• Energy Research
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[EN] The control and efficient energy expenditure, is one of fundamental ratios that must monitor large companies that use electrical energy intensively as part of its production process. One of the first phases is the adaptation of the contracted power to avoid penalties that increase supply. From this first phase, monitoring and control of power consumption on the elements of higher consumption, it is essential to promote energy saving, as well as the display of new actions that lead to optimize energy usage and awareness in the use of electric power. In this article, the importance of these points, shown applied to a case study in a food industry, through the variation of the contracted power and the consequences of installing a system of control and monitoring of the energy consumption. [ES] The control and efficient energy expenditure, is one of fundamental ratios that must monitor large companies that use electrical energy intensively as part of its production process. One of the first phases is the adaptation of the contracted power to avoid penalties that increase supply. From this first phase, monitoring and control of power consumption on the elements of higher consumption, it is essential to promote energy saving, as well as the display of new actions that lead to optimize energy usage and awareness in the use of electric power. In this article, the importance of these points, shown applied to a case study in a food industry, through the variation of the contracted power and the consequences of installing a system of control and monitoring of the energy consumption

Flyer - Thermal Energy Storage Systems for Efficient Buildings

El cambio climático es considerado el mayor desafío que enfrenta la humanidad. Durante los últimos 30 años cada década ha sido más caliente que la anterior. Este artículo es un análisis estadístico de la temperatura ambiental por medio de modelos lineales simples para conocer la tendencia promedio entre los años 2010 y 2019 en la Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes (Costa Rica). Para este estudio se usaron datos de una estación meteorológica ubicada en la reserva. La temperatura promedio ha variado en forma significativa entre los años 2010 y 2019, en la temporada seca la temperatura ha aumentado, pero en la temporada lluviosa ha disminuido. Se considera un modelo de crecimiento aritmético entre los años 2010-2019, se estima que la temperatura media de la REBAMB para la temporada seca sea 21.1o C para el 2030 y 22.42o C para el 2050. Por el contrario, suponiendo un modelo de regresión lineal simple, para la temporada lluviosa se espera que la temperatura sea 18.051 °C para el 2030 y 15.831 °C para el 2050. Las consecuencias de estos cambios sobre la biodiversidad de la Reserva Alberto Manuel Brenes aún no se conocen. Climate change is considered the greatest challenge facing humanity today. For the past 30 years, each decade has been hotter than the previous one. This article presents a statistical analysis of environmental temperature using simple linear models to investigate the trends of average temperature between 2010 and 2019 at the Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve (REBAMB), Costa Rica. Data was collected using a meteorological station located at the REBAMB. The average temperature has varied significantly between 2010 and 2019, temperatures have increased during the dry seasons and decreased during the rainy seasons. Projections made using an arithmetic growth model for the 2010-2019 period, estimate average temperatures of 21.11 °C and 22.42 °C for the dry seasons of 2030 and 2050, respectively. On the other hand, if a simple linear regression model is used to make the same projections for the wet seasons, the resulting average temperatures will be 18.051 °C and 15.831 °C. Is not yet known how these temperature changes will affect the biodiversity of the REBAMB.

