Las ciudades propician un alto impacto ambiental en el sitio y en el entorno por sus requerimientos energéticos. En este artículo analizamos la implementación de la tecnología solar fotovoltaica (PV) como alternativa de autoaprovisionamiento energético limpio en un sector de uso mixto-residencial en la ciudad ecuatorial andina de Cuenca, Ecuador. A partir de las demandas energéticas de las edificaciones de la zona seleccionada, a través de LiDAR se identifican techumbres que, por su geometría, orientación o emplazamiento, son adecuadas para la instalación de paneles PV. Se obtienen consumos energéticos reales y, usando el software SAM con datos climáticos locales, se simula la capacidad de autoabastecimiento con la integración de PVs para alcanzar la neutralidad energética en cada inmueble. Se determina la generación eléctrica conjunta y se establece que la demanda energética puede ser cubierta en un 94,88%, con la instalación de 427 placas PV de 335 Wp distribuidas en 29 predios y con requerimiento de ocupación espacial de 11,95% de las cubiertas disponibles. Finalmente, se concluye que por espacio en techumbres se puede autoabastecer la totalidad de la demanda eléctrica, siendo incluso esta una alternativa para cubrir demandas alternativas como cocción y transporte que actualmente se solventan con combustibles fósiles.

The performance of solar thermal technology under high-altitude equatorial climatic and solar path conditions has not been determined. Evacuated tube solar collectors are more efficient than flat plate collectors in cold and cloudy regions; however, due to their dependence on orientation, the irradiation incidence between the tubes of these collectors can be blocked. In this study, the performance of these types of collectors was analyzed to determine the implications of their orientation under these specific climate conditions. Four solar thermal systems were installed: two of the systems used evacuated tube collectors, and two used flat plate collectors. Each collector was connected to storage and discharge points to simulate residential consumption when observing the real performance of the four systems in terms of irradiation availability. The evacuated tube collectors were more efficient and reduced the backup energy requirement by up to 20.6% more on average than the flat plate collectors. In addition, the performance of the evacuated tube collectors increased by up to 9.8% when the tubes were arranged parallel to the solar path, compared to when they were arranged perpendicular to the solar path, verifying that the blockage effect is an important parameter to consider for evacuated tube technology. The main novelty of this research is the comparison of these two technologies under different orientations, with perpendicular and parallel dispositions toward the solar path, in a high-altitude equatorial location where solar collectors are not typically oriented in any particular orientation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first complete analysis of real systems deployed under these conditions.

Environmental comfort is fundamental for teaching and learning processes. This work focuses on identifying shortcomings and proposing improvements for educational buildings in the Andean equatorial climate. A quantitative experimental methodology was employed, which included collecting thermal comfort data to calibrate the use of the DesignBuilder v7 environmental simulation software. Issues with thermal weakness in the carpentry were identified, both due to the choice of materials and construction sealing. These are common weaknesses that arise in the context of the Andean Ecuadorian climate, but which affect moments of thermal discomfort during study hours. With the calibrated simulator, thermal improvements achievable by working on the carpentry to reduce infiltrations by half and improving glazing with double-glazed and triple-glazed windows, achieving even uniformity in thermal transmittance compared to other envelope materials, were analyzed. By reducing infiltrations alone, the average temperature increased by between 1.07 °C and 1.61 °C, surpassing the minimum comfort threshold and remaining within locally accepted temperatures throughout the day. With very-high-standard glazing, additional improvements are made, increasing the average temperature by an additional 0.30 °C to 0.69 °C, resulting in a less efficient alternative.

This article presents an empirical evaluation of the technical and economic performance of a building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) system implemented at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Cuenca, Ecuador. This study explores both stages of deployment, beginning with a 7.7 kWp pilot system and later scaling to a full 75.6 kWp configuration. This hourly monitoring of power exchanges with utility was conducted over several months using high-resolution instrumentation and cloud-based analytics platforms. A detailed comparison between projected energy output, recorded production, and real energy consumption was carried out, revealing how seasonal variability, cloud cover, and academic schedules influence system behavior. The findings also include a comparison between billed and actual electricity prices, as well as an analysis of the system’s payback period under different cost scenarios, including state-subsidized and real-cost frameworks. The results confirm that energy exports are frequent during weekends and that daily generation often exceeds on-site demand on non-working days. Although the university benefits from low electricity tariffs, the system demonstrates financial feasibility when broader public cost structures are considered. This study highlights operational outcomes under real-use conditions and provides insights for scaling distributed generation in institutional settings, with particular relevance for Andean urban contexts with similar solar profiles and tariff structures.