As Cuba advances toward ambitious renewable energy targets, large-scale energy storage is essential to ensure grid stability and operational flexibility. Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) is the most mature technology for providing long-duration storage. This study proposes an integrated GIS-based screening and engineering validation methodology for PHES site selection and presents the first academic application of the Australian National University (ANU) Global Pumped Hydro Atlas to the Cuban context. Rather than replacing historical engineering studies, the proposed methodology complements them through automated geospatial analysis, local infrastructure assessment, environmental screening, and engineering validation. The GIS analysis identified 92 potential off-river closed-loop PHES sites across Cuba, including 14 sites in the 500 GWh storage class and 78 sites in the 150 GWh storage class, substantially expanding the national inventory. Comparison between the GIS-derived candidates and historical investigations demonstrates strong agreement between both approaches, while the Mayarí project serves as a representative case study for local validation. The results confirm significant PHES potential distributed across Cuba’s three main mountainous regions, with several sites exhibiting favourable hydraulic heads and cost classifications. The proposed methodology provides a transferable framework for integrating legacy engineering knowledge with modern GIS-based planning tools in islanded and developing power systems while highlighting the need for supportive regulatory frameworks to accelerate future PHES deployment.
Leonardo Peña-Pupo, J. Luukkanen, Y. Majanne et al.· Energies· 0 citations
Digitalization is rapidly changing industrial work systems. Amidst this globally experienced transformation process Finnish working life has faced slow productivity growth and increasing problems in employee well-being. Manufacturing and logistics sectors are under pressure to adopt new digital technologies, and change is often not managed in a sufficiently human-centered way. This study examines how digitalization is managed in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and how human factors and ergonomics (HFE) are addressed in this regard. This study is based on interviews with management and expert representatives from 55 SMEs. Data were analyzed using deductive, theory-driven content analysis, structured along dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, shifting) across the processes of management, design and HFE. Digital technologies were typically introduced on technological and economic grounds, while HFE was weakly embedded in routines and decision-making. Digital change procedures were often unclear; information on human work was fragmented and rarely used systematically. HFE competence was narrow and focused on physical ergonomics, with limited attention to cognitive and organizational factors. Training needs were seldom assessed in a structured way. Across sensing, seizing and shifting, employee input was common but rarely translated into systematic analysis, decision criteria, or lifecycle monitoring of usability, occupational safety, workload and well-being at work. Building on these findings, the study presents an initial version of a human-centered assessment framework to guide selection, design, piloting, training, and continuous follow-up after adopting new technology.
D. Nguyen, A. Reiman, J. Kaivo‐oja et al.· AHFE International· 0 citations