-- ENGLISH VERSION BELOW -- Tras décadas de avances tecnológicos y reducciones en su precio, la energía solar puede competir en el mercado con los combustibles fósiles en muchas regiones del mundo. Sin embargo, falta mucho para que el sol sea una fuente energética principal. Numerosos centros de investigación y empresas trabajan para mejorar la eficiencia de los paneles solares, aumentar su vida útil y producir nuevos materiales. Algunos gobiernos han apostado económicamente y han establecido marcos regulatorios para apoyar dichas innovaciones. La sociedad civil debe tener también un rol central. Tal como a menudo sentencian los movimientos activistas “la revolución energética en manos de la ciudadanía es el camino”. ‘GenerationSolar’ es una iniciativa de ciencia ciudadana, enmarcada en el proyecto europeo GRECO, con dos objetivos principales: a) empoderar a la ciudadanía mediante acciones que fomentan un conocimiento más profundo sobre la energía solar, su investigación y sus usos; y b) establecer una plataforma en la que la propia ciudadanía participe activamente en la investigación. La ciencia ciudadana representa un campo de acción a caballo entre múltiples disciplinas, si bien ha sido desde el sector de la comunicación científica, médica y ambiental desde donde ha sido más activa. Hace ya décadas que se intenta mejorar el equilibrio entre la comunicación unidireccional (el que sabe instruye al que no sabe) y las formas de comunicación más innovadoras basadas en la participación y la colaboración para la acción. GRECO unió a investigadoras, comunicadoras y ciudadanas -a través de encuestas, una hackathon online y desarrollo informático- para lanzar GenerationSolar en el Día de la Tierra 2020: un aplicativo móvil en el cual la ciudadanía registra sus instalaciones y crea una base de datos sobre la producción solar global. A dos meses del lanzamiento, la app cuenta con 71 registros y más de 22 MW de energía reportada. -- ENG -- After decades of technological advances and price reductions, solar energy can compete in the marketplace with fossil fuels in many regions of the world. However, the sun is a long way from being a main energy source. Numerous research centers and companies are working to improve the efficiency of solar panels, increase their useful life and produce new materials. Some governments have gambled economically and established regulatory frameworks to support such innovations. Civil society must also have a central role. As activist movements often state, "the energy revolution in the hands of the citizens is the way." ‘GenerationSolar’ is a citizen science initiative, framed in the European GRECO project, with two main objectives: a) to empower citizens through actions that promote a deeper understanding of solar energy, its research and its uses; and b) to establish a platform in which citizens themselves actively participate in the investigation. Citizen science represents a field of action between multiple disciplines, although it has been from the scientific, medical and environmental communication sector where it has been most active. For decades, attempts have been made to improve the balance between one-way communication (the one who knows teches the one who does not) and the most innovative forms of communication based on participation and collaboration for action. GRECO brought together researchers, communicators and citizens - through surveys, an online hackathon and computer development - to launch GenerationSolar on Earth Day 2020: a mobile application in which citizens register their facilities and create a database on global solar production. Two months after launch, the app has 71 records and more than 22 MW of reported energy.

Focusing on a global world, we should seek to understand the architecture of sustainable networks between the (real) biosphere and the (virtual) technoosphere, from the World Wide Web to the global ecology, from the Internet to Gaia in a symbiotic planet, where the Earth is a global brain/mind Desde un mundo global, deberíamos perseguir la comprensión de la arquitectura de redes sostenibles entre la biosfera (real) y la tecnoosfera (virtual), desde la World Wide Web hasta la ecología global, desde Internet a Gaia en un planeta simbiótico, donde la Tierra es un cerebro o mente global

De continuar con el ritmo de emisión de contaminantes alcanzado en los últimos años, y más concretamente de dióxido de carbono (CO2), las previsiones sobre su concentración en la atmósfera son dramáticas (por encima de 600 ppmv) con unas consecuencias irreversibles para el planeta. Para logar las reducciones de contaminantes que se acuerdan en las cumbres internacionales es necesario, entre otras medidas, la reducción de emisiones en la producción de electricidad a partir de combustibles fósiles, entre ellos el carbón. La presente Tesis Doctoral propone una metodología y una serie de herramientas de toma de decisión cuyo fin es evaluar y aumentar la sostenibilidad del proceso de generación de electricidad a partir del carbón. Esta metodología está basada en programación matemática para resolver problemas de optimización multi-objetivo. Además es aplicable a un amplio rango de procesos e industrias que se enfrenten a problemas de decisión similares If the pollutant emission level continues as usual in the late years, especially those of carbon dioxide (CO2), the atmosphere concentration projections are dramatic (above 600 ppmv) with irreversible consequences to the planet. In order to achieve the binding targets of reductions agreed in the international summit meetings, it is necessary the reduction of emissions from the electricity production from fossil-fueled power plants, especially coal-fired. The objective of this work is developing a methodology and providing tools that help in the decision making process in order to evaluate and enhance the sustainability of the electricity production process form coal. This methodology is based on mathematical programming that allows solving multi-objective optimization problems. Besides, it is applicable to a wide range of processes and industries that face similar decision problems.

