HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 30 (ACN) An International Symposium on Gender and Energy begins today in this city with the presentation of the project Strengthening Cuban women’s leadership and participation in the Renewable Energy Sector (FORMER).
Specialists from Costa Rica, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala and Mexico will take part in the debates hosted by Hotel Nacional de Cuba, according to Unión Eléctrica (UNE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mines—promoter of this symposium—in statements to ACN.
FORMER aims to empower women’s leadership and participation in the renewable energy (RE) sector in order to improve their socioeconomic well-being and that of vulnerable communities through the use of resilient technologies with the help of donations received from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada (GAC) and the Sherritt International Corporation, in addition to UNE’s own contribution.
The change of the energy matrix in Cuba is vital due to the country’s considerable reliance on imported fuels to produce electric power; hence the current plans to gradually increase the use of renewable energy sources. To this end, bioelectric plants are under construction in sugar mills and wind, solar, photovoltaic and hydroelectric power generators are being installed alongside small and medium-sized waterfalls.
A large percentage of this energy will be linked to the national grid through projects intended to recover the investment in a relatively short period of time.