Person:
Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo

Birth Date

1967-07-31

ORCID

0000-0002-7450-2084

Scopus Author ID

56970750100

Afiliación

Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
Universidad de Cuenca, Facultad de Ingeniería, Cuenca, Ecuador
Universidad de Cuenca, Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y Telecomunicaciones(DEET), Cuenca, Ecuador

País

Ecuador

Organizational Units

Organizational Unit

Facultad de Ingeniería

La Facultad de Ingeniería, a inicios de los años 60, mediante resolución del Honorable Consejo Universitario, se formalizó la Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Cuenca, conformada por las escuelas de Ingeniería Civil y Topografía. Esta nueva estructura permitió una mayor especialización y fortalecimiento en áreas clave para el desarrollo regional. Cuenta con programas académicos reconocidos internacionalmente, que promueven y lideran actividades de investigación. Aplica un modelo educativo centrado en el estudiante y con procesos de mejora continua. Establece como prioridad una educación integra, la formación humanística es parte del programa de estudios que complementa a la sólida preparación científico-técnica. Las actividades culturales pertenecen a un programa permanente y activo al interior de nuestras dependencias, a la par de proyectos que desde el alumnado y bajo la supervisión de docentes cumplen con servicios de apoyo a nivel local y regional; promoviendo así una vinculación estrecha con la comunidad.

Job Title

Profesor (T)
Vicerrector Académico de la Universidad de Cuenca (2021- )

