In the News

Solar energy 'made in Ecuador'

02 DE MARZO DE 2014 00:00

Gustavo Perez Ramirez

Three years ago I met in Quito an Ecuadorian pioneer of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, who since 1973 has been researching and developing alternative energies, "by vocation, a global contribution to the good life of our people," he says. Its products proudly bear the 'Made in Latin America, Quito Ecuador'.

It is Ing. Gilberto Montoya Gallo. I then interviewed him at his Solar House in the San Bartolo, Pungalá and Manglar Alto Sector, and published some editorials in this newspaper: 'Solar energy can already be for everyone', 'Short-term vision?' I even tried to interest an official from the Mayor's Office to visit the facilities, but it was not possible after several appointments. There was an attractive proposition for solar powered traffic lights and other projects to think big.

eltelégrafo - El Decano de la

Prensa Nacional,

desde 1884

When the sun es the main energy

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Redacción Construir

In Ecuador there are several eco-friendly alternatives for heating water. Heliocol, Chisol and Ingeniería Solar have water heating systems, among them, solar panels. Iván Páez, general manager of Heliocol, affirms that solar thermal energy can be used in any application up to 100 ° C. It is widely used in pool heating, also in domestic applications. The advantages of using solar panels are saving energy and gas, so they are friendly to the environment. Solar panels are also required at an industrial level for preheating water. Through this system the temperature can be increased by two to three degrees per day. Those of Heliocol are brought from Israel. The starting temperature of the heating system is 16 ° C (room temperature). Through a recirculation process in the pump, each time the water returns it rises two more degrees. Until reaching an ideal temperature of 28 ° C in the case of swimming pools. The systems work with solar radiation, that is, with three components: direct solar rays, diffuse radiation (it remains in the environment), and shelter (the energy residues that remain in people, animals, things). So you don't need a hot sun for the panels to heat the water. Within solar panels there are a variety of designs, applications and costs. Heliocol solar panels are made of high-density polypropylene. If you want to heat an average pool 5 by 10 meters it can cost you about USD 6 000. Gilberto Montoya, general manager of 'Solar Engineering', has been in the market for 40 years, has incorporated innovative water heating systems that include borosilicate tubes , which allow reaching higher temperatures than other solar panels. At an industrial level, it is used everywhere, says Jorge Galarza from Chisol. These panels come from Chile and are also used for shrimp pools or for the food area, as it works continuously with steam or high temperature hot water. To heat water at home, there are two systems of natural convection and forced convection. They have the same principle, the water must flow through the solar panel in a closed circuit to capture the energy and accumulate it. The natural convection system implies that the tank is in the same place that the solar panels are installed, while the forced system, as its name implies, places the tanks in an inconspicuous place such as a cellar or something similar. Don't forget Solar panels need the help of back-up heating systems, such as gas to function at 100%. The solar panel heating system needs two maintenance per year. The value USD 35 each. The cost of heating an average 5 by 10 meter pool (the most common in the middle) with this type of energy is $ 6,000.

Grupo EL COMERCIO - 1 enero 1906

Hot water and electricity from the sun

Saturday 16 September 2017

Redacción Construir

It is increasingly true and verifiable. The use of renewable energies (solar, wind (wind), mini-hydro (waterfalls), biomass (nature), geothermal (volcanoes) and maritime (waves)) are more than just a romantic alternative. With pollution and global warming increasing exponentially, they should be compulsory consumption, explains Ing. Gilberto Montoya, from Ingeniería Solar Cotas-4, a pioneer workshop for this type of energy in the country. Of course, of all those kinds of alternative energy , as it is also known, solar is the one with the greatest application due to its ease of collection.

So why are people so reluctant to use solar energy?

One of the reasons is the high initial economic investment that is needed for the installation of these systems , although at present there are cheap equipment that is marketed through social networks in the open market and even at weekend fairs. Of course, as in all things, a lower quality equipment has a continuous operation of a few years, while one made of high specification materials can last a lifetime. Energía Solar Cotas-4, for example, has a patent that guarantees a useful life of 100 years, asserts Montoya. Enlarge They are ideal for areas without electricity.

Another thing. Not all panels serve all functions. There are at least two well differentiated types: solar thermal energy and solar photovoltaic energy. The photothermal panels are used primarily for production of domestic hot water (DHW). It is a simple technology : the panels contain a liquid inside, which is heated by exposure to the sun. This hot liquid then transfers its heat to the hot water in the home. That is, there is a recirculation of the water. Swimming pool water is heated using this system. There are technological systems , such as the Booster Timeesci AC-DC, which optimizes this recirculation by making it continuous. This is ideal for housing complexes , where the top floors tend to suffer from water temperature imbalances.

Grupo EL COMERCIO - 1 enero 1906

From consumers to producers

May 3th, 2016

Gustavo Perez Ramirez

This is what Ing. Gilberto Montoya Gallo has been proclaiming for Ecuador for years: "Ecuador could emerge as a leader in the use of renewable energies, particularly solar and wind, if there is political will to invest in megaprojects." But it must be an effort supported by technology and community talent at the level of the Great Latin American Homeland. He also considers that it is not utopian for indigenous people and peasants to become producers of electricity from consumers, generating solar energy in their own homes, democratizing and decentralizing energy generation.

Ing. Montoya is not a novice; It began activities of research and technological development of alternative energies since 1973. Its catalogs show models already applied in the Amazon, such as the Yacuma Lodge, in Tena, with photoelectric energy that could be generalized in reconstruction programs in areas devastated by the earthquake , especially for homes.

