Mariela Tapia (EUREC 13-14) from Ecuador successfully defended in June 2023 her PhD thesis titled ‘Variability analysis of renewable power generation in complex terrain and the contribution of the spatio-temporal synergies for a resilient power supply. Methodology development and Ecuador case study’ at the University of Bremen in Germany.

This study systematically investigates for the first time the spatio-temporal variabilities and synergies of renewable resources in the complex terrain of Ecuador for the optimal planning of a more sustainable and resilient power system in the country. For this purpose, climate data, machine learning techniques, and power system modeling tools are used. Results show that solar and wind resources have a strong spatio-temporal complementary behavior with water resources in Ecuador. Furthermore, it is found that the joint operation of geographically-dispersed photovoltaic and wind power farms provide a reliable and stable power output, thus contributing to the firm capacity. These findings demonstrate that solar and wind power can play an important role in shaping a more sustainable and resilient power system in the country. This study will support decision-makers in the development of strategies for the optimal expansion of solar and wind power technologies to complement hydropower and to reduce the dependencies on fossil fuel thermal power in the country. More info

Dr.-Ing. Mariela Tapia is currently working as a research associate at the research group ‘Resilient Energy Systems’ at the University of Bremen in Germany.