This paper shows the technical–economic, operational and environmental feasibility of four off-grid hybrid power systems to supply energy to the Cerrito de los Morreños community in Ecuador. These configurations consist of combinations of diesel generators, solar photovoltaic systems, and battery energy storage systems. Each configuration was simulated and the results were analyzed for two different load conditions: (1) the existing load profile and (2) a reduced load profile by incorporating an energy efficiency initiative. Homer Pro software was used to perform the simulations. The planning horizon for the simulations was selected to be 15 years. The results showed the diesel/photovoltaic/battery configuration with energy efficiency showed the best performance, which was achieved with a photovoltaic system of 160 kWp, the existing generator of 165 kW and a storage system of 283 kWh. The stand-alone diesel generator and photovoltaic/diesel configurations showed higher Net Present Costs, instability problems and higher CO₂ emissions. Additionally, the configurations without energy efficiency had increases of between 15% and 40% higher costs compared to their respective energy-efficient scenarios. The information in this work could be useful for some organizations in Ecuador who are interested in investing in rural electrification projects with renewable energy to reduce and/or compensate their CO₂ emissions.

Microgrids have attracted much attention in recent years due to their ability to integrate distributed energy resources, storage devices, and loads as well as to operate in grid-connected mode or in islanded mode. Microgrids are expected to provide high-quality power with high efficiency, reliability, and security. However, the inherent intermittent nature of the renewable sources and switching nature of the power electronic interfaces adversely affect the power quality in the microgrid. This paper presents a review of power quality enhancement techniques commonly used in microgrids. Among these techniques, Distribution Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (D-FACTS) devices show great promise in strengthening AC transmission systems stability and control; providing speed and flexibility for several applications. An extensive overview of the state-of-the-art D-FACTS devices will be presented. As of today, costs and reliability concerns are the main barriers to the integration of these technologies. Wide deployment of these devices will depend on their ability to overcome their limitations through the maturity of the devices and economies of scale.

This paper presents a technical, economic, and environmental analysis and optimization of the impact of the reduction of diesel fuel subsidy in the design of an off-grid hybrid power system (OHPS). The OHPS includes a diesel generator, battery energy storage system (BESS), and a solar power system (SPS). This impact will focus on the electricity production levels of each of the OHPS components according to the increase of the fuel price and the SPS size. The Bellavista community in Ecuador was selected as the case study for this work. In this South American country, the government has begun a gradual increase in the diesel fuel price until it reaches international prices. Fifteen scenarios of OHPSs were simulated, in Homer Pro software, considering three SPS sizes and varying the diesel fuel price in five values. The annual load profile for the simulations was built based on the information of a previous study in this community. The results showed that for lower fuel prices (USD$0.26/L and USD$0.35/L), the OHPSs worked mostly with their diesel generators with reduced use of their BESSs. However, there was a higher penetration of the power delivered from the SPSs and BESSs, with higher fuel prices (USD$0.44/L, USD$0.53/L, and USD$0.62/L). These OHPSs considerably reduced their CO₂ emissions compared with the standalone diesel generator scenario.

The widespread use of mobile devices has increased the impact of Information and Communication technologies influencing various sectors including Education. Research into community networks and wireless communications show great promise in providing offline educational servers to communities without access to the Internet. This paper presents the implementation of a Community Intranet initiative to share sustainable education resources among schools on the island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands. The implementation of the system comprises a combination of a fiber optic network infrastructure and WiFi routers to enable access to mobile devices and computers at each school. The paper also describes the delivery of workshops to the teachers and students of the schools focusing on an introduction to communications, introduction to web design, and the operation of the intranet system.