The use of renewable energy sources (RES) has increased exponentially worldwide, as an alternative to the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels and to mitigate their effects on the environment. Cuba is not lagging behind in this development since the government’s plan until 2030 includes the contribution of renewable sources as a fundamental component in the national energy mix. This paper models possible scenarios based on 2019 statistics for achieving a 25% and 100% penetration of renewable sources by 2030 in the Isla de la Juventud’s (an island south of the main island of Cuba) electrical power system (EPS). This modeling is carried out utilizing and open source Excel-based accounting framework Long-range Integrated Development Analysis (LINDA). For this purpose, international and national trends in the use and development of renewable energy sources and the influence of the characteristics of each renewable source (wind, solar, biodiesel, battery storage) were analyzed. The analysis of Isla de la Juventud’s electrical power system was based on the characteristics of its energy mix, the possibilities of renewable energy penetration and the current and future energy demand by sector. Based on the analysis, two probable scenarios were modeled with LINDA model: a 25% renewable energy-based scenario (RENES) and a 100% renewables-based scenario (MAXRES). Results from RENES and MAXRES scenarios show high penetration of renewable energy sources in electricity generation is theoretically possible with the abundance of renewable energy resources, and thus it is possible for Cuba to move towards 100% renewable energy mix. However, the choices regarding the best fit energy mix need to be carefully analyzed in order to design a least cost system that answers the needs of the future demand.

La utilización de herramientas computacionales, cumplen un rol muy importante en la resolución de problemas de ingeniería, la comprensión de fenómenos acoplados, el diseño y la optimización de productos y procesos, entre otras aplicaciones. Por tal motivo, el trabajo presentado tiene como antecedentes la necesidad de incrementar las horas dedicadas a la experimentación partiendo del uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, facilitando así, al estudiante de ingeniería, el contraste teórico – práctico sin la necesidad de instrumentos de medición, por lo que el objetivo perseguido fue lograr mayores niveles de independencia y protagonismo del estudiante a partir de la utilización de la herramienta EveryCircuit para su versión en Android, adaptado a los contenidos que se imparten en la asignatura de Circuitos Eléctricos en el departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica para estudiantes de segundo año mejorando así el proceso de enseñanza–aprendizaje. La investigación se desarrolló en la carrera de Ingeniería Eléctrica de la Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana, Cujae y sus resultados fueron evaluados a partir de entrevista a los estudiantes.

This paper shows the characteristics of an algorithm that calculates the corona losses of transmission lines. The line can have up to four circuits, with any configuration, with single or bundled conductors, and taking into account the line unbalance. This is achieved by modelling the lines in phase quantities, for active conductor, and calculating the corona losses for each one. The results are given per active conductor and average per bundle. In lines with several conductors per phase the results are given per circuit and a total one. These characteristics allow choosing the most convenient configuration and spacing for the conductor bundles, which will reduce and balance corona losses. The results found with this method show that the value of the losses calculated with the formulas with transmission lines symmetrically transposed is conservative. The configuration and the number of conductors per phase have a noted influence in the value and the asymmetry of the corona losses. In double circuit lines, corona losses can be reduced by changing the arrangement of the phases of circuit two in reference to circuit one, with the advantage that, at the design stage, those changes are costless.

In Latin America, distribution networks are mostly radial, with high energy losses, representing about 16% of the region's electricity consumption. In Cuba, one of the alternatives that has been proposed to reduce these losses is the distribution of photovoltaic (PV) power plants of up to 3 MWp in them. This paper presents a new hybrid optimization algorithm to localize and size PV power plants to minimize energy losses in radial distribution networks. The method localizes the power plants using Empirical Discrete Metaheuristic in conjunction with a novel strategy that reduces the execution time of the algorithm. The sizes are found using the Coordinate Search Method, which performs one‐dimensional searches in the directions of the variables of the objective function. The algorithm was run on a 33‐bus IEEE test system in which up to five power plants were optimally installed, taking into account load variations at the distribution level and changes in the weather conditions under which the power plants operate. It should be noted that the execution times for each scenario did not exceed 30 s. The algorithm was validated by comparing it with other methods found in the literature and proved to be more efficient than them.

This work developed a hybrid optimization algorithm called Combinatorial Optimization with a Coordínate Search Method, which allows for finding the optimal locations and capacities of distributed generation plants in an electrical distribution network. The algorithm was validated in the IEEE 69-bus test system, compared with the Elephant Herding Optimization method. Three scenarios were defined that were executed on the test system. In the first scenario, up to four distributed generation plants were located, reducing the value of the objective function to 0.0177. In the second scenario, satisfactory solutions were found that satisfied critical voltage and current restraints in the electrical system. All stresses were between 1.00 and 1.05 per unit for the first case. In the second case, two lines had the maximum current to flow through them limited to 1.00 ampere. In the third scenario, the algorithm was executed in the presence of capacitor banks. In this case, satisfactory results were also obtained, with reagent consumption in one of the distributed generation plants.