Simulation of an off-grid solar system to provide reliable energy access to the Island Community of Bellavista in Ecuador

This paper shows the design considerations of an off- grid solar power system working independently with an existing diesel generator to supply energy for lighting circuits and some low-power appliances installed in the Bellavista community. The main purpose of this design is to take advantage of the available infrastructure in the community to reduce initial investment costs while ensuring reliable energy access for the community. In addition, this system may be used as a starting point to build upon for future sustainable energy projects. The community is currently being powered through a diesel generator operating for 5 hours every day during the evening when the period of higher demand occurs. However, the community requires access to reliable energy access throughout the day to improve their quality of life. For the generator's analysis, we adapted its load profile from available data of previous studies carried out in the community. We used the HOMER Pro renewable energy software for the simulation and the Meteonorm 7.3 database to obtain the site's weather data file. The results show the sizing of the solar power system, its annual electricity production, and other indicators obtained from its operation. We also show the system's initial capital costs and the Net Present Cost, taking into account the existing equipment in the community. Besides, we estimate the annual electricity production of the generator, its amount of fuel used, its operating costs, and a baseline for greenhouse gas emissions produced in a year according to the actual operating conditions.