Cuba's First Free Solar Charging Station Opens

In Santa Clara, Cuba, a local business owner opened the country's first free solar-powered charging station in early April, drawing crowds amid chronic power blackouts and a severe fuel shortage.

The station, known locally as a "solinera," allows residents to recharge electric vehicles, cellphones, rice cookers, pressure cookers and other devices at no cost. People arrive by rechargeable motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles from miles away, or walk carrying appliances. It features solar panels generating 30 kilowatts of power backed by a 60-kilowatt battery, enough to supply an average U.S. household for a day. The facility includes 20 sockets for gadgets, 16 spots for vehicles and 12 for cooking.

Yudelaimys Barrero Muñoz, a reseller from Cienfuegos 70 kilometers away, once spent hours hitchhiking under the sun to buy supplies in Santa Clara for her husband and two young children. Previously limited by her husband's bicycle or a three-wheeler with insufficient battery life for round trips, she now drives freely. "They have solved many problems for many people," she said. "If it hadn't been for this, I wouldn't have been able to keep selling." She loads her vehicle with rice,...