A Hybrid System That Integrates Renewable Energy for Groundwater Pumping with Battery Storage, Innovative in Rural Communities

This article presents the design and evaluation of a hybrid groundwater pumping system with battery storage, implemented in the Puntahacienda community of Quingeo, Ecuador, as a sustainable alternative for energy supply in isolated rural areas. The system integrates solar photovoltaic, wind, and a backup diesel generator, whose operation was analyzed using HOMER Pro software. The simulation allowed for component sizing, technical performance evaluation, and operating costs estimation, prioritizing the use of renewable sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The results show that solar and wind energy can cover a large portion of the demand, while the diesel generator ensures resilience during critical periods. The battery bank optimizes stability and continuous supply, ensuring the availability of water for human and agricultural consumption. Furthermore, a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an improvement in economic sustainability compared to the exclusive use of diesel were evident. The final results show that the levelized cost was $0.186/kWh, making it competitive for an isolated rural community. It was also determined that the renewable energy fraction (RES) was 83.70%, the unmet demand was 0.42%, and CO2 emissions were 14,850 kg/year when including a diesel generator in the hybrid system. This study demonstrates the viability of hybrid renewable solutions as a tool to strengthen water and energy security in rural communities, constituting a replicable model in similar contexts in Latin America.