Last Name

Espinoza Abad

First Name

Juan Leonardo

Full item page

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 34

Optimal energy management strategies to reduce diesel consumption for a hybrid off-grid system
(2020) Benavides Padilla, Darío Javier; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo; Jurado Melguizo, Francisco; Arévalo Cordero, Wilian Paul
Although climate change is a reality, many off-grid communities continue to use diesel generators for electricity supply. This document presents a strategy to reduce diesel consumption in an out-of-grid system formed by renewable sources (PV-HKT-WT-DG). Three energy dispatch strategies have been proposed to verify the impact on diesel consumption and generator operating hours. In addition, different energy storage technologies (acid lead, lithium-ion, vanadium redox flow, pump storage and supercapacitor) have been considered. The HOMER software has been used to calculate the optimal size of the systems through technical-economic indicators. The results show that it is possible to reduce diesel consumption progressively; however, the cost of energy increases. On the other hand, when using lithium-ion batteries under charge cycle control, the penetration of the diesel generator has been greatly reduced without affecting the cost of the system. Finally, sensitivity analyzes have shown that when demand increases, diesel consumption does not increase significantly by using redox vanadium flow batteries, whereas the diesel generator operating hours decrease significantly in all systems.
Electric-solar boats: an option for sustainable river transportation in the Ecuadorian Amazon
(2015) Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo
Accessibility to the Ecuadorian Amazonian region is critical due to its high level of isolation and lack of infrastructure, which restricts people’s mobility to long walks, river boats, small planes or a combination of them. Building roads in the Amazon region will expedite accessibility and socio-economic development; however it has a high environmental impact. Finding alternative solutions for transportation without endangering the Amazon ecosystem is a challenge for sustainability. Using the extensive network of rivers in the Amazon is becoming a potential solution for transportation. However, this mean of mobility faces its own drawbacks related to fuel cost and availability, environmental impacts and fuel smuggling through the border impacting national security. Electric canoes coupled with renewable energy systems represent an alternative that has been successfully applied in several parts of the world, including Galapagos-Ecuador. Therefore, this paper aims to present a technical-economic analysis of solar canoes to be used in rivers of the southern part of the Ecuadorian Amazonian where more than 500 indigenous families live. These communities now have electricity, through individual photovoltaic systems from the “Yatsa Ii Etsari” project developed by the local utility. The results show that solar canoes are a technical and economical option for autonomous navigation up to 4 hours, representing a sustainable alternative for river transportation in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Políticas para la promoción de las energías renovables en el Ecuador
(Universidad de Cuenca, 2015) Barragán Escandón, Edgar Antonio; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo
Optimal design and energy management for a grid connected renewable hybrid system (PV-HKT-GRID)
(EDP Sciences, 2020) Benavides Padilla, Darío Javier; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo; Jurado, Francisco; Arévalo Cordero, Wilian Paul
The integration of renewable energy is transcendental for sustainable development. This article analyses a hybrid grid-connected system composed of renewable energy technologies (photovoltaichydrokinetic), where several scenarios for energy management are proposed. They include a battery system as energy storage and a system without storage but with resale fee to grid, with the aim of determining the best economic and environmental balance. The results show that, by having a (PV-HKT-GRID) system with energy storage and no resale fee to the grid, the Net Present Cost (NPC) is increased by USD $ 132, 760 and the Cost of Energy (COE) decreases $ 0.013/kWh when compared to the grid. In addition, the same hybrid system without energy storage and no resale fee to grid, presents an energy cost savings of $ 0.043/kWh, and an additional cost of USD $ 43, 630. Finally, if a grid resale rate is included in the renewable hybrid system, then the difference is noticeable, the savings in the Cost of Energy is $ 0.073/kWh and presents a saving in the NPC of USD $ 39, 930. In all cases, CO2 emissions have been avoided.
Energy efficiency of an electric vehicle in a Latin American intermediate city
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2018) Gonzalez Morales, Luis Gerardo; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo; Gonzalez Morales, Luis Gerardo
This study analyzes the behavior of the energy efficiency of an Electric Vehicle (EV) in Cuenca (Ecuador), a Latin American intermediate city, considering factors such as orography of the route as well as traffic conditions that include three field routes with urban, mixed, and high-speed characteristics. Three laboratory-driving cycle tests were carried out Federal Test Procedure (FTP-75), National Emission Ceiling Directive (NEDC) and Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedures (WLTP). In the six environments, the performance was analyzed from mechanical and electrical variables obtained through a communication system under the On-Board Diagnostics II (OBD2) standard that incorporates the vehicle. The data of each sample contains 154 variables of interest, which are then analyzed by correlation to obtain those that affect the energy performance of the EV. With this information, the efficiency in the …
Degradation analysis of 5-year field exposed photovoltaic modules using low-cost thermography, electroluminescence and I-V curve tests in Ecuador
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2020) Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo; Dávila Sacoto, M.A.; Hernández Callejo, Luis; Gonzalez Morales, Luis Gerardo; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo
