Factibilidad técnico-económica para la inclusión de hidrógeno como fuente de energía renovable en reemplazo de grupos electrógenos en Zonas No Interconectadas (ZNI) de Colombia
Thesis
The current global environmental, social, and economic challenges require urgent and effective measures. Greenhouse gas emissions stand out as one of the main contributors to environmental degradation. In response to this situation, the implementation of Non-Conventional Renewable Energy Sources (NCRES) emerges as a crucial solution to combat climate change, offering an opportunity to minimize the emission of these harmful gases through the use of alternative energies. In Colombia, a country facing significant challenges in rural electrification, there is a pressing need to replace systems dependent on fossil fuels, such as diesel generators, which increase pollution. Non-Interconnected Zones (NIZ) in particular suffer from unstable and costly energy provision, with a high dependence on diesel that results in high costs, inefficiency, and increased pollution. This negatively impacts safety, education, and food preservation due to frequent power outages. Colombia’s geographical position makes it an ideal candidate for the adoption of NCRES, which could drastically reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and promote sustainable practices. The integration of these energy sources in NIZ and other rural communities could be key to the development of smart grids, ensuring reliable, efficient, and economical energy solutions. Moreover, the production and storage of green hydrogen, obtained through electrochemical processes powered by renewable energies, is presented as an innovative complementary strategy. Green hydrogen not only offers an energy storage solution, overcoming the intermittency of renewable sources such as solar and wind, but it can also be a clean and sustainable alternative for NIZ, contributing to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening the transition towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy system in Colombia.
