Different forms of electric power generation, such as wind, hydraulic, tidal, thermal, solar, etc., are currently a fundamental research objective worldwide. The need to gradually eliminate the costly and uncomfortable dependence on oil, the care and protection of the environment and the possibility of supplying energy to remote places, where conventional systems have not been able to reach, becomes today one of the objectives of greatest interest to humanity. Ecuador, due to its geographical location, has special strengths for the exploitation of renewable energy, however, the high cost makes its application still meager. For example, solar thermal energy and its use in the generation of sanitary hot water for both single-family and collective facilities is one of the practical applications that could foreseeably more be used within an urban framework, to reduce the emission of pollutants and the dependence on fossil fuels. On the other hand, current government policies promote the change in the country's energy matrix, seeking to gradually displace the use of polluting fuels for ecological and environmentally friendly fuels. However, helping to reduce environmental damage is not only achieved by changing energy sources. A very important factor is to optimize energy use with more efficient and low-cost systems.

By virtue of the above and in view of the need to formalize the research processes at the Salesian Polytechnic University in the Energy area, a group of teachers from the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Areas of the Cuenca Headquarters, in 2010 formed the Group of Electrical and Electronic Power Systems (GSEEP) with work aimed at optimizing systems used in both areas. Currently the group has merged with professors from the areas of mechanical engineering, giving rise to the Energy Research Group. (GIE).

Research lines:

Optimization and Innovation of Energies and Renewable Energies

Coordinator:

Flavio Alfredo Quizhpi Palomeque (fquizhpi@ups.edu.ec)