Andrew Holland, ASP’s Senior Fellow for Energy Security spoke with David Ferris, a reporter for EnergyWire and E&E Publishing about Cuba’s energy system.

In the recent ASP report “Potential Areas of Cooperation Between the U.S. and Cuba,” Holland and ASP Adjunct Fellow Philip Rosetti identify energy as an area of cooperation.

Ferris recently returned from a trip to Cuba, where he attended a conference on renewable energy deployment. Cuba has ambitious targets for renewables, and Ferris said that, because Cuba is a command economy, they may actually meet them.

On the other hand, he discussed how polluted Havana seemed, citing how power plants on the island burn crude oil directly (instead of cleaner-burning refined fuel) and how the old cars in Cuba have almost no pollution controls.

For more on Cuban energy, read his two articles, “Cuba wants clean energy. Can the U.S. deliver?“ and “Inside the retro world of Cuban energy” through EnergyWire.

Listen to the full podcast above, and follow David on Twitter at @DavidFerris.