Detection of degradation of photovoltaic (PV) modules is important for the maintenance and operation of solar PV farms to reduce production losses. Infrarred (IR) Thermography, Electroluminescence (EL) and I-V curve tracers are detection techniques that generally use high-cost equipment, which limits their use in developing countries due to the tight budgets they manage for research and development. This study shows the use of low-cost alternatives to determine the deterioration of 140 solar PV modules at the University of Cuenca-Ecuador. This array has functioned continually without fail for 5 years. Measurement equipment for degradation detection techniques with a cost of less than 1, 000.00USD is used and its application is validated with professional equipment. A power loss of 1.29% per year is obtained. In addition, the use of degradation values obtained from similar studies is proposed to reduce the effort of detecting deterioration modes, whose approximation allows the calculation of the power delivered by the installation with a 2.04% error. A method for the economic quantification due to the losses caused by the deterioration of solar PV modules is also exposed.
Sustainable use of spilled turbinable energy in Ecuador: three different energy storage systems
(2022) González Morales, Luis Gerardo; Posso Rivera, Fausto; Zalamea, Javier; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo
The incorporation of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) in an electrical power system is studied for the application of Energy Time Shift (ETS) or energy arbitrage, taking advantage of the turbinable energy discharged in hydroelectric plants. For this, three storage systems were selected: Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIB), Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB), and Hydrogen Storage Systems (H2SS). The spilled turbinable energy available at the Paute Integral hydropower complex in the Republic of Ecuador is taken as the case study. Based on real data from the operation of these plants, a distinctive element of the study, the performance of the selected energy storage systems was analyzed applying the Analytic Hierarchy of Process for decision-making, where technical, economic, and environmental criteria were considered. Electrical energy stored during the early morning seeks to displace the thermal generation during peak hours, close to the demand centers. The results show that all the storage systems analyzed satisfy the required demand, although VRFB is recommended for the ETS. From an economic point of view, LIB represents the best alternative. From a technical point of view, H2SS is slightly superior, while prioritizing environmental aspects, VRFB technology prevails. However, the selection of the best ESS alternative must be continually evaluated, due to permanent technological changes. It is concluded that ESS represent a viable alternative to improve the operational performance of hydroelectric plants, meet the variability of demand, improve the quality of the electrical energy delivered, and displace the pollution-generation plants.
Charge management of electric vehicles from undesired dynamics in solar photovoltaic generation
(2022) Zorita Lamadrid, Ángel Luis; Davila Sacoto, Miguel Alberto; Gonzalez Morales, Luis Gerardo; Aguirre Pardo, Ivania Carolina; Duque Pérez, Óscar; Hernández Callejo, Luis; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo
Power generation from photovoltaic solar systems contributes to mitigate the problem of climate change. However, the intermittency of solar radiation affects power quality and causes instability in power grids connected to these systems. This paper evaluates the dynamic behavior of solar radiation in an Andean city, which presents rapid power variations that can reach an average of 7.20 kW/min and a variability coefficient of 32.09%. The study applies the ramp-rate control technique to reduce power fluctuations at the point of common coupling (PCC), with the incorporation of an energy storage system. Electric vehicle batteries were used as the storage system due to their high storage capacity and contribution to power system flexibility. The application of the control strategy shows that, with a minimum of five electric vehicle charging stations at the PCC, the rate of change of the photovoltaic can be reduced by 14%.
Study of energy compensation techniques in photovoltaic solar systems with the use of supercapacitors in low-voltage networks
(2020) Gonzalez Morales, Luis Gerardo; Chacón Zhapán, Rommel Marcelo; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo; Delgado Zambrano, Bernardo Esteban; Benavides Padilla, Darío Javier
The power generated by photovoltaic solar systems is exposed to high variability of irradiance mainly due to weather conditions, which cause instability in the electrical networks connected to these systems. This study shows the typical behavior of solar irradiance in an Andean city, which presents considerable variations that can reach up to 63% of the nominal power of the photovoltaic system, at time intervals in the order of seconds. The study covers the application of 3 techniques to reduce power fluctuations at the point of common coupling (PCC), with the incorporation of energy storage systems, under the same irradiance conditions. Supercapacitors were used as the storage system, which were selected for their high e ciency and useful life. A state of charge control is also applied by means of a hysteresis band. The three algorithms studied show similar behaviors; however, the ramp control technique has the best performance.
Harmonic Distortion and Hosting Capacity in Electrical Distribution Systems with High Photovoltaic Penetration: The Impact of Electric Vehicles
(2023) Gonzalez Morales, Luis Gerardo; Espinoza Abad, Juan Leonardo
Electric vehicles and the charging stations and their operation require a thorough examination to evaluate the effects on the electrical network. This becomes particularly challenging in the case of high photovoltaic penetration, due to the variability of the solar resource and vehicle connection patterns, which cater to individual user preferences. The current study investigates the impact of harmonics generated by charging stations and electric vehicles on different photovoltaic penetration scenarios within an electrical distribution system. DC and AC charging stations are analyzed. The findings reveal a third harmonic magnitude increase exceeding 300% compared to other cases. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the effects of current and voltage variations on end-users and substation transformers. The impact of harmonics on the hosting capacity of the network is also analyzed, resulting in a 37.5% reduction in the number of vehicles.