Techno-Economic Analysis and Optimization of the Hybrid System for a Research Campus—Case Study Center for Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer in Cuenca-Ecuador

Energy development based on renewable energy has gained widespread acceptance in society, especially in recent years. Among the initiatives currently being promoted are those promoted by higher education institutions that utilize available space on their campuses by configuring energy systems to incorporate renewable generation technologies. This study conducts a techno-economic analysis of a hybrid energy system that combines photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, hydrokinetic turbines, batteries, and fuel generators for the Center for Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer of the Universidad Católica de Cuenca (UCACUE) in southern Ecuador. Using data collected on site, particularly from the CIITT campus meteorological station and recorded on the RESMUCC platform, the size of each renewable system configuration is optimized based on the three proposed energy control algorithms. The designs of the different configurations developed using the Homer Pro tool are then compared in terms of costs and energy generated. The results show that the system, which includes photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, hydrokinetic turbines, and fuel-powered generators, has the lowest cost, at USD 0.33/kWh.