Science seeks strategies to mitigate global warming and reduce the negative impacts of the long-term use of fossil fuels for power generation. In this sense, implementing and promoting renewable energy in different ways becomes one of the most effective solutions. The inaccuracy in the prediction of power generation from photovoltaic (PV) systems is a significant concern for the planning and operational stages of interconnected electric networks and the promotion of large-scale PV installations. This study proposes the use of Machine Learning techniques to model the photovoltaic power production for a system in Medellín, Colombia. Four forecasting models were generated from techniques compatible with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence methods: K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Linear Regression (LR), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). The results obtained indicate that the four methods produced adequate estimations of photovoltaic energy generation. However, the best estimate according to RMSE and MAE is the ANN forecasting model. The proposed Machine Learning-based models were demonstrated to be practical and effective solutions to forecast PV power generation in Medellin.

This article proposes a novel design methodology for hybrid isolated microgrids, integrating electric vehicles (EV) as additional loads and also as additional storage systems in the microgrid design stage. The proposed method highlights the application of electric vehicles in rural environments. Two types of electric vehicles were considered: (1) EV that only operate in charging mode; and (2) EV that can interchange power with the microgrid (V2G). For both EV types, a dispatch strategy was developed to optimize the use of the system resources during the charging process. As an application example of the proposed design methodology, a hybrid microgrid was designed for the rural Colombian village of Unguía. The results show the advantages of the inclusion of EV as ancillary services providers for the system and also as public transportation agents.

El presente trabajo de investigación evaluó el fortalecimiento que tienen las competencias demandadas por la actual sociedad de la información y el conocimiento a través de la implementación de estrategias o actividades enmarcadas dentro de los procesos de investigación aplicada y desarrollo experimental en una institución de educación superior. La investigación tuvo un enfoque mixto donde se utilizaron técnicas como la encuesta y la entrevista mediante instrumentos como el cuestionario con escalas Tipo Likert y entrevistas estructuradas que fueron aplicadas a la comunidad educativa de docentes, estudiantes y administrativos. Los datos obtenidos de estos instrumentos fueron procesados y analizados a través de los softwares R®, Python® y NVIVO®. Las conclusiones indican que la implementación de las actividades puede favorecer la adquisición y el fortalecimiento de competencias demandadas por la sociedad actual, tanto en aspectos genéricos (básicas y transversales) como específicos (técnicas).

In this paper we address the problem of managing the energy production of a microgrid while satisfying a given demand. Emerging from the Smart Grid technologies, microgrids can be considered as subsections of the main grid with the capability to operate connected or isolated from the main network. An Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC) scheme is proposed in order to achieve the optimal economic performance in the operational costs of the microgrid. The control scheme is tested in a simulated microgrid composed of a wind turbine, a set of PV panels, an energy storage device, and the connection to the main grid.

Today, air quality is one of the global concerns that governments are facing. One of the main air pollutants is the particulate matter (PM) which affects human health. This article presents the modeling of a purification system by means of negative air ions (NAIs) for air pollutant removal, using computational intelligence methods. The system uses a high-voltage booster output to ionize air molecules from stainless steel electrodes; its particle-capturing efficiency reaches up to 97%. With two devices (5 cm × 2 cm × 2.5 cm), 2 trillion negative ions are produced per second, and the particulate matter (PM 2.5) can be reduced from 999 to 0 mg/m³ in a period of approximately 5 to 7 minutes (in a 40 cm × 40 cm × 40 cm acrylic chamber). This negative ion generator is a viable and sustainable alternative to reduce polluting emissions, with beneficial effects on human health.

El Índice de Libertad Económica (ILE), elaborado por The Heritage Foundation, ha proporcionado una referencia frente a la política económica para aquellos países que aspiran a un dinamismo y prosperidad económica superior. Este artículo pretende resaltar la importancia que tiene mejorar los índices de Libertad Económica en Colombia, para lo cual se comparan y analizan los resultados de los factores implícitos en la Libertad Económica de las PYMES, realizando el contraste entre Colombia y diferentes países de América del Sur, y discutiendo los aspectos que inciden en el estado actual de cada factor a la luz cifras de crecimiento económico y financiero, y de un rastreo de información documental. El análisis muestra la importancia que tienen las decisiones que se toman en cuanto a las políticas económicas del Gobierno, la necesidad de encaminar el Estado, a uno más eficiente, transparente y de menor regulación, permitiendo el desarrollo empresarial y social en la nación, dando mejores condiciones a la sociedad con la reducción de índices de desempleo, pobreza y desigualdad.