La agricultura subordinada al capital financiero internacional, mediante laagroindustria de alimentos e insumos, está bajo intereses que actúan con unalógica lucrativa.Los productos transgénicos tienen impactos negativos en la agricultura y laexpulsión de trabajadores rurales hacia áreas urbanas, incrementa en el uso deagroquímicos y la degradación nutritiva de la alimentación.Deben desarrollarse políticas de regulación controlados públicamente, paramonitorear, evaluar y evitar los riesgos sociales y ambientales de laagrobiotecnología. Agriculture subordinated to international financial capital, through agriculturalindustry of food and expenses, is under interests that act with a lucrative logic.Transgenic products have negative impacts on agriculture and displacement ofrural workers to urban areas, increasing the use of agrochemicals and thedeterioration of nourishment.Publicly controlled regulation policies must be developed, for monitoring,evaluating, and avoiding the social and environmental risks of agriculturalbiotechnology.

En el campo de RF/Microondas, se vienen desarrollando sistemas de transmisión inalámbrica eficientes, que permitan reducir el elevado consumo eléctrico de las estaciones base de telefonía móvil, aumentar la duración de las baterías en los terminales, así como alimentar dispositivos de forma inalámbrica. En este sentido, en esta tesis se han propuesto distintas topologías inversoras y rectificadoras de alta eficiencia, operando en clase E, para su uso en la transmisión eficiente de señales de comunicaciones y alimentación inalámbrica. Por un lado, se han diseñado amplificadores de potencia de alta eficiencia con tecnología GaN HEMT, empleados posteriormente en la implementación de distintos transmisores outphasing. Asimismo, se han diseñado convertidores DC/DC Clase E2, compuestos por un inversor y un rectificador síncrono a GaN HEMT, para su uso como moduladores de envolvente en arquitecturas ET/EER. Por otro lado, se han diseñado rectificadores síncronos con dispositivos E-pHEMT, con eficiencias en el estado de la técnica, enfocados hacia aplicaciones de transferencia de potencia en campo lejano y de reciclado de energía. In the RF/Microwave field, efficient wireless transmission systems are being developed in order to reduce base stations electric consumption, extend battery lifetime in handsets, as well as to remotely power up wireless devices by means of wireless powering transmission (WPT) or even energy harvesting solutions. In this sense, high efficient inverter and rectifier topologies, operating in class E, have been proposed in this thesis to be used on wireless communications and WPT. On the one hand, high-efficiency power amplifiers based on GaN HEMT technology, have been designed, which were used as a part of outphasing transmitters afterwards. In addition, using GaN HEMT amplifiers and synchronous rectifiers, Class E2 DC/DC converters have been designed, to be used as envelope modulators in ET/EER architectures. On the other hand, synchronous rectifiers with E-pHEMT technology, focused on far-field power transfer and energy harvesting applications, have been designed. State-of-the-art efficiencies have been measured in some implementations.

When visualizing main global macro magnitudes temporal trends, such as population or natural resource consumption, we find the same pattern: endless exponential growth. Anyone can understand that, in a finite planet, a non-stop dynamics is impossible. This behavior, inherently unstable, is complicated with the existence of delays. The runaway growth can reach three different steady states: (i) a gently approach to its carrying capacity; (ii) attain that state after a period of oscillations, or (iii) collapsing to a very stable state which is impossible to leave: zero resources and zero population. Climate Warming crisis, the over-discussed issue of the last times, show us that misunderstandings and bad management of environmental problems of anthropogenic origin, need a systemic comprehension and quick actions. The cocktail conformed by the global nature of economy and its impact on environment, with an unprecedented variety and scope, lead us to refer it as a Global Change. Solutions should be based on considering the interaction between different economies in the world and the environmental reinforcing problems. Diminishing unitary consumption, supported by technology, can help us to move to a new paradigm. Hence, consumption should be more virtual than physical, relaxing once and for all the pressure on nature and avoiding the collapse that has already sunken many other civilizations. {"references": ["Mart\u00ednez Valderrama, J. 2017. El cambio global desde una perspectiva sist\u00e9mica: propuestas para evitar el colapso. Revista de Responsabilidad Social de la Empresa. N\u00ba 27-2017. Cuatrimestre III: 106 - 126. ISSN: 1888-9638"]}