When the energy situation became critical, someone had to try
En un barrio de Holguín donde los apagones superan las veinticuatro horas, una pequeña empresa privada ha convertido una antigua gasolinera en la primera estación de carga solar de Cuba oriental. Frenas Conmigo, fundada apenas en 2022, no resuelve la crisis energética de la provincia —donde solo se dispone de 70 de los 225 megavatios que se demandan—, pero ofrece algo que el Estado no ha podido garantizar: electricidad que no depende de la red. En la historia larga de las sociedades que improvisan ante el colapso de sus sistemas, este gesto modesto tiene el peso de lo que ocurre cuando la necesidad supera a la espera.
- Holguín vive con menos de un tercio de la electricidad que necesita, y los apagones de más de un día se han vuelto rutina desde que la termoeléctrica de Felton colapsó en febrero de 2026.
- Una empresa privada de frenos y embragues decidió apostar por las energías renovables y transformó una gasolinera abandonada en una infraestructura que la provincia nunca había tenido.
- La estación no solo cargará triciclos, motos y bicicletas eléctricas las veinticuatro horas: también ofrecerá carga gratuita de teléfonos, lámparas recargables, espacio para cocinar y materiales eléctricos de difícil acceso.
- La obra civil está terminada y los paneles solares instalados; solo falta la integración técnica para que el servicio arranque y los vecinos tengan un punto de energía independiente de la red.
- Una segunda fase ya planificada duplicará la capacidad y permitirá cargar automóviles eléctricos, señalando que la inversión privada en energía renovable en Cuba oriental acaba de comenzar.
En el barrio Alcides Pino de Holguín, una antigua gasolinera ha sido reconvertida en la primera estación de carga solar de Cuba oriental. La empresa privada Frenas Conmigo, fundada en 2022 y conocida hasta ahora por reparar sistemas de frenos, completó la construcción de la instalación: los paneles están montados y solo resta la integración técnica para que el servicio entre en operación. En su primera fase, la estación contará con 32 kilovatios de capacidad inversora y 60 kilovatios de almacenamiento en baterías, suficientes para cargar triciclos, motos y bicicletas eléctricas las veinticuatro horas del día.
Pero el proyecto va más allá de los vehículos. La estación ofrecerá carga gratuita de teléfonos y lámparas recargables, un espacio habilitado para cocinar, y venta de materiales eléctricos escasos —cables, enchufes, interruptores— que la gente necesita cuando la red falla y no queda más remedio que improvisar. Son servicios pensados para una realidad concreta: Holguín dispone de apenas 70 megavatios frente a una demanda de 225, y los cortes prolongados se han vuelto parte de la vida cotidiana desde que la termoeléctrica de Felton se desconectó por completo de la red nacional en febrero de 2026, dejando a cuatro provincias orientales sin electricidad.
Álvaro Grass González, fundador y único socio de Frenas Conmigo, ya tiene planificada una segunda fase que elevará la capacidad a 60 kilovatios de inversores y 150 kilovatios de baterías, lo que permitirá atender también a automóviles eléctricos. La estación de Holguín no es la primera de Cuba —Santa Clara inauguró la suya en abril, y Matanzas y La Habana tienen proyectos en marcha—, pero sí es la primera en el oriente del país operada por una microempresa privada. Es una apertura pequeña, pero es una apertura: la señal de que, cuando el Estado no puede resolver un problema, hay quienes deciden intentarlo por su cuenta.
In the Alcides Pino neighborhood of Holguín, a former gas station has been transformed into something the province has never had before: a solar charging station built and operated by a private company. Frenas Conmigo, a small enterprise founded in 2022, has just completed the construction phase of what will become the first solar-powered charging hub in Cuba's eastern region—a distinction that matters more than it might seem in a country where energy has become the defining constraint of daily life.
The station is modest in its first iteration. It will operate with 32 kilowatts of inverter capacity and 60 kilowatts of battery storage, enough to charge electric tricycles, motorcycles, and electric bicycles around the clock. Álvaro Grass González, the company's founder and sole partner, confirmed that the civil construction work is finished and the solar panels are mounted. What remains is the technical integration—the wiring that will connect the system and allow it to begin serving customers. Once that happens, the station will offer something Holguín residents have learned to value: electricity that doesn't depend on the grid.
But the charging station is designed to be more than a place to plug in a vehicle. The facility will offer free phone charging, will allow residents to charge rechargeable lamps, and has dedicated space for cooking—services that address a reality in Holguín where power cuts have stretched past twenty-four hours and basic needs become logistical problems. The station will also stock electrical supplies that are scarce in the informal market: switches, cables, insulating tape, outlets. These are the things people need when the grid fails and they must improvise.
The second phase of the project, already planned, will expand the system to 60 kilowatts of inverter capacity and 150 kilowatts of battery storage. That expansion will allow the station to charge electric cars, not just smaller vehicles. It's a modest ambition, but it reflects a calculation: that electric vehicles will become more common, and that private companies can help fill the gap left by the state's inability to maintain reliable power.
Holguín's energy crisis provides the urgent context. The province has access to only 70 megawatts of electricity while demand reaches 225 megawatts—a gap so wide that blackouts lasting more than a day have become routine. The Lidio Ramón Pérez thermoelectric plant in Felton, which supplies much of eastern Cuba, has suffered repeated failures. In February 2026, it disconnected entirely from the national grid, plunging Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo into total darkness. Against this backdrop, a solar charging station is not a luxury amenity. It is infrastructure.
Frenas Conmigo itself is not new to the province. The company has earned recognition as a Vanguardia Nacional collective from Cuba's labor federation for its work repairing brake and clutch systems. The shift toward renewable energy represents a diversification—a bet that the private sector can move beyond its traditional niches and into the energy space. Juan López, a commercial technician at the company, framed it plainly when construction began: the project would benefit nearby communities and anyone driving an electric vehicle who needed to charge it, now that the energy situation had become critical.
This station is not unique in Cuba anymore. The first solar charging station opened in Santa Clara on April 5, built in nine days by a local development project and a private electrical company. Matanzas has planned nine solar charging points. Havana announced one in the Vedado neighborhood. But Holguín's station marks something specific: the first such facility in Cuba's east operated by a private microenterprise. It is a small opening, but it is an opening nonetheless—a sign that when the state cannot solve a problem, some people will try to solve it themselves.
Citas Notables
The project will benefit nearby communities and anyone driving an electric vehicle who needs to charge it, now that the energy situation has become critical.— Juan López, commercial technician at Frenas Conmigo
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that this is the first solar station in the east run by a private company, rather than a state project?
Because it shows the private sector is moving beyond repair shops and small services into infrastructure. When the state can't keep the lights on, someone has to. This company saw that gap and filled it.
The station offers free phone charging and cooking space. That seems almost charitable. Is that the business model?
It's both. The core business is charging vehicles. But in a place where power cuts are routine, offering those services builds trust and community loyalty. It's practical generosity—the kind that also makes business sense.
Sixty kilowatts of batteries seems small. Can that really power a charging station for electric vehicles?
For tricycles and motorcycles, yes. For cars, no—that's why phase two exists. They're building in stages, proving the concept works before they expand. It's how you operate when capital is scarce.
The thermoelectric plant failed completely in February. How long did that blackout last?
The source doesn't say. But when the main power plant for four provinces goes dark, you're looking at days, not hours. That's the scale of the crisis Holguín is living in.
What happens if this solar station becomes popular? Can it actually meet demand?
Not yet. That's the point of phase two. But even if it can only serve a fraction of the people who need it, it's still a fraction that has power when the grid doesn't.