Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador
Access to electricity for the rural and indigenous population of Ecuador’s Amazon Region (RAE) is considered a critical issue by the national authorities. The RAE is an isolated zone with communities scattered throughout the rainforest, where the expansion of the national grid is not a viable option...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Mathematics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/8/1226 |
| _version_ | 1797434456544378880 |
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| author | Bruno Domenech Laia Ferrer-Martí Facundo García Georgina Hidalgo Rafael Pastor Antonin Ponsich |
| author_facet | Bruno Domenech Laia Ferrer-Martí Facundo García Georgina Hidalgo Rafael Pastor Antonin Ponsich |
| author_sort | Bruno Domenech |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Access to electricity for the rural and indigenous population of Ecuador’s Amazon Region (RAE) is considered a critical issue by the national authorities. The RAE is an isolated zone with communities scattered throughout the rainforest, where the expansion of the national grid is not a viable option. Therefore, autonomous electrification systems based on solar energy constitute an important solution, allowing the development of indigenous populations. This work proposes a tool for the design of stand-alone rural electrification systems based on photovoltaic technologies, including both microgrid or individual supply configurations. This tool is formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model including economic, technical and social aspects. This approach is used to design electrification systems (equipment location and sizing, microgrid configurations) in three real communities of the RAE. The results highlight the benefits of the developed tool and provide guidelines regarding RAE’s electrification. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:32:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d8c810ae55de4d6ab8bb63adcd0ac19b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7390 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:32:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mathematics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d8c810ae55de4d6ab8bb63adcd0ac19b2023-12-01T21:11:57ZengMDPI AGMathematics2227-73902022-04-01108122610.3390/math10081226Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in EcuadorBruno Domenech0Laia Ferrer-Martí1Facundo García2Georgina Hidalgo3Rafael Pastor4Antonin Ponsich5Supply Chain and Operations Management Research Group, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, 08028 Barcelona, SpainSupply Chain and Operations Management Research Group, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, 08028 Barcelona, SpainCatalan Association of Engineering Without Borders, 08027 Barcelona, SpainCatalan Association of Engineering Without Borders, 08027 Barcelona, SpainSupply Chain and Operations Management Research Group, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, 08028 Barcelona, SpainSupply Chain and Operations Management Research Group, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, 08028 Barcelona, SpainAccess to electricity for the rural and indigenous population of Ecuador’s Amazon Region (RAE) is considered a critical issue by the national authorities. The RAE is an isolated zone with communities scattered throughout the rainforest, where the expansion of the national grid is not a viable option. Therefore, autonomous electrification systems based on solar energy constitute an important solution, allowing the development of indigenous populations. This work proposes a tool for the design of stand-alone rural electrification systems based on photovoltaic technologies, including both microgrid or individual supply configurations. This tool is formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model including economic, technical and social aspects. This approach is used to design electrification systems (equipment location and sizing, microgrid configurations) in three real communities of the RAE. The results highlight the benefits of the developed tool and provide guidelines regarding RAE’s electrification.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/8/1226rural electrificationmathematical programmingEcuador’s Amazon regionphotovoltaic energymicrogrid |
| spellingShingle | Bruno Domenech Laia Ferrer-Martí Facundo García Georgina Hidalgo Rafael Pastor Antonin Ponsich Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador Mathematics rural electrification mathematical programming Ecuador’s Amazon region photovoltaic energy microgrid |
| title | Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador |
| title_full | Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador |
| title_short | Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador |
| title_sort | optimizing pv microgrid isolated electrification projects a case study in ecuador |
| topic | rural electrification mathematical programming Ecuador’s Amazon region photovoltaic energy microgrid |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/10/8/1226 |
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