Rural electrification is a crucial step for the socio-economic development of isolated communities. Decentralized power generation, typically more favorable for renewable energies, requires an accurate analysis of the different electrification options, whose convenience depends on multiple factors. The application of Geographical Information Systems (GISs) to energy planning allows the assessment at a local level, considering the variability and demand distribution of spatial resources. This work introduces IntiGIS-local, a GIS-based model implemented in the ArcGIS environment, designed to calculate the levelized energy cost (LEC) for different electrification options. The model allows the comparison between three power generation alternatives: solar system, diesel generator set and solar–diesel hybrid system. Configurations are adjustable through input variables, with a special focus on the confrontation between individual systems and microgrids. The objective is to provide an adequate groundwork for developing a decision-making tool to assess diverse rural electrification options in future studies. The model IntiGIS-local is tested in the case study of the Guasasa community (Cuba).

The development of solar energy at a regional scale necessitates a thorough understanding of available resources. Cuba, facing prolonged economic, environmental, and energy crises, urgently needs to enhance its sustainability through solar energy. Although solar resource mapping is widespread, Cuba lacks extensive field measurements, often relying on models that may not be ideally suited for large regions, like Matanzas province. Spanning over 12,000 km² with nearly 150 km between its northern and southern extremes, Matanzas presents challenges for high-resolution solar mapping. This study introduces a methodology that integrates various methods and databases to achieve the maximum resolution in the resulting solar map. This approach is designed for large areas, where conventional high-resolution models fall short. By optimizing calculation times and parameterizing the entire surface latitudinally, a high-resolution solar resource map for Matanzas has been developed. This map significantly enhances the understanding of solar resources in Cuba and enables the proposal of new methodologies for analyzing solar potential in similarly large regions.

The development of solar energy on a regional scale necessitates a thorough understanding of available resources. Cuba, facing prolonged economic, environmental, and energy crises, urgently needs to enhance its sustainability through solar energy. While solar resource mapping is widespread, Cuba lacks extensive field measurements, often relying on models that may not be ideally suited for large regions like Matanzas province. Spanning over 12,000 km² with nearly 150 km between its northern and southern extremes, Matanzas presents challenges for high-resolution solar mapping. This study introduces a methodology that integrates various methods and databases to achieve maximum resolution in the resulting solar map. The approach is designed for large areas where conventional high-resolution models fall short. By optimizing calculation times and parameterizing the entire surface latitudinally, a high-resolution solar resource map for Matanzas has been developed. This map significantly enhances the understanding of solar resources in Cuba and proposes new methodologies for analyzing solar potential in similarly large regions.