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This paper compares the potential for building energy saving of various passive and active strategies and on-site power generation through a grid-connected solar photovoltaic system (SPVS). The case study is a student welfare unit from a university campus located in the tropical climate (Aw) of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The proposed approach aims to identify the most effective energy saving strategy for building retrofit in this climate. For this purpose, we modeled the base line of the building and proposed energy saving scenarios that were evaluated independently. All building simulations were done in OpenStudio-EnergyPlus, while the on-site power generation was carried out using the Homer PRO software. Results indicated that the incorporation of daylighting controls accounted for the highest energy savings of around 20% and 14% in total building energy consumption, and cooling loads, respectively. Also, this strategy provided a reduction of about 35% and 43% in total building energy consumption, and cooling loads, respectively, when combined with triple low-e coating glazing and active measures. On the other hand, the total annual electric energy delivered by the SPVS (output power converter) was 66,590 kWh, from where 48,497 kWh was supplied to the building while the remaining electricity was injected into the grid.

This paper presents a technical, economic, and environmental analysis and optimization of the impact of the reduction of diesel fuel subsidy in the design of an off-grid hybrid power system (OHPS). The OHPS includes a diesel generator, battery energy storage system (BESS), and a solar power system (SPS). This impact will focus on the electricity production levels of each of the OHPS components according to the increase of the fuel price and the SPS size. The Bellavista community in Ecuador was selected as the case study for this work. In this South American country, the government has begun a gradual increase in the diesel fuel price until it reaches international prices. Fifteen scenarios of OHPSs were simulated, in Homer Pro software, considering three SPS sizes and varying the diesel fuel price in five values. The annual load profile for the simulations was built based on the information of a previous study in this community. The results showed that for lower fuel prices (USD$0.26/L and USD$0.35/L), the OHPSs worked mostly with their diesel generators with reduced use of their BESSs. However, there was a higher penetration of the power delivered from the SPSs and BESSs, with higher fuel prices (USD$0.44/L, USD$0.53/L, and USD$0.62/L). These OHPSs considerably reduced their CO2 emissions compared with the standalone diesel generator scenario.

This paper presents an assessment of the effect of the solar reflectance of roofing assemblies on the thermal behavior of a social interest dwelling model located in six representative cities in Ecuador. The model house complies the Ecuadorian building standard. The solar reflectances of 23 local commercial roofing samples were measured following the E1918A Procedure. The thermal behavior of the dwelling was simulated in EnergyPlus. The models use input data, such as: loads and schedules, provided by previous studies on social dwellings. The hours of thermal discomfort based on ASHRAE Standard 55-2013 adaptive model were obtained for each case by varying the experimental solar reflectance of the roofing sample and meteorological data for each hourly time step calculation. Results indicated that the 1808001-50 sample provided between 3240 to 5524 discomfort hours in all cases, being the most suitable roofing assembly for all studied cities due to its higher solar reflectance.

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