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Colombia has made different efforts to contribute to fulfilling its international commitments to curb climate change by reducing emissions and promoting technological development and project financing. However, the existing policies and regulatory framework primarily focus on promoting the photovoltaic industry for electricity production. Likewise, the energy sector has neglected the potential of solar thermal energy as a heat source. In this sense, it is necessary to redouble efforts through new public policies that integrate solar thermal energy in the residential and productive sectors. Using solar thermal energy for heating can contribute to the energy transition and meet its sustainable development goals. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to analyze Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to determine the potential application of thermal solar heat in Colombia while considering the local context. Factors such as their environmental conditions, policies, and regulations; the existence of international agreements; and their political status in general were analyzed. The analysis revealed Colombia's significant solar heat potential, enabling over 1.3 million cold-climate households to access hot water or reduce firewood use. Industrially, applying solar heat in 5% of the current industry could decrease fossil fuel consumption by 13 PJ. The findings highlight that Colombia's potential in thermal solar energy necessitates collaborative efforts, legislative reinforcement, climate-adaptive measures, and the resolution of political and social challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the optimal sizing of islanded microgrids (MGs), which use diesel generators to supply energy in off-grid areas. The MG under study integrates photovoltaic (PV) and diesel generation, a battery energy storage System (BESS), and an inverter for the connection between AC and DC voltage buses. Levelised cost of energy (LCOE) and annual system cost (ASC) are considered economic indicators, while the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) is used as a reliability indicator. Fiscal incentives such as the tax benefits and accelerated depreciation applied in Colombia are considered for the optimally sizing of each MG element. Solar measurements were taken at a weather station located in the main campus of Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia at a latitude of 6.10 and longitude of −75.38. The objective function is the minimization of the total energy delivered from the power sources that successfully meets the load. The model was implemented in Python programming language considering several scenarios. Two cases were evaluated: the first one considered PV panels, a BESS and a diesel generator, while the second one only considered PV panels and a BESS. The option that does not include the diesel generator turned out to be the most expensive, since additional PV and BESS resources are required to meet the load profile. Furthermore, it was found that the LCOE was lower when tax benefits were taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Colombia many families live under conditions of unfulfilled basic needs. Particularly the discontinuity or absence of the electric energy service. In this work we focus on electric light and how the presence or absence of a proper electric lighting service modifies the habits inside homes in Non-Interconnected Zones (NIZ). These are regions which due to the long distances from the principal urban areas or the roughness of the local topography, are not connected to the national electrical network, as are described by the national government. We report the results of field work with families in different NIZ with varied geographical characteristics based on these testimonies and experiences. In addition to the review of existing design proposals, both the requirements and the determinants are established as well as the qualities and characteristics that a proposal adapted to the uses, customs and conditions in these territories in Colombia must have, while fostering a non-destructive relationship with the ecosystem in NIZ. This lays the groundwork for the development of design proposals for lighting in NIZ households to build healthy habits, meet basic needs and improve living condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurídicas CUC is the property of Corporacion Universidad de la Costa, CUC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Advances in new technologies and the desire to achieve a sustainable and safe energy supply, enable communities to transition from conventional to renewable resources, such as geothermal energy. Perception and acceptance amongst different audiences have a high impact on the feasibility of energy projects, which is an important aspect to analyze. For this reason, this study focuses on describing the level of awareness and acceptance of deep geothermal energy within an educated segment of the population in five European and American countries (Canada, Colombia, Chile, Belgium, and France) at different stages of geothermal development. This study was conducted through an online survey, which was targeted to post-secondary students and professionals. Some of the most significant conclusions are: (1) there is a high degree of awareness of geothermal energy among the respondents in Chile and Canada, a medium level in Belgium and France, and a low one in Colombia; (2) there is a favorable acceptance of a geothermal project in each country, even when hydraulic stimulation is considered; (3) environmental aspects and community safety are the most important issues that must be addressed to support a pilot geothermal project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The off-grid communities in Colombia are characterised by the diversity of their geography, socio-cultural contexts, and structures of the system. Despite their potential, the opportunities for access to energy and therefore other conditions to develop education, productivity, health, technological projects, and recreation are highly limited. Under those conditions, the implementation of projects with water and/or energy solutions based on renewable sources would bridge the gaps of isolation and social marginalisation that have detained the future of these communities for years. Projects around