Technology

Technologies for capturing the energy from the sun are usually divided into two categories: passive solar and solar photovoltaic. Passive solar, also known as solar thermal, technologies involve using the energy from the sun directly. This can be achieved through architecture to promote solar heating or cooling, various methods of solar cooking, and different ways of using the sun to dry crops. The project in Cuba has focused on solar photovoltaic technologies, where solar radiation is used to generate electricity. Modern devices use silicon layers to form a solar cell, and these are connected and mounted in a solar panel. Solar systems use batteries so that they can generate energy during the day and provide useful electricity during the evening when it is commonly required.

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Cubasolar is a Cuban non-government organisation, established in 1994 with the objective of promoting renewable energy and environmental preservation. The work of Cubasolar involves providing solutions to social problems through the supply of energy. It also has a focus on energy in health and education provision. The Cuban engineers and scientists who make up the company's staff have received international acclaim for their efforts to bring renewable energy to Cuba. It is no longer uncommon to see solar panels on schools and houses in rural Cuba.

Las Tumbas Village

In the western province of Pi�ar del Rio is Las Tumbas, a small coffee-growing village in the mountainous region in the interior of Cuba. The village is located about 140�km west of Havana and has around one hundred inhabitants. Before Cubasolar brought photovoltaic power the villagers' activities were limited in the evenings. People say they just used to go to bed early. Now, with good quality lighting, studying and other activities can go on long after dark.

School

The first building in the village to benefit from solar energy was the primary school. A set of solar panels provides enough electricity to power a television, a video and a computer. Children in Las Tumbas can now benefit from the same access to educational resources as children in city primary schools. These resources include documentary films tailored for each stage of schooling. The computer in the classroom now means that there are even more ways of delivering educational material. Computer technology, when linked to the internet, is an important �information and communication technology� or ICT. The importance of broadening the access to these technologies, and the information that they can access, is now being understood within the global fight to eradicate poverty.

TV room

Now the school has electricity there is access to television. This became so popular that a separate television room was built, so people watching TV in the evening would not drain the battery of energy intended for the school. Even if there is mainly an entertainment reason for the popularity of television, it is also important for bringing information to a rural community.

People are better informed about global issues and feel more part of the society they live in. In the case of Cuba there is one channel dedicated to educational programming.


Solar panels on a house in Las Tumbas
All the houses in the village now have solar panels. Parents have noticed that children come home, rest, and then start doing their homework, with the benefit of good quality light from the solar system. There is enough energy from one day's sunlight to keep the lights on for five hours after dark, and to power a small radio.

Clinic

The other significant impact of the project which benefits every member of the community is that there is electric power in the village clinic. Important vaccines and medicines can be kept refrigerated and families now have access to the vaccines that they need without having to travel to the nearest city.


The clinic in Las Tumbas also has a transmitting radio set. This means that in the case of emergency the doctor can communicate with the nearest hospital. Furthermore, now that there is electric light, inspections can take place in the evenings, for example if the patient has been working.

Conclusion

Often the energy needs of poor people are not high; small amounts can have a big impact. The systems that have been installed in Las Tumbas, Cuba, have shown the benefit of educational systems for schoolchildren, the benefit of solar light in households, and the ability to store vaccines in the clinic. All three groups of beneficiaries have also benefited from improved communication. From the sun's energy there is now power for household radios, school television, and a facility for the doctor to communicate with central health provision. The spill-over benefits from this simple technology pervades all these aspects of daily life.

The success of this project has meant that the Cuban government is investing in renewable energy technology in other parts of the country where it is expensive to extend the national grid.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Very ineresting news, Mika. I've heard about this undertaking, too.

People who don't know much about Cuba are often unaware of what conditions prevailed during Batista's time, and how far, and how fast they've travelled since then.

Here's an image of the Piñar del Rio province in which Las Tumbas is located. It's easy to see why they haven't had a lot of success getting ordinary electrification up there.

[Vidar]

9. Once again the atheist Castro demonstrates "Christian" charity better

than the fundies. Bravo encore.

[Tight_rope]

12. Those damn commun's are at it again!

:sarcasm:

[Vogon_Glory]

15. You Can Almost Feel Sorry For Team Shrub These Days

You can almost feel sorry for the Team Shrub loyalists trying to maintain US influence and prestige in Latin American and the Caribbean these days. The Havana regime has Fidel Castro who, whatever you may think of his policies, is a wily, skilled, and crafty politician with his finger on at least some of the pulses in the Caribbean and on the mainland. On the other side, Team Shrub loyalists have the right wing of the Cuban exile political establishment as well as the oil companies' factotums on their backs.

The "adults" are back at Foggy Bottom. Hah! Hah! Hah! Ho! Ho! Ho! Hee! Hee! Hee! And "in charge" Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee! Hee! --chortle-- --snicker-- --guffaw--

[Johnyawl]

16. Unintended consequences...

Necessity is the mother of invention

...Who could have guessed that the economic embargo, intended to bankrupt Cuba, would have spurred them into the forefront of energy self-sufficiency? Light bulbs - such a simple, and inexpensive point at which to attack the massive cost of energy. And the impact such a simple, low tech solution can have!
Good for the Cubans, and kudos to them for sharing that technology with those who need it most.

[Vogon_Glory]

17. Others Are Working On The Problem, Too

Despite Team Shrub's tight ties with the oil companies, some of the rest of us are doing our own modest bit to spread micro-power and alternate power generation and energy conservation in the third world. The Solar Energy Electric Fund comes to mind. I'm sure that there are others.

Meanwhile, a lot of countries and interests are less-beholden to the oil "bidness." In some parts of the world efforts are being made to develop bigger, brighter LEDs that are more energy-efficient and last longer than incandescent bulbs.

Also, I suspect that even in the oil industry's home turf, parts of the military are working at cross-purposes to the ShrubCo agenda. The military is QUITE interested in alternate power generation that doesn't require so many tanker trucks carrying fuel to generators and is also working on hybrid vehicles of its own, although stealth, crew protection, and the ability to serve as mobile power generators are higher priorities than fuel conservation. These technologies have obvious civilian applications, and I suspect greed will ultimately trump solidarity with the oil barons.

[happydreams]

18. I'm continually amazed at how a tiny country under siege by the

US comes up with such great ways of making the world cleaner and more economically efficient.

[mitchum]

19. The Commie-Dope Fiend Conspiracy!

[Judi Lynn]

20. Oh, NOOOO! May the good lord protect us all.

[NickB79]

21. We should all be using fluorescent bulbs

I've switched every light I can in our apartment to fluorescent bulbs, and the potential savings are huge. I don't see how people don't use them more.

For example, if I were to turn on every light in my apartment at once, it would be using ~750 watts with normal bulbs. With fluorescent bulbs, I would use only 150 watts. The price has come down dramatically, where you can now buy them for ~$1/bulb in bulk packs, and they last for years. I saved all the old bulbs we replaced, and when we move out of our apartment in a couple years, I'm taking the fluorescent bulbs with me!

Oh, and an added benefit for plant lovers is that fluorescent lights are excellent for growing houseplants. Where I live, we don't get much light in winter due to the short days and east-facing patio windows, but my plants do very well over the winter by leaving a few fluorescent lights on around them.

[SoCalDem]

23. Caribbean countries should be 90% solar by now..

There is no reason NOT to do solar.. Instead of pouring money down a rat hole for decades more, why not switch sooner rather than later..