Send generators and power stations to Cuba

Power station or gas generator

A fuel generator makes electricity as long as it has gasoline or diesel. In Cuba that is the problem: fuel is scarce, expensive, and you have to wait in line to get it. It is also noisy, gives off fumes, and must never be run inside the house, because its exhaust can kill.

A power station is a big battery with outlets. It makes no noise, gives off no fumes, and is used indoors. It charges from the grid during the hours when there is power, or from solar panels, and delivers that energy during the blackout. That is why it is what Cuban families look for most today.

How to choose the capacity: Wh and W

Two numbers decide whether a power station will work for your family. Watt-hours (Wh) tell you how much energy the battery stores: how long it lasts. Output watts (W) tell you how much power it can deliver at once: which appliances it can run together.

To estimate how long it lasts, add up the watts of what you will plug in and divide the capacity by that number. Always count on a bit less, because the conversion loses energy. These figures are approximate and vary a lot between appliances; check the label on each one:

• A fan: 50 to 80 W.
• An LED bulb: 5 to 10 W each.
• The internet modem or router: 10 to 20 W.
• Charging a phone: 5 to 20 W while it charges.
• A TV: 50 to 150 W, depending on size.
• A refrigerator: about 100 to 200 W while the motor runs, but it draws several times more when it starts.
• A rice cooker: 500 to 700 W while cooking; an electric hot plate, quite a bit more.

What each size can run

A simple example: a station of about 1000 Wh with a 60 W fan and two bulbs on lasts, roughly, a whole night. If you also plug in the fridge, it lasts much less, because the motor cycles on and off through the day.

Look at the output power too. The fridge and the rice cooker draw a lot at once; a 500 W station may fall short for them, and an 1800 W one runs them comfortably. Some stations have a mode that lets you run higher-power appliances at reduced performance, but do not count on it for the fridge.

For reference, the store has, for example, an EcoFlow DELTA 3 1000 Air (960 Wh and 500 W output, with X-Boost mode up to 1000 W and a UPS function that switches to battery in about 10 milliseconds when the power goes out), an 1800 W EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic, and an AC180 station with 1800 W continuous and 2700 W peak. Available models change; always check each product's current listing.

The battery: why the chemistry matters

Many modern stations use lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4 or LFP). In general they last many more charge cycles than other lithium batteries, run cooler and are safer, though they weigh a bit more. For a family that will charge and drain it every day for years, that matters. Check each product's listing to see which battery it has.

A station with a UPS function, like the one described above, is useful for the modem, a computer or the fridge: it stays plugged into the grid and, when the blackout hits, keeps supplying power without anyone having to do anything.

Buy it in the store or send your own

A package you send on your own must weigh 10 to 100 pounds and be worth no more than $800. Many large stations are worth more than that, and they also carry big batteries. That is why, for a generator, the simplest option is to buy it in the store: the price already includes delivery to the door in Cuba and you see the full amount before you pay.

If you already have a power station and want to send it in your own package, call us at +1 (786) 947-4500 before you pack the box.

To charge it without depending on the grid, read our guide to solar panels for Cuba.