Design and Implementation of a Monitoring System for Decision Support in a Micro-Business Based on Solar Energy Microgrid in Rural Colombia

Rural electrification schemes are necessary for social and economic development. In several countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America this issue is fundamental and some governments have adopted new policies to increase service coverage, a case that has been studied with interest is Colombia. In 2014, the Government presented the Law 1715 for Regulating the Integration of Non Conventional Renewable Energies into the National Energy System. This Law aims to increase penetration of renewable energy in the country; and in 2016 the Peace Treaty between the Colombian Government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC-EP) was signed. These two events have paved the way towards a new country in which rural development based on technological advances and renewable energy becomes trend. This paper presents a case study that illustrates how technology has transformed the life of one community in the rural area in Colombia by triggering economic development. The technological proposal is the design of a monitoring system for a refrigeration center. The processes of design, implementation and validation with the rural community are presented.