Preparing the Ecuador’s Power Sector to Enable a Large-Scale Electric Land Transport

Janeth Carolina Godoy, Daniel Villamar, Rafael Soria, César Vaca, Thomas Hamacher and Freddy Ordóñez
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Janeth Carolina Godoy: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4a, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
Daniel Villamar: Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Ladrón de Guevara E11-253, Quito 170525, Ecuador
Rafael Soria: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Diego de Robles y Vía Interoceánica, Campus Cumbayá, Quito 170901, Ecuador
César Vaca: b4Future, Guangüiltagua N37-266, Quito 170528, Ecuador
Thomas Hamacher: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4a, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
Freddy Ordóñez: Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Ladrón de Guevara E11-253, Quito 170525, Ecuador

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-22

Abstract: The Ecuador’s expansion plans for the power sector promote the exploitation of hydro power potential, natural gas and a small share of alternative renewable energies. In 2019, electricity generation reached 76.3% from hydroelectric power, 21.9% from thermal plants and 1.8% from other renewable resources. Although the power energy mix is mainly based on renewable technologies, the total energy demand is still dependent on fossil fuels, which is the case of the transport sector that alone accounted for 50% of the total primary energy consumed in the country. This paper analyzes the pathway to develop a clean and diversified electricity mix, covering the demand of three specific development levels of electric transportation. The linear optimization model ( urbs ) and the Ecuador Land Use and Energy Netwrok Analysis (ELENA) are used to optimize the expansion of the power system in the period from 2020 to 2050. Results show that reaching an electricity mix 100% based on renewable energies is possible and still cover a highly electrified transport that includes 47.8% of land passenger, and 5.9% of land freight transport. Therefore, the electrification of this sector is a viable alternative for the country to rely on its own energy resources, while reinforcing its future climate change mitigation commitments.

Keywords: hydropower; electric transport; energy modeling; ELENA; urbs; Ecuador (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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