Tele Turquino Implements Solar Panels to Sustain Broadcast Amidst Power Crisis

Tele Turquino, the provincial television station in Santiago de Cuba, has completed the installation and activation of a photovoltaic system consisting of 13 solar panels. This initiative aims to ensure the uninterrupted transmission of its TV signal in light of the severe power outages crippling the eastern part of the country.

The project is designed to operate an alternative digital TV transmitter directly from the telecenter, counteracting the disruptions experienced by the main transmitter of Channel 38, located at the Boniato Transmission Center, as reported by Canal Caribe.

A Tele Turquino expert elaborated on the scope of this strategy: "Primarily, we are establishing an alternative to broadcast a digital TV transmitter that will remain in operation here at the telecenter. This temporary solution is intended to replace the Boniato Channel 38 digital TV transmitter, currently impaired."

The technician further noted that the team is collaborating closely "with colleagues in Texas to ensure continuous power supply from this photovoltaic panel system in response to the ongoing electrical outage."

This installation is part of a broader transition in the energy matrix of the radio and television system in Santiago, although official coverage admits that the solution will provide only "limited" high-definition terrestrial digital signal reception for viewers in the main municipality.

The Boniato transmitter has a history of failures linked to the energy crisis and a shortage of spare parts. On May 7, it was completely shut down due to generation deficits and fuel scarcity, leaving hundreds of thousands in Santiago without access to state broadcasting.

This wasn't an isolated incident. The Boniato HD transmitter suffered a major breakdown on January 28, 2025, when the high-definition broadcast was out of service for over four months due to a lack of parts and components, affecting Santiago de Cuba, Palma Soriano, San Luis, Mella, Songo-La Maya, and Contramaestre.

The electrical situation prompting this measure is dire. On May 31, the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba confessed, "We often can't even provide two hours of service."

Nationally, the electrical shortfall exceeded 2,010 MW during peak hours on June 11, with the eastern region among the hardest hit.

On Friday, the entire province of Guantánamo was left without electricity after the 110 kV line connecting Santiago to that province was disrupted, while Holguín's electric company announced a schedule of just three hours of power for every 39 or 40 hours of blackout.

The implementation of the 13 solar panels in Tele Turquino represents an emergency response to a structural crisis that the Cuban government has failed to address following decades of underinvestment in energy and telecommunications infrastructure.