City growth goes together with the development of infrastructure, and the power network is one of the most relevant towards economic development. The study of urban infrastructure through the analysis of anthropization coupled with power network growth can produce a tool that supports sustainable infrastructure planning, both economic and environmental. The case study focuses on Ambato, Ecuador, in the period from 1950 to 2019, and assesses quantitatively the changes in the city layout and the evolution of its power network. The data are adjusted to a sigmoid-type objective function through a non-linear least squares problem, that is solved using the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) method. Anthropization data show how the urban area grew during the study period: at the expense of agricultural land. The forecast for new power network users by 2050 yields a result of 203,630 total users with a population density of 4850 people/km 2 . The conclusion is that this type of analysis can help city planners and decision makers further understand city and infrastructure growth dynamics and produce policies that bolster sustainable city growth.Sustainability 2020, 12, 1486 2 of 17 multi-family), but also the service networks, including the power network. However, most modern Latin American cities have experienced a fragmented urban growth, through lots and suburbs, often under speculative pressure and unplanned self-construction as new land is made available and has access to service infrastructure [5].Documenting the growth of a city can be very useful if the drawings are made with further purpose than observing formal chronological aspects of the architectural background [6]. Adding other backgrounds and variables to cross evaluate and analyse gives a better understanding of unforeseen growth tendencies and brings up otherwise hidden deficiencies of the urban service networks in the different areas of the city. This information is very valuable when establishing sustainable urban planning criteria [7,8], Herce and Miró Farellons suggest five development lines to reformulate urban models from a sustainability standpoint [9]. These include relating service infrastructure with land use in order to increase efficiency.The study of anthropization together with infrastructure growth is an essential tool to assess the state of a city and determine actions to bolster its sustainability based on economic parameters (economic accessibility, production, private sector, public services, jobs); environmental parameters (agriculture, water, air, energy, environmental management, resources, waste, noise); social parameters (quality of life, environmental education, population, identity, social inclusion, participation, safety, and health); and urban parameters (equipment, street furniture, green areas, planning and management, land, transportation) [10][11][12]. In this context, urban infrastructure includes transportation networks, fresh water and sewers networks, power network, and information network, as well as the managemen...

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On 2013 the Villonaco wind farm (16.5 MW), the first wind farm in continental Ecuador near the city of Loja, began operations. The power generated is delivered to the National Interconnected System (SNI), which services the city. This research confronts two sets of real data, the electricity use of the urban area of Loja, and the power generated by the Villonaco Wind Farm. Electricity use follows clearly defined daily and weekly cycles, and wind power has a seasonal behaviour. The study shows that wind power integration cannot be a long-term stable power source regardless power or generation surplus. Another essential finding is that time series can be used as a statistical source to determine the need for short- (seconds) and long- (days, weeks) term energy storage. Strategies to further the energy autonomy of the urban area through the expansion of the wind farm by a factor of 2 are discussed.