Openly shared low-cost electronic hardware applications, known as open electronics, have sparked a new open-source movement, with much untapped potential to advance scientific research. Initially designed to appeal to electronic hobbyists, open electronics have formed a global “maker” community and are increasingly used in science and industry. In this perspective article, we review the current costs and benefits of open electronics for use in scientific research ranging from the experimental to the theoretical sciences. We discuss how user-made electronic applications can help (I) individual researchers, by increasing the customization, efficiency, and scalability of experiments, while improving data quantity and quality; (II) scientific institutions, by improving access to customizable high-end technologies, sustainability, visibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration potential; and (III) the scientific community, by improving transparency and reproducibility, helping decouple research capacity from funding, increasing innovation, and improving collaboration potential among researchers and the public. We further discuss how current barriers like poor awareness, knowledge access, and time investments can be resolved by increased documentation and collaboration, and provide guidelines for academics to enter this emerging field. We highlight that open electronics are a promising and powerful tool to help scientific research to become more innovative and reproducible and offer a key practical solution to improve democratic access to science.

A brief discussion is presented regarding the current development and applications of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) from the recent achievements in both the academic research and commercial sectors. It is reviewed the architecture of BESS, the applications in grid scale and its benefits of implementing it in power systems. BESS can help to improve the penetration levels of RES (renewable energy resources), and it is listed some of the most relevant application where BESS plays an important role. Also, it is summarized the criteria used to assess the environmental impacts of BESS and how it is compared with conventional units. Finally, some study cases are presented and where BESS have been tested.

Microgrids have become an alternative for integrating distributed generation to supply energy to isolated communities, so their control and optimal management are important. This research designs and simulates the three levels of control of a DC microgrid operating in isolated mode and proposes an Energy Management System (EMS) based on Model Predictive Control (MPC), with real-time measurement feedback for optimal energy dispatch, which ensures power flow distribution and operation at minimum cost while extending the lifespan of the BESS. The EMS can react to disturbances produced in the lower control levels. The microgrid’s performance is analyzed and compared in two scenarios without EMS, and with EMS against changes in irradiation and changes in electricity demand. The fulfillment of the power balance is evaluated by analyzing the power delivered by each generation unit, the operating cost, and the state of charge of the battery (SOC).

A novel SCADA approach for a renewable based microgrid is proposed. The optimization scheme provides online set points for each generation unit, operation modes for a water supply system, and signals for consumers based on a demand side management mechanism. Additionally, different services are developed for supervising, maintenance, and repair procedures. The participation of the community is ensured through appropriate communication and information exchange procedures. The whole scheme configures a Social SCADA solution. Three specific services are described in detail (battery bank maintenance, photovoltaic system efficiency monitoring, and system restoration). The concept is applied to a smart microgrid composed of photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, a diesel generator, a battery bank, and a water supply system. The energy management system of the SCADA minimizes the operational costs while supplying the water and electric load demands. The system is implemented and tested using a real data set from a reference location and with an evaluation by the community. Results show the economic sense of the energy management system and the impact of community participation.

The transition from power systems dominated by synchronous machines to systems based on converter-based generation technologies (CGTs), is weakening currently robust power systems by reducing system inertia with the replacement of synchronous generators with low-inertia CGTs. From a frequency stability viewpoint, this is resulting in faster frequency dynamics and more frequent and larger frequency excursions after system contingencies, thus significantly affecting the stability of power systems dominated by CGTs, requiring detailed stability assessments to ensure the secure integration of CGTs. In this paper, a practical framework is presented for frequency stability studies based on time domain simulations of power systems with CGTs. A fundamental part of the proposed approach is the use of a filter to first identify worst-case scenarios among various possible system operating conditions. Once these worst-case scenarios are identified, a clustering technique is used to select representative worst-case operating conditions to evaluate the frequency stability of the system using time-domain simulations. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated on the Chilean Northern Interconnected System (NIS), where it is shown that the proposed filter is able to quickly identify worst-case scenarios for further study. Moreover, we show that the selected representative operating conditions cover a wide-range of worst-case frequency responses, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed tool for frequency stability analyses.

The World Bank, one of the most important supporters of rural electrification projects, estimates that approximately 1.2 billion people do not have regular access to electricity. In Latin America as a whole, according to the International Energy Agency, the electrification rate has reached 92.3% but that still leaves 33.8 million people without access to electricity (see Figure 1). They live mostly in rural and isolated areas that are often neglected by electrification projects due to the high associated costs and technical difficulties.