• Submitted by: manso
• Society
• 04 / 01 / 2011

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2011.03.31 - 15:01:28 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. Third National Workshop on Energy Communication and Culture. HAVANA, CUBA.- “The future of the world rests on solar energy. It is healthy, natural and accessible to everyone,” said the president of the Cuban Society for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and Respect for the Environment (Cubasolar), Luis Berriz, during the closing session of the Third National Workshop on Energy Communication and Culture, which concluded on Wednesday at Havana’s National Botanical Garden.

Berriz affirmed that Cuba has qualified professionals to face the challenge of the efficient use of renewable sources of energy.

He pointed out that renewable energy sources harm neither the environment nor people’s health, which can result in the improvement of the quality of life and it can generate economic and permanent benefits if used properly.

The specialist added that several Cuban institutions, including the Solar Energy Research Center, created in 1984, have worked in the promotion of the use of renewable energy sources for more than 30 years.

Berriz noted that, today, these institutions are working in the use of biomass —mainly that of sugar cane— as a renewable source energy. He explained that they are also developing the use natural lighting, wind turbines, environmental physics, and hydropower.

He added that there is a factory of solar heaters in Moron, in the central province of Ciego de Avila; and there are about 200 small hydroelectric power plants and four wind farms in the country.

During the Third National Workshop on Energy Communication and Culture, which brought together experts from several Cuban provinces, participants offered an overview of the energy crisis worldwide with emphasis on the crisis of fossil fuels.

They also talked about the need to invest in the sector of renewable energy sources and shared experiences in their use in the eastern region of the country.

Similar events were held throughout Cuba in order to expand knowledge on this topic in view of sustainable and efficient development. (ACN)