Fabian Zuñiga-Cortes

Planificación, gestión, operación y evaluación de microrredes eléctricas aisladas es el resultado de un trabajo de investigación orientado a enfrentar los retos técnicos, económicos, ambientales y sociales de las microrredes. Estos sistemas eléctricos autónomos representan una alternativa estratégica para ampliar el acceso a la electricidad en zonas remotas y no interconectadas, contribuyendo a la sostenibilidad y a la transición energética. La obra ofrece un marco integral para abordar cuatro dimensiones esenciales. En primer lugar, la planificación, entendida como el proceso de dimensionamiento tecnoeconómico y socioambiental que permite definir el tamaño y la configuración más adecuados de una microrred. En segundo lugar, la gestión, que estudia las formas más eficientes de administrar los recursos energéticos distribuidos. En tercer lugar, la operación, que plantea metodologías orientadas a garantizar un funcionamiento confiable y estable. Finalmente, la evaluación, que aporta indicadores y herramientas para medir el desempeño y orientar mejoras continuas. La investigación presentada recurre a enfoques novedosos que integran técnicas de optimización multiobjetivo, multinivel y multicriterio, computación basada en reglas, programación lineal y estrategias de control distribuido. Cada capítulo desarrolla un aspecto clave: desde la planificación en zonas no interconectadas, pasando por la gestión energética, el papel de los sistemas de almacenamiento, hasta la construcción de modelos de evaluación. Esta obra constituye una referencia fundamental para investigadores, profesionales, estudiantes y tomadores de decisión interesados en el diseño, implementación y validación de microrredes, ofreciendo metodologías prácticas y adaptadas al contexto latinoamericano.

The challenges of today’s energy landscape, marked by the search for sustainable development, the expansion of coverage, and the diversification of the energy matrix, allow for electricity systems focusing on renewable energy resources. Microgrids are considered an efficient paradigm for managing distributed renewable energy generation and providing reliable access to electricity in remote areas where the grid has not been extended. However, their planning is a complex task that requires a thorough understanding of various multi-dimensional aspects and decision-making scenarios to define feasible and sustainable alternatives. In this context, this study presents a new planning framework based on a two-stage strategy. The strategy seeks to optimize the capacity of generation resources, considering the microgrid’s operational knowledge in various scenarios and aspects related to its sustainability. The framework was evaluated through a case of planning a microgrid for a remote community in Vaupés, Colombia, considering the local energy potential and demand requirements. Twenty optimized alternatives were identified based on the best compromise levels achieved for a set of performance criteria in the technical, economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

At present, the energy landscape of many countries faces transformational challenges driven by sustainable development objectives, supported by the implementation of clean technologies, such as renewable energy sources, to meet the flexibility and diversification needs of the traditional energy mix. However, integrating these technologies requires a thorough study of the context in which they are developed. Furthermore, it is necessary to carry out an analysis from a sustainable approach that quantifies the impact of proposals on multiple objectives established by stakeholders. This article presents a framework for analysis that integrates a method for evaluating the technical feasibility of resources for photovoltaic solar, wind, small hydroelectric power, and biomass generation. These resources are used to construct a set of alternatives and are evaluated using a hybrid FAHP-TOPSIS approach. FAHP-TOPSIS is used as a comparison technique among a collection of technical, economic, and environmental criteria, ranking the alternatives considering their level of trade-off between criteria. The results of a case study in Valle del Cauca (Colombia) offer a wide range of alternatives and indicate a combination of 50% biomass, and 50% solar as the best, assisting in decision-making for the correct use of available resources and maximizing the benefits for stakeholders.

The growing interest in deploying photovoltaic systems and achieving their benefits as sustainable energy supplier raises the need to seek reliable medium-term and long-term operations with optimal performance and efficient use of economic resources. Cleaning scheduling is one of the activities that can positively impact performance. This work proposes a methodological framework to define the optimal scheduling of the cleaning activities of photovoltaic systems. The framework integrates a forecast model of the performance ratio, including the environmental variables’ effect. In addition, an economic analysis involving the economic losses and maintenance costs of cleaning is used. This framework is applied to a case study of a photovoltaic system located in Yumbo, Colombia. Based on the historical data on irradiance, active energy, temperature, rainfall, and wind speed, the obtained forecast model of the photovoltaic system’s performance ratio in a 60-day horizon has a mean absolute percentage error lesser of than 11%. The next cleaning date is forecasted to be beyond the horizon in a 19-day range, which will decrease as time goes by. This framework was applied to historical data and compared to actual cleaning dates performed by the utility company. The results show a loss of USD 33.616 due to unnecessary, early, or late cleaning activities.