Estrategias de integración de comunidades energéticas fotovoltaicas en la morfología urbana de las parroquias de Baños y Ricaurte: caso de la línea 100 en Cuenca, Ecuador

Abstract

This study analyzes the feasibility of integrating photovoltaic energy communities to support electric public transportation on Line 100 in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, with a focus on the parish centers of Baños and Ricaurte. The study is based on the analysis of the urban configuration of these areas, characterized by a residential structure that facilitates proximity between households and energy consumption points linked to the transport system. From this territorial condition, a decentralized energy generation model is proposed that combines the installation of solar panels on residential rooftops with the implementation of load centers for electric buses in each parish. The system includes 312 potentially generating households, each of which is equipped with four 450 Wp photovoltaic panels, resulting in a total of 1,248 panels within the residential fabric. This generation is supplemented by 312 additional panels at each load center, strengthening the energy capacity destined for the mobility system. Under the average solar radiation conditions of southern Ecuador—close to 4 peak sun hours per day—the energy produced allows covering the demand required for the daily operation of the electric bus fleet of Line 100. The results show that the integration of distributed photovoltaic generation within the urban fabric allows the operation of the transport system to be sustained, demonstrating that the community can actively participate in the production of the energy that drives public mobility.