In many studies of lightning flash characterization, the lightning generated electric field measuring system uses a circuit based on the buffer-amplifier LH0033. This circuit was proposed 35 years ago and there is no doubt of its excellent performance to measure the lightning electric field intensity. However, LH0033 is no longer manufactured, making it necessary to find a replacement. This paper proposes an improvement of the electric field measuring system, which consists of a new electronic circuit that uses the buffer-amplifier BUF602. This circuit presents a similar performance of the classic circuit, but has a lower energy consumption and allows its implementation in surface mount technology, which reduces the space required for the circuit. The field tests were performed in Bogotá, Colombia during a complete thunderstorm season and their results show that new circuit is a good alternative for measuring electric field signals with a bandwidth up to 11 MHz.

Over time, several relationships have been defined between electricity consumption and a region’s social and economic variables, with income as the main factor. This paper uses multiple correspondence analysis to identify the categories of dwellings and, from a graphical point of view (positioning maps), the effects of the different characteristics that influence the electricity consumption of households in rural areas of Cundinamarca, Colombia. In this analysis, the consumption of residential users responded mainly to what they can afford or acquire based on their income, consumption habits, and the characteristics of the technology. Furthermore, this study highlights the implications of these findings for policymakers and energy providers, providing valuable insights for developing targeted strategies to promote energy efficiency and sustainability in rural areas. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of electricity consumption and highlights the importance of tailoring energy-related interventions to the specific socio-economic context of rural communities, in this case in Cundinamarca.

Context: Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a well-established process and widely used for wastewater treatment and power generation worldwide. In engineering, the Anaerobic Digestion Model number 1 (ADM1) is the preferred tool for predicting the behavior of AD. However, this model requires a detailed characterization of the input substrate, which is often a difficult and expensive process. This paper presents an analysis of the input waste variables in the ADM1 and its effects on the biogas production, in order to identify on which variables the characterization should be centered.Method: A sensitivity analysis was performed using a simple methodology that consisted of establishing a reference case and change the value of each input concentrations one at a time leaving the other parameters equal. For this a specific range of variation was defined using the values of parameter extracted from several references. Simulations were done in MATLAB/Simulink® using a routine developed by the authors based on the ADM1 implementation proposed in the Lund University, Sweden.Results: The analysis reveals that most critical variables involved in the methane production are temperature, volumetric flow rate of substrates and the concentrations of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. For the case analyzed, variations in concentrations of lipids and carbohydrates increase the production of methane by more than 500%.Conclusions: In the concentrations of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates should focus the characterization of waste input when the ADM1 is implemented. Also, simulations shows that the input concentrations should be carefully estimated because oversizing of these can cause erroneous results.Language: English