Análisis técnico del mini-parque eólico de la Universidad de Cuenca: comparación de aerogeneradores de eje horizontal y vertical

Abstract

In the last decade, electric sector in Ecuador has been developing in a speed-up way because of the population growth and expansion of the electrical demand of the country. This led the Ecuadorian State to propose a change in the energy generation matrix, promoting the development of renewable energies and particularly large-scale hydroelectric projects, in order to set aside the traditional paradigm that considers fossils fuel-based thermoelectric power plants as their main source of generation. This new impulse also seeks to expand electricity coverage and bring access to marginal rural sectors using small-scale renewable energies, where wind energy is one of the most viable options. However, this option has been, in practice, very little explored in the country. In the present project, an analysis of electric power generation in the mini- wind park farm of the University of Cuenca located in Tarqui parish of Cuenca canton, in the Irquis farm, is developed. The park is composed of three different technology wind turbines (vertical and horizontal axes), and located at different heights (18 and 24 meters). Starting from an evaluation analysis of the wind resource in the area with the data obtained from a meteorological station located at the installation site of the wind turbines, the required studies and comparisons are carried out, in order to determine the wind turbine that presents the best performance, as well as estimating the energy production of the mini-wind park farm, and estimating the percentage that covers the demand of the Irquis farm. The methodology and the results presented, convert this document into a pioneering study on small-scale wind generation in Ecuador.