"The issue of community and family solar energy is just a small sample," says Solón, so that we think outside the traditional patterns of ‘development’. Likewise, we must recover the proposal of an agroecological and agroforestry nation, “because the true wealth of nations within a few decades will not be in the destructive extractivism of raw materials, but in the preservation of their biodiversity, in the production of products. ecological and in coexistence with nature ”. (OR)

eltelégrafo - El Decano de la

Prensa Nacional,

desde 1884

3 initiatives for an ecological life

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Redacción Construir

Timeecsi Solar Engineering / Water heating using panels

Hot water using solar energy

Have you ever wondered how much money do you spend per month to heat your domestic water?

The Timeecsi company developed a project so that, in addition to forgetting these expenses, it contributes to reducing environmental pollution. The solar panel heater is a system capable of using radiant thermal energy from the sun to heat water. It is made up of a flat solar collector, a hot water tank and the panel system, depending on the needs. Among the characteristics of this proposal is the heating of water up to 65 ºC and the durability of the water temperature for up to 30 hours. The project consists of an integrated system with a solar panel and a water accumulator (a tank to store the liquid).

The advantage of this technology is that it does not require a pump or a control center, thanks to the gravitational effect generated by the differences in temperature that make the liquid circulate naturally. This special fluid allows heat to be transmitted to the accumulator and runs through the system without ever being in contact with water. Engineer Édgar Vivanco commented that the company has been working for 40 years in the development of renewable energies.

There are two classes: photothermic panels, which are used for heating water for domestic consumption, and photovoltaic panels, for electrical energy. This system has already been implemented in some hotels in the city and in homes.

This content has been originally published by Diario EL COMERCIO at the following address:

Grupo EL COMERCIO - 1 enero 1906

Solar power, the neglected choice

November 17, 2009

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In other times man was condemned to dependence on electricity generated through hydroelectric or thermoelectric technology. Although the discourse of alternative energy seems to be far from Ecuadorian technology, this is denied.

In Quito, there are scientists and technicians who work in the production and development of clean energies and there are also environmentally friendly buildings that take advantage of the capital's sun to start their machines.

This is the case of the Dann Carlton Hotel, which on the roof of its two towers has an average of 200 solar panels that take advantage of the sun's rays to heat the water that supplies its 212 rooms and a heated pool of 90 cubic meters.

This place has been using this environmentally friendly technology in its first tower for 11 years and another five years ago that this system was also installed in its new construction.

According to the architect Franklin Silva, head of maintenance at the Hotel Dann Carlton, this method allows savings to be 70% compared to the classic boiler system, traditionally used to generate thermal energy.

Demystify the cost

One of the 'buts' that are argued when it comes to clean energy is that the investment cost is high. However, Silva demystifies this point: “There is a prejudice towards the generation of renewable energies, especially in the aspect of the initial investment. Although the technology is expensive, there are significant savings in the future. In the time that this system has had no problems; maintenance is frequent cleaning, but it does not require much effort. The cost benefit greatly exceeds the initial investment, ”he explains.

This alternative is for many scientists the answer to the electricity crisis that the country has been carrying for decades.

The mechanical engineer Gilberto Montoya, specialized in renewable energy, explains that this technology is an option that is still myopia. “If you think at a macro level about a large project for the generation and distribution of solar energy at the country level, the cost is significantly reduced. In addition, the environment is benefited ", explains this scientist and director of the Alternative Energy Research Center.

A thousand and one uses for the sun

Montoya explains that one of the problems is the culture with which the generation of a solar energy project is viewed, as this has the stigma of the population that it would only serve to heat water, plus its uses are multiple.

“The Sun can generate two types of energy: electrical and thermo. Through the sun, a whole house can be supplied with energy for electrical appliances and also have heating and a water heater ”, adds the expert.

“In industry it can be used from kitchens, grills, ovens, pool heating, etc. It is the same use that is given to traditional energy ”, explains Montoya who predicts that the future of the country may be in the star king.

The solar house is south of Quito

A blackout in the San Bartolo sector leaves a large black stain in this southern sector of the city, except in a large house on Pungalá and Manglaralto streets.

Why? It is not about a 'compadrazgo' of the owners with someone from the electricity supplier company.

On the contrary, it is a construction that generates its own clean energy. It is the solar house that works 100% with energy that comes from the star king.

It is the house of Gilberto Montoya which is living proof that it is possible to take advantage of solar energy. His whole family lives there and there is also his workshop at the Alternative Energy Research Center. The 740 meters of construction work entirely on the sun.

Sauna, Turkish, swimming pool, heating, kitchen, grill, machinery, electrical appliances… everything works with the blessing of the Sun. “This is the living example that it is possible to live on solar energy and be friendly with the environment”, he says.

Take Note

More information on commercial solar panels on the phone: 267 84 10/262 67 85 (Alternative Energy Research Center). Or to 252 56 61/254 69 21 (Corporation for Sustainable Development).

RESEARCH WAYS TO REDUCE COSTS

The National Polytechnic School (EPN) also develops research projects that seek to improve the effectiveness of solar energy and lower costs.

“There are joint projects of physics, electronics, mechanics to optimize the efficiency of solar energy. We are trying to improve the conductors used in energy collectors, which would lower their cost, and we are also working on solar energy storage technology through converters and rechargeable batteries ”, explained the electrical engineer, Marcelo Pozo, professor and researcher of the EPN.

OPINION

Carla Molina

Environmental Engineer

Pollution-free solar

energy Solar energy is one of the most environmentally friendly alternatives when it comes to generating electricity (photo voltaic) or thermal (photo thermal).

It does not produce gaseous pollutant emissions unlike traditional energy that depends on fossil fuels.

In addition, its operation is silent and does not produce noise pollution and does not significantly impact the landscape.

This type of energy contributes to the local development of communities where basic services are scarce and above all it reduces dependence on fossil fuels.

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