Electricity supply with renewable energy sources and the Cuban electricity system: Challenges of supply-demand balance Suministro de electricidad con fuentes renovables de energía y el sistema eléctrico cubano: Desafíos del equilibrio generación-demanda

The article describes possible scenarios for the future development of the Cuban electricity system. The plans of increasing electricity supply from intermittent energy source like solar PV and wind power create challenges in balancing the supply-demand in the context of varying load curve. Different scenarios for future electricity demand are constructed based on different potential paths for economic development and technological changes in the consumption side. In addition, different scenarios for electricity supply are constructed to reflect potential differences in the construction of renewable electricity supply capacity. Also the potential use of energy storage, in the form of pumped hydro capacity, is analysed. The storage capacity can reduce the demand for peak power capacity. It can also reduce the required ramping rates for the fossil fuel power plants for balancing supply and demand. Scenarios are constructed using CubaLinda model having hourly production and consumption calculations up to 2050. The model produces information of fuel demand and the CO2 emissions related to the different scenarios as well as the costs of electricity production.