CLIMATE CHANGE ALONG WITH THE LACK OF AVAILABILITY OF ELECTRICITY IN AGRICULTURAL LANDS HAVE LED TO INCREASED PRODUCTION COSTS FOR FARMERS. THESE FACTORS ARE LEADING FARMERS TO INCORPORATE THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN SEARCH OF MORE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR PRODUCTION. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, IN PARTICULAR, PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE OFF-GRID SOLUTIONS FOR AGRICULTURE APPLICATIONS HAS GAINED RELEVANCE. CURRENTLY, SEVERAL PROGRAMS IMPULSED BY THE CHILEAN GOVERNMENT ARE IN PLACE TO INCENTIVE THE USE OF SOLAR ENERGY FOR FARMING APPLICATIONS; HOWEVER, SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES LACK TOOLS THAT MAY ALLOW FARMERS TO VALIDATE AND ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF THE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS. THIS WORK IS FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SIMPLE VALIDATION METHOD SUITABLE TO BE USED BY NON-EXPERTS TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF SOLAR ENERGY-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR FARMING APPLICATIONS. THE PROPOSED METHODOLOGY CONSIDERS TAKING ADVANTAGE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TOOLS ALONG WITH COLLECTING AND ANALYZING SIMPLE MEASURES OVER THE INSTALLED GENERATION SYSTEM, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A REASONABLE ASSESSMENT OF SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. THE PROPOSED METHOD IS ILLUSTRATED ON A REAL INSTALLATION USED TO SUPPLY POWER TO A WATERING SYSTEM FOR BERRIES. BASED ON THE OBTAINED RESULTS, THE DEVELOPED TOOLS SEEM SUITABLE TO BE USED BY NON-EXPERTS TO ASSESS PERFORMANCE AND TO IMPLEMENT SEASONAL PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS.

THE PROJECTED INCREASE IN ENERGY DEMAND IN CHILE, ALONG WITH THE NEED OF MORE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS ARE INCREASING THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES IN CHILE. AMONG CURRENTLY USED RENEWABLES, SOLAR POWER REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING OPTIONS, GIVEN THE HIGH IRRADIANCE LEVELS AVAILABLE IN THE ATACAMA DESERT. SOLAR POWER CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AS PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) AND CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER (CSP) SYSTEMS, BEING THE FIRST ALTERNATIVE THE MOST POPULAR NOWADAYS. IN ORDER FOR CSP TO BECOME A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVA FOR POWER GENERATION IN CHILE, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED. THIS WORK PRESENTS A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN THE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF CSP AND PV SYSTEMS IN CHILE. THE STUDY EMPLOYS THE LEVELIZED COST OF ENERGY AND LIFE-CYCLE ANALYSIS TO EVALUATE HYPOTHETICAL SYSTEMS, UNDER CONDITIONS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE NORTH OF CHILE. RESULTS OBTAINED SHOW THAT ECONOMIC COST OF PV REMAIN LOWER THAN CSP, HOWEVER CSP CAN ACHIEVE LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND SUPPLY POWER CONTINUOUSLY. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST BOTH THE NEED FOR MORE APPLIED STUDIES IN SOLAR PLANTS IN CHILE, ALONG WITH IMPROVED REGULATIONS WHICH CONSIDER LCA ANALYSIS TO TRULY ASSESS THE IMPACTS OF SOLAR POWER AND CHOOSE THE MORE EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS. © 2019 IEEE.

CURRENTLY, SEVERAL COUNTRIES ARE SEEKING TO CHANGE THEIR ENERGY MATRICES TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE SOURCES. IN CHILE, ONE OF THE RENEWABLE SOURCES WITH INCREASED PARTICIPATION IS PHOTOVOLTAICS. HOWEVER, PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY SOURCES HAVE AN INTRINSIC VARIABILITY, WHICH COMBINED WITH VARIABLE DEMAND IMPOSES A CHALLENGE FOR PROPER DESIGN. CURRENTLY, TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR THE STUDY OF THIS VARIABILITY ARE EITHER COMPLEX OR EXPENSIVE. WITH THE ADVENT OF DIGITALIZATION, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCORPORATE TOOLS BASED ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO IMPROVE FORECASTING FOR MEDIUM AND LOW POWER INSTALLATIONS. THIS WORK PRESENTS AN APPLICATION OF MACHINE LEARNING TOOLS FOR IRRADIANCE AND POWER CONSUMPTION FORECASTING. THE METHODOLOGY IS INTENDED TO BE IMPLEMENTED AS A LOW COST SOLUTION FOR SMALL SCALE GENERATION. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO PREDICT IRRADIANCE AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION THROUGH HISTORICAL DATA, CONCLUDING THAT THE METHODOLOGY BASED ON MACHINE LEARNING IS ABLE TO SUPPORT THE DECISION MAKING FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS.