water and/or energy require the input of external stakeholders to communities, despite of the willingness to change their realities towards a better lifestyle. To achieve a common point of interests among stakeholders, the dialogues, the understanding of the community cosmovision and the ethical perspectives regarding the use of natural resources are needed. Furthermore, it is necessary to identify perceptions of confidence and risk of renewable energy projects within the community. To design water and/or energy solutions based on the abovementioned in a sustainable manner, the framework "Community, wAter-Renewable Energies, Diversity" CARED is being developed, for which the first phase in its implementation is presented. The process has been carried out in the Wayuu indigenous community "La Paz" located nearby Manaure in La Guajira state in the northeast of Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colombia is a country with great potential for the exploitation of geothermal energy due to its high volcanic activity caused by the subduction between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. However, this energy is yet to be exploited. This article seeks to describe, by means of a literature review and information processing, the current status of geothermal energy in Colombia, including the current regulations, the limitations, the recommendations to develop the geothermal energy, and some of the most important projects, studies, and research papers that have been emerged on the discovery, exploration, and exploitation of geothermal energy within the country, emphasizing the areas where exploration projects have been initiated, such as the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, the Tufiño-Chiles-Cerro Negro volcanic system, the Azufral volcano geothermal area, and the Paipa geothermal area. Over the years, energy vulnerability in Colombia and a government policy of fostering sustainable development in different territories have generated favorable conditions for the exploitation of geothermal resources. Nevertheless, there are several technical, infrastructural, legal, and institutional barriers that slow the proper development of these projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Magdalena River mouth in Colombia is studied as a candidate site for a renewable power plant via osmotic energy technology, using pressure retarded osmosis. This power generation plant would operate through the controlled mix of two flows with different salinities (river water and seawater in this case study). A preliminary design of a pressure retarded osmosis power plant is proposed here by means of experimental data acquisition on-site at the river mouth. The obtained net power production is shown to reach 6 MW, with adequate membrane power densities above 5 W/m2. These promising results consider energetic losses involved in the process, which have been further analysed to propose improvement targets in pretreatment processes and membrane permeability. • A novel energy source from osmotic gradients at a river mouth in Colombia is studied. • Experimental data are used to evaluate the potential of an osmotic power plant. • The feasibility of the osmotic energy plant is shown to be very promising. • Pretreatment processes and membrane properties need improvement for better efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work analyzes four tax incentives on the financial viability of microgrids. • Tax incentives positively impact the financial feasibility of microgrid projects. • Accelerated depreciation and VAT exemption are the most attractive tax incentives. • Operation mode and demand size influence on impact intensity of the tax incentives. • Purchase and sell-back prices and renewable capacity affect the financial viability. In recent years, the interest in the study and implementation of distributed generation systems and microgrids has increased. Seeking to promote the expansion of renewable generation, several countries have established specific tax policies and incentives. These strategies can have different impacts on the financial viability of the projects; therefore, decision-makers may find some policies more effective than others. This paper aims to compare and analyze the impact of some of the most common tax incentives on microgrid projects' financial feasibility. Four tax incentives are considered in the study: income tax deduction (ITD), accelerated depreciation (AD), vat exemption VATE), and customs duty exemption (CDE). Such analysis is based on obtaining the cash flows and comparing financial indicators. The case study considers two locations in Colombia with both stand-alone and grid-tied MGs, for four MGs in total, whose sizing is obtained by HOMER Pro and HOMER Grid. A sensitivity analysis is performed to generalize the findings to microgrid projects around the world, which considers variations of the four tax incentives, purchase and sell-back prices, renewable installed capacity, and specific year for starting the application of AD and ITD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ingenium is the property of Facultad de Ciencias Basicas e Ingenieria de Universidad de San Buenaventura, Revista Ingenium and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The gain in net power produced by Salinity Gradient plants in river mouths due to the optimal location of water intakes is analysed in this paper. More precisely, this work focuses on stratified river mouths and the membrane-based technology of Pressure-Retarded Osmosis. A methodology for this analysis is proposed and then applied to a case study in Colombia. Temperature, salinity and water discharge data were gathered at the Magdalena river mouth to develop a hydrodynamic model that represents the salinity profile along the river channel. The net power production of a pressure-retarded osmosis plant is then estimated based on the power produced at membrane level, considering different locations for the saltwater and freshwater intakes. The most adequate locations for the intakes are then deduced by balancing higher power production (due to higher salinity differences between the water intakes) with lower pumping costs (due to shorter pumping distances from the intakes). For the case study analysed, a gain of 14% can be achieved by carefully selecting the water intakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]