The earned value method (EVM) is an internationally known technique for project management that emphasizes the control of project cost performance and duration, thus allowing trends to be identified during execution and warning the project manager of variances that may affect the project so that they can take the necessary corrective measures. In this research, the finished projects of a construction company in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, were assessed. EVM was applied to projects from a database developed with information from each one to rebuild past events, existing problems, and critical points and evaluate the performance over time. The results of this analysis are meant to determine the project’s success, calculating the cost variance at the end. EVM motivates project stakeholders to pay attention to costs and progress so that timely actions can be taken to optimize resources, resulting in the completion of a project within budget and on time. In conclusion, EVM plays an essential role in the integral management of the project in terms of scope, time, and cost. Moreover, there are now guidelines for applying this method as a control tool in future construction projects.

In this research, the modeling, simulation, and analysis of the energy conversion equations that describe the behavior of a hybrid photovoltaic and wind turbine system that supplies electrical energy to an average organic architecture is performed. Organic constructions have a philosophy that seeks to understand and integrate into the site, taking advantage of the natural potentials and their resources of the surrounding areas so that they form part of a unified and correlated composition. The rooms in these buildings are designed similar to a bean, inspired by the uterus of a mother and her child who are comfortable, at rest, and alive. We are left with the task of spreading this research to integrate its energy potential from the surroundings and transform it into autonomous electrical energy. In this article, a numerical model based on the fundamental equations was developed and coded, and the results compared with experimental data with a real airplane-type system located in a remote area of Ecuador. The model is intended to be used as an optimization and design tool for such hybrid systems applied to organic constructions. After an error analysis it was determined that this model predicted quite interesting results compared to the experimental data under various conditions. It is important to indicate that this analysis has been carried out so that in the future, these power generation systems can be exploited and applied more efficiently in areas far from the public electricity grid.

The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is caused by the anthropic alteration of the natural environment by urban expansion, its impermeable surfaces, and anthropic activities. In addition, urban morphology can also contribute to the increase in temperature in cities. The UHI effect can be described as an urban climate that is generally characterized by higher temperatures in densely built-up areas compared to surrounding areas. This effect impacts the environmental stress of the city and directly affects the health and quality of life of its inhabitants. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate resources to understand the UHI mechanism in cities in order to propose appropriate mitigation measures that will reduce energy consumption and improve living conditions. In this context, this research was aimed at analyzing the behavior of urban heat islands by replacing asphalt with cool paving materials (concrete) in roadways. Through computer simulations, using the ENVI-met software, the thermal variations of urban heat islands were examined. The city of Cuenca (Ecuador) was selected as the study area. The day of the analysis was 22 January 2020, which was recorded as the warmest day of the year, registering an average temperature of 16 °C. The findings of this research evidenced that, by replacing asphalt pavements with concrete pavements in the analyzed zones, land surface temperature (LST) could be reduced by 8 °C and the global LST of the studied areas could be reduced by approximately 3 °C. Consequently, the mean air temperature of the study areas reflected a decrease of up to 0.83 °C.

The transformation of energy markets is at a crossroads in the search for how they must evolve to become ecologically friendly systems and meet the growing energy demand. Currently, methodologies based on bibliographic data analysis are supported by information and communication technologies and have become necessary. More sophisticated processes are being used in energy systems, including new digitalization models, particularly driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In the present bibliographic review, 342 documents indexed in Scopus have been identified that promote synergies between AI and the energy transition (ET), considering a time range from 1990 to 2024. The analysis methodology includes an evaluation of keywords related to the areas of AI and ET. The analyses extend to a review by authorship, co-authorship, and areas of AI’s influence in energy system subareas. The integration of energy resources, including supply and demand, in which renewable energy sources play a leading role at the end-customer level, now conceived as both producer and consumer, is intensively studied. The results identified that AI has experienced notable growth in the last five years and will undoubtedly play a leading role in the future in achieving decarbonization goals. Among the applications that it will enable will be the design of new energy markets up to the execution and start-up of new power plants with energy control and optimization. This study aims to present a baseline that allows researchers, legislators, and government decision-makers to compare their benefits, ambitions, strategies, and novel applications for formulating AI policies in the energy field. The developments and scope of AI in the energy sector were explored in relation to the AI domain in parts of the energy supply chain. While these processes involve complex data analysis, AI techniques provide powerful solutions for designing and managing energy markets with high renewable energy penetration. This integration of AI with energy systems represents a fundamental shift in market design, enabling more efficient and sustainable energy transitions. Future lines of research could focus on energy demand forecasting, dynamic adjustments in energy distribution between different generation sources, energy storage, and usage optimization.

This research presents a 100% renewable energy (RE) scenario by 2050 with a high share of electric vehicles on the grid (V2G) developed in Ecuador with the support of the EnergyPLAN analysis tool. Hour-by-hour data iterations were performed to determine solutions among various features, including energy storage, V2G connections that spanned the distribution system, and long-term evaluation. The high participation in V2G connections keeps the electrical system available; meanwhile, the high proportions of variable renewable energy are the pillar of the joint electrical system. The layout of the sustainable mobility scenario and the high V2G participation maintain the balance of the electrical system during most of the day, simplifying the storage equipment requirements. Consequently, the influence of V2G systems on storage is a significant result that must be considered in the energy transition that Ecuador is developing in the long term. The stored electricity will not only serve as storage for future grid use. Additionally, the V2G batteries serve as a buffer between generation from diversified renewable sources and the end-use stage.

In this research, an analysis of the electricity market in Ecuador is carried out, a portfolio of projects by source is presented, which are structured in maps with a view to an energy transition according to the official data provided. State policies are analyzed, as well as the opportunities for development in renewable energies offered by the reform of the Organic Law of the Electric Power Public Service. Additionally, the roadmap is presented, which includes an increase in the levels of renewable energies and a decrease in fossil fuels in consideration of the growing demand for electrical energy with a view to 2050 in accordance with the state approaches defined in recent years. It is considered that the total 100% renewable installed capacity by 2050 is 26,551.18 MW compared to 11,306.26 MW in 2020 between renewable and non-renewable. It is expected that the current legal framework will continue to articulate strategies for a greater penetration of renewable energies, that national purposes be achieved and international agreements celebrated both regionally and globally be fulfilled, so it is important that sufficient resources are allocated to achieve this long-awaited energy transition in Ecuador.