It was announced by Fidel Castro on July 26, 2005, in the wake of massive disruption to Cuba's electric grid during Hurricane Dennis,.during a speech commemorating the attack on Moncada Barracks[1] The campaign decentralized Cuban electricity infrastructure, replaced durable household goods with more energy efficient models, and increased the use of renewable energy resources.
[2]: 2–3 Important factors in the crisis included: (1) loss of a beneficial sugar-for-oil trade agreement following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, (2) rising international oil prices following Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, (3) a slump in the sugar market, and (4) the United States tightening its embargo against Cuba.
[2]: 2–3 In August 2004, Hurricane Charley caused major damage to Cuba's electricity infrastructure, including disconnecting the entirety of Pinar del Río Province from the Sistema Eléctrico Nacional (SEN).
[3]: 83 They later returned with more energy efficient models, replacing a total of 30 million electronic items such as refrigerators, televisions, and rice cookers.
[2]: 18 In the view of academic Gustav Cederlöf, the Energy Revolution marks the end of Cuba's Special Period.