Resumen

VALLEJOS, J  y  BORTONI, E. Determination of hydropower resources using GIS tools: basin of Ypané River. Rev. ciente. UCSA [online]. 2015, vol.2, n.1, pp.75-84. ISSN 2409-8752.

The electric power sector is strategically important in Paraguay. Energy demand will increase at an average of 9.5% over the next 4 years. Current demand, around 2500 MW in 2013, represents 20% of the electric energy supply currently produced in Paraguay. Increasing demand of electric power, as well as restrictions on centralized power generation from the bi-national entities ITAIPU and YACYRETA, makes possible the search for new ways to supply for a more efficient usage of energy locally. Within this context Hydropower Plants (HPP) and Small Hydropower Plants (SHPP) are included. They can help in the provision for electricity in the country, because they present advantages over centralized power generation, savings in transmission investment, decrease of transmission losses in the power electrical systems, and improvement in the stability in the electrical energy service. Besides, they provide environmental benefits because they utilize renewable energy sources, they operate at water level having smaller dams, have faster construction time, and other characteristics that cause lesser impact on the environment. According to a report from the Renewable Energy Observatory in Latin America and the Caribbean, written by the Latin American Organization for Energy (OLADE) and the United Nations Organization for Industrial Development (ONUDI), it was concluded that beyond the economic profitability of the SHPPs, they can collaborate as catalyzers to create synergy between benefited communities and government institutions, providing resources and skills to residents and opening possibilities for sustainable human development where this was not possible before. Their main attributes are: 1. Decrease in the impact to climate change through decrease in industrial emissions and promoting the use of renewable energy technologies. 2. Increase in the feasibility of businesses, especially in rural areas, as the availability of renewable energy for productive use increases. This work has the goal of identifying and analyzing the feasibility of small-sized enterprises for electric energy generation, commonly known as SHPP, in the Rio Ypane basin, from satellite data through the application of the mobile window method. This methodology was developed for the identification of hydro-electrical potentials, based on the flow and water head and utilizing SIG tools (Geographical Information System).

Palabras clave : GIS, Geographic Information System; SHPP; Small Hydropower Plant; Hydropower resources.

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