Proposal Design of an Autonomous Photovoltaic Plant on Potentially Liquefiable Soil in the Isolated Rural Community of Agua Fría, Ecuador

This paper presents the seismic analysis and design considerations of a foundation for an autonomous photovoltaic generation plant on potentially liquefiable soil. As a case study, the isolated rural community of Agua Fría is selected, which belongs to the rural parish of Majua in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. Considering the population and the electrical load capacity, the plant is designed for a 25-year projection. The power generation system comprises 15 galvanized steel modules as a support structure for the solar panels and a metallic structure warehouse for the batteries and energy converters. The soil characteristics are established based on studies of neighboring areas with similar seismicity and soil conditions. A slab foundation on improved soil by inserting compacted aggregate piers is proposed to mitigate the liquefaction problem. Probability curves for 5, 20, 50, 80, and 95%, which consider the relationship between the cyclic stress CRS and the corrected soil penetration resistance N1.60, are used to probe the soil liquefaction potential of the proposed solution. Finally, a brief environmental impact analysis of the proposed photovoltaic generation plant is described, as well as its advantages against energy generation techniques by exploitation of fossil fuels.