IT IS CRUCIAL TO ESTABLISH AN ENTRY PROFILE TO ACHIEVE A UNIVERSITY GRADUATION PROFILE CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT SITUATION KNOWN BY THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION REGARDING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEWLY ENROLLED STUDENTS. THIS WORK PROPOSES THE DEFINITION OF INCOME PROFILES BASED ON SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, ADMISSION CONDITIONS, PREVIOUS EDUCATION, MOTIVATION, AND INTERESTS. FOR THIS, DATABASES AND CHARACTERIZATION SURVEYS APPLIED TO FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS FROM FIVE ENGINEERING DEGREES ARE USED. AS A RESULT, COMMON CHARACTERISTICS IN THE STUDIED CAREERS ARE IDENTIFIED, SUCH AS AGE, ENTRYWAY, AND NOT DECLARING THEMSELVES PART OF NATIVE PEOPLES OR IN A DISABILITY SITUATION. OTHER VARIABLES THAT DIFFERENTIATED THE GROUPS, SUCH AS TYPE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION, PERFORMANCE, AND GENDER GAP, WERE ALSO RECOGNIZED. IN ADDITION, THE ESTABLISHED PROFILES ARE RELATED TO THE GENERIC GRADUATION SKILLS. IN THIS WAY, ACTIONS TO STRENGTHEN STUDENTS? CAPACITIES CAN BE GENERATED, AND THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT TOOLS THAT ALLOW FOR IMPROVING ACHIEVEMENT INDICATORS DURING THEIR UNIVERSITY LIFE.

THE UNIVERSIDAD DEL BÍO-BÍO IS IN PROCESS OF ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EDUCATIONAL MODEL BASED ON COMPETENCES. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE COURSE PROGRAMS SHOULD BE ADAPTED TO THE NEW EDUCATIONAL MODEL. THIS PAPER SHOWS THAT THE CHANGE OF THE EDUCATIONAL MODEL IS MANIFESTED IN COURSE PROGRAMS PROVIDING CONSISTENT, COHERENT AND CLEARLY THE NECESSARY INFORMATION THAT THE STUDENT WILL LEARN: COMPETENCES OR EXPECTED LEARNING, FORMATIVE STRATEGIES THAT WILL BE USED, ACTIVITIES THAT ARE CARRIED OUT, AND THE WAY THE STUDENTS WILL BE EVALUATED: STRATEGIES, CRITERIA AND INDICATORS. SOME GUIDES ARE GIVEN FOR THE DESIGN OF A COURSE PROGRAM AND AN APPLICATION EXAMPLE IS SHOWN. THIS WORK IS ONE OF THE FIRST EFFORTS IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INSTITUTIONAL EDUCATIONAL MODEL AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRIC AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSIDAD DEL BÍO-BÍO.

THE PRESENT PROJECT HAS ITS MAIN OBJECTIVE THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC STUDY OF A FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND FARM LOCATED IN THE BAY OF CONCEPCIÓN, CHILE. FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS WORK, A STUDY OF THE WIND CHARACTERISTICS AND MARINE CONDITIONS OF THE AREA WHERE THE WIND TURBINES WILL BE INSTALLED HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT. FURTHERMORE, THE WIND FARM IS DESIGNED WITH AN INSTALLED CAPACITY OF 120 MW, CONSISTING OF 15 FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES. THE GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL STUDIES ARE DISCLOSED, IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE DEVELOPMENT AND PERMITS, FOR THE MARITIME CONCESSION PRIOR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PARK. THE PROJECT IS ANALYZED USING RETSCREEN® CLEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE TO ASSESS ENERGY PRODUCTION AND SAVINGS, COSTS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION REDUCTIONS, FINANCIAL VIABILITY AND RISKS.

