Resilient transformation of national power supply for countries in the Amazon Region. Methodology development and Ecuador case study

PhD student
Mariela Tapia

Supervisor
Prof. Dr. Stefan Gößling-Reisemann (†)
Prof. Dr. Edwin Zondervan

Description
Amazon region countries highly rely on hydropower for their electricity supply. However, given the dependency of hydropower on climate conditions, risks associated with climate change could jeopardize security of supply. In the case of Ecuador, government-driven expansion plans will continue relying on fossil fuels thermal power plants to meet the demand during low hydrological scenarios.

This doctoral dissertation focuses on developing a methodology to evaluate security of supply in the long-term under uncertain climate conditions. A key point will be the application of resilience design principles in combination with energy models and scenario analysis. It is assumed that this approach will allow determining a more resilient and sustainable optimal power mix with focus on increasing security of supply. The research includes the assessment of implications of the proposed strategy, which may play a role in the process of achieving a resilient transformation of the power systems.