Technical-economic analysis of the implementation of a microgrid with integration of renewable energies in the Esmeraldas Canton, Ecuador

Abstract

The integration of renewable energy technologies and the consequent reduction in investment costs has led to an increase in the use of distributed energy resources (DER), which has allowed the deployment of more and more microgrids. Despite the many benefits that can be derived from microgrids, they still face many barriers to participating in the electricity industry compared to traditional grids. This paper proposes to address the implications of installing renewable energy in the parish 5 de Agosto, Stone Mine Sector of the city of Esmeraldas, through a technical-economic analysis of the implementation of a microgrid using the HOMER network software. The analysis shows that implementing a microgrid for renewable energy production significantly reduces total costs, unit energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions over the entire project life cycle. Finally, it is concluded that the photovoltaic matrix produces 82.3%, wind turbines 15.3% and the contribution from the grid is 2.45% of the total energy, respectively. The percentage of renewable energies in the system is 100%.