GREENHOUSE GASES EMISSIONS (GHG) REDUCTION STRATEGIES HAVE GAINED INTEREST IN THE RECENT DECADE, AS THEY CAN POSITIVELY IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL AND LIFE QUALITY IN BIG CITIES. TRANSPORTATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A GREAT PERCENTAGE OF THESE EMISSIONS, WHICH ARE STRONGLY RELATED TO FUEL CONSUMPTION PROFILES ALONG WITH TRAJECTORY CHARACTERISTICS. AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES, SUCH AS GPS TRACKING, GENERATE DATA WHICH CAN BE USED TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE FUEL CONSUMPTION AND GHG EMISSIONS ALONG A TRAJECTORY AND THUS HELP MAKE BETTER PLANNING TOWARDS ENERGY EFFICIENT AND REDUCE EMISSIONS PATHS. THIS WORK SEEKS TO CHARACTERIZE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND GHG EMISSIONS GENERATED BY HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLES. IMPLEMENTED METHODOLOGY ALLOWS FOR ESTIMATING INSTANTANEOUS POWER DEMAND OF A HAUL TRUCK ALONG WITH FUEL CONSUMPTION AND ASSOCIATED GHG EMISSIONS. GPS DATA PROCESSING IS IMPLEMENTED BY A SERIES OF PROCESSES SUPPORTED BY PYTHON. TRUCK TRAJECTORY INFORMATION IS STORED BY MEANS OF AN AD-HOC DATA STRUCTURE, WHICH CONSISTS OF SPACE-TIME LINEAR SEGMENTS OF EQUAL SIZE THAT CONTAIN THE SPEED AND INSTANTANEOUS ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. IN THIS WAY IT IS POSSIBLE TO ESTIMATE INSTANTANEOUS POWER AT EACH POINT OF THE TRAJECTORY. THE OBTAINED RESULTS INDICATE THAT AREAS WITH HIGHER POWER CONSUMPTION COINCIDE WITH HIGHER SLOPE VARIATION IN THE TRAJECTORY, WHILE AREAS WITH LOWER CONSUMPTION COINCIDE WITH THE AREAS WHERE THE ELEVATION REMAINS CONSTANT, THIS IS REFLECTED IN FUEL CONSUMPTION RATE.

DURING THE LAST DECADE, ENGINEERING PROGRAMS IN CHILE HAVE SHIFTED THEIR FOCUS FROM A TRADITIONAL CONTENT-BASED EDUCATION MODEL TO A COMPETENCY-BASED ONE. ALTHOUGH THIS APPROACH HAS BECOME POPULAR AND INTEGRATED INTO ENGINEERING PROGRAMS, ITS EFFECTIVENESS HAS NOT BEEN FULLY VALIDATED. IN PARTICULAR, CURRENTLY THERE ARE NO TOOLS THAT ALLOW VERIFYING COMPLIANCE WITH THE COMPETENCIES DECLARED IN THE PROFESSIONAL AND BACHELOR'S DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE ENGINEERING COLLEGE AT THE UNIVERSIDAD DEL BÍO-BÍO. IN THIS PROJECT, A SURVEY-TYPE INSTRUMENT IS VALIDATED FOR THE EVALUATION OF ACQUIRED GRADUATE COMPETENCIES, DEFINED IN ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AT UNIVERSIDAD DEL BÍO-BÍO. HERE, VALIDATION WAS CARRIED OUT CONSIDERING STUDENTS FROM INDUSTRIAL AND ELECTRICAL CIVIL ENGINEERING PROGRAMS. ONCE THE INSTRUMENT VALIDITY WAS VERIFIED, IT WAS APPLIED TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF FULFILLMENT OF THE COMPETENCIES ACQUIRED AT THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING LEVEL. OBTAINED RESULTS WERE ANALYZED TO IDENTIFY EXISTING GAPS IN THE CURRICULUM WITH RESPECT TO THE SKILLS EXPECTED FROM GRADUATES, THUS DETECTING DIFFERENT DEGREES OF PROGRESS ACHIEVED AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY INDICATE THAT, BOTH SPECIFIC AND GENERIC COMPETENCIES AT THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE LEVEL ARE WITHIN ACCEPTABLE RANGES, SINCE THEY ACHIEVED SCORES ABOVE 85%.

WIND ENERGY GAINS INTEREST DUE TO THE DIVERSIFICATION AND DECARBONIZATION OF THE ENERGY MATRIX TO LEAVE BEHIND THE USE OF FOSSIL FUELS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WARMING. OBTAINING ENERGY FROM THE WIND IS COMPLEX, SINCE WIND ENERGY HAS A VARIABILITY THAT STRONGLY AFFECTS THE QUALITY OF THE ENERGY GENERATED, IN ADDITION, THE WIND TURBINE HAS NON-LINEAR CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE THE CONTROL STAGE EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. VARIOUS TECHNIQUES ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, AND ACCLIMATIZATION IS REQUIRED. THIS WORK PRESENTS THE PITCH CONTROL DESIGN METHODOLOGY FOR A LARGE CAPACITY WIND TURBINE. LINEARIZED DYNAMICS AND MPC CONTROLLER ARE USED TO MANAGE THE PITCH ANGLE OF THE WIND TURBINE. THE RESULTS ARE VALIDATED WITH REAL DATA FROM SOUTHERN CHILE AND SHOW ACCEPTABLE RESULTS FOR POWER SMOOTHING. THE OBTAINED RESULTS HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF CONSTRAINTS ON THE CONTROL STRATEGY AND ITS PERFORMANCE IN PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS, THUS EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR APPROPRIATE METHODS FOR NONLINEAR SYSTEMS CONTROL.