Power In Colombia Research Articles

Power generation mix in Colombia including wind power: Markowitz portfolio efficient frontier analysis with machine learning

The Colombian power market is hydro-dominated since 67 % of the power produced comes from hydro-power sources. In addition, it has thermal power from natural gas and coal, and in the last years, alternative energy sources such as wind and solar have been introduced, although so far their share is not significant. Due to this condition, the Colombian power market is very volatile and depends on weather conditions. Usually, in rainy seasons prices are low and power is available, while in dry seasons, prices are high and power can be scarce. One of the main advantages of the new energy sources is that they are complementary to hydro-power, in the case of wind regimes, they are higher during dry seasons and lower during rainy seasons. We propose a complementarity analysis in the energy mix using Markowitz Portfolio analysis to determine if the efficient frontier is improved by introducing wind power to the system and the traditional port-folio analysis is improved by introducing Machine Learning (ML) into calculations. Results show that wind power improves the return while minimizing risk. Therefore, wind power would significantly reduce prices in Colombia's power mix while reducing volatility. This work follows the Open Innovation (OI) paradigm, the intersection of Machine Learning, portfolio optimization, and renewable energy presents a promising landscape for research and practical applications. Continued interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation are essential for harnessing the full potential of these technologies for a sustainable energy future.

Dangerous winds: Criminal threats and the indigenized security of wind power in Colombia

AbstractGlobal energy companies have regularly depended on state and private security for sustaining their operations, often with deadly consequences for union leaders, environmental defenders, and local communities. This article examines how these security arrangements are mutating amid the rapid expansion of renewable energy in Latin America. It uncovers how wind energy companies in Colombia rely on Indigenous knowledge, social networks, and legal norms to safeguard themselves in La Guajira, a border region reputed by outsiders as haunted by criminality and (il)legal practices. Through long‐term ethnographic research of corporate spaces, I argue that Wayúu lifeways are mobilized by green energy capital to craft a hybrid security apparatus that, though failure‐prone, is crucial for Colombia's low‐carbon future. This case reveals how corporate and Indigenous configurations of protection and risk prevention work in tandem across sites that are being demarcated for the energy transition and climate change mitigation in Latin America.

Technical and Financial Analysis for the Implementation of Small-scale Self-generation Projects, based on Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Solar Energy, for Residential Users under Colombian Regulations

The study focuses on integrating non-conventional renewable energy sources into Colombia's power system. The regulatory framework allows small prosumers to trade energy surpluses with grid operators. The research analyzes the financial feasibility of implementing photovoltaic systems for residential users. Technical aspects governing energy production and implementation costs are examined. Colombian residential users, divided into six socioeconomic strata, undergo individual analysis based on their energy rates and consumption patterns. The study area is Bucaramanga, known for intermediate solar potential. Precise cost estimates for implementing photovoltaic systems that meet user energy requirements are provided. Financial viability indicators (NPV, IRR, Payback Time) are evaluated for three scenarios: existing energy prices, 50% government financing, and a 10% tariff reduction due to government intervention. Results show financial viability for strata 4, 5, and 6, but not for strata 1, 2, and 3. Government intervention can make strata 2 and 3 feasible. Lowering the kWh price adversely impacts the project's financial feasibility for all strata, particularly the lower-income ones. The study is valuable for potential investors and policymakers seeking to promote photovoltaic systems in the residential sector. It provides insights into economic viability and helps develop effective policies for Colombia's sustainable energy transition.

Compounding financial frontiers: capital seeds and seeds for capital

ABSTRACT More than fifty years of civil war has left about eight million internally displaced people in Colombia, with millions struggling to make a living in new precarious urban spaces. Illicit narcoparamilitary groups, also emergent from the conflict, have dispossessed millions from their land and become vital moneylenders that enable displaced people to work and subsist in cities while profiting from them. Using the metaphor of compounding, I suggest thinking of financial frontiers as consecutive processes of expansive economic growth where one asset or principal (land dispossession and rural displacement in the Colombian case) originates exponential profits over time, benefiting narcoparamilitary groups. Such exponential gain happens gradually in circular financial transactions. Each transaction produces extra profits and opens possibilities for new financial transactions that further extract value from displacement and land dispossession. This approach helps us understand the social relations that permit capital accumulation over long periods, across geographic spaces, through political changes, and through economic shifts that determine the development of novel forms of financial power in Colombia and beyond. This article proposes a concept of compounding financial frontiers to grasp how new spaces for financial value extraction emerge and how capitalism finds the conditions for its reproduction.

PATRIMONIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COLOMBIAN STATE FOR THE JUDICIAL DELAY DURING THE QUARANTINE DUE TO THE COVID–19 PANDEMIC

The research aims to analyze the exercise of jurisdictional power in Colombia during remote work at home conducted by the judicial offices of Cartagena during the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020. This article establishes if the Colombian State is incumbent on any patrimonial responsibility for the judicial delay during the quarantine. This article describes a new method in socio-legal research in Colombia, based on quantitative analysis, which allows determining through the application of surveys to users of the administration of justice that the state activities developed in the branches of the Colombian public power can generate patrimonial responsibility. Using the quantitative analysis of the surveys, the authors illustrate with the proposed method of statistical analysis that the application of surveys allows us to infer that in the administration of justice in Cartagena, 67% have perceived many changes in the notification of procedural stages with the notification application by email, contemplated in Decree 806 of 2020. The evaluation of the new method's efficiency is confirmed by calculating 150 surveys applied to the administration users, and the research results complement studies conducted by other authors in 2020-2021. The novelty and scientific contribution point to applying Cloud Computing using information and communication technology to conduct legal proceedings, and the conclusions pointed to developing new studies on the unjustified delay in compliance with the procedural terms and jurisdictional proceedings. Keywords: Administration of Justice, Access to Justice, Judicial Delay, COVID-19, Remote Work at Home DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.1.16

Pandemic, Criminal Governance and Mechanisms of Social and Economic Regulation in Three Latin American Contexts

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a series of adversities not only in people’s lives but also in cities and their forms of territorial organization. How has it interfered with the mechanisms of social and economic regulation of crime in Latin America? This article compares three urban contexts where the regulation of armed actors has become important and criminal governance has reached a certain degree of stability or sophistication. Taking the pandemic as a turning point, we compare possible transformations related to mechanisms of regulation used by illegal armed groups in the peripheries of large cities or centers of power in Colombia and Brazil.

Fracking and glyphosate amid COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia

Despite the congratulations that Colombia received from the Pan American Health Organization for its good management during the first months of pandemic (1), supposedly for using scientific evidence for decision-making, the start of the fracking pilots (unconventional hydraulic fracturing procedure) and return to use glyphosate against illicit crops leaves glimpse inconsistencies in decision-making in public health by the Colombian government. The pandemic taught that environmental protection is essential to avoid the emergence of future epidemics (2). However, it is precisely in the midst of the pandemic that the Colombian government makes decisions without listening to science, ignoring the precautionary principle even against the national constitution.
 As of the end of March 2021, two unconventional reservoir fracking pilot projects had been approved for development without a rigorous assessment of the potentially associated adverse health effects (3). These will be carried out in the department of Santander, the most seismically active department in Colombia (4). On the other hand, the government is making the return of glyphosate a reality, as previously mentioned (5). The Decree 380 (April 12, 2021) regulates spraying with glyphosate, leaving only the National Narcotics Council to endorse the decision. This Decree was even signed by the current Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, who was Vice Minister of Health in 2015 and publicly endorsed then to ban the use of glyphosate because of its potential carcinogenic effects, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). This change in the government´s decision is not explained on scientific grounds, as the evidence supporting the adverse effects of glyphosate on health remains even more conclusive now (6).
 These two political decisions are added to others that aggravate the armed internal conflict in Colombia, precisely when next year there will be presidential elections. Anti-science in environmental health increases its power in Colombia, following the trend of Latin American countries with denialist governments such as Brazil. The territories and populations directly affected by these decisions are the most socioeconomically disadvantaged in the country. Perhaps for this reason it is not surprising that the Colombian scientific evidence shows that the policies implemented in the management of the pandemic have not succeeded in reducing social inequalities (7), but have probably widened them, and that public health surveillance has been limited, with achievements only in some regions (8).

Hybrid life cycle assessment of an onshore wind farm including direct and indirect services: A case study in Guajira, Colombia

To diversify and decarbonize its energy system, Colombia plans a sizeable increase in wind power by installing onshore wind farms in the Guajira region. While presumably superior to other alternatives in terms of environmental performance, this assumption cannot be tested due to the lack of studies in this region. To assess the potential environmental performance of wind power in Colombia, we conduct a hybrid life cycle assessment of a wind farm of 19.5 MW of installed capacity for various impacts. We include both direct (required on-site) and indirect (required in the supply-chain) services associated with the life cycle of the wind farm for completeness, an unprecedented feature in the LCA literature. The results show that the wind farm is associated with low global warming impacts (12.93 gr CO2 eq/kWh) compared with similar studies, mainly due to high wind speeds. Moreover, the inclusion of both direct and indirect services increases the environmental impacts across indicators (with respect to the results without services) from 0% (carcinogenic effects) to 21% (terrestrial eutrophication). Further, sensitivity analysis suggests that the results are highly dependant on the capacity factor, lifespan, and percentage of losses. We conclude that the inclusion of both direct and indirect services is not negligible in the life cycle assessment of wind farms and similar projects, particularly given the substantial services required, such as surveying, legal compliance, etc. Given the difficulty to obtain data on services, we conclude with some recommendations aimed at relevant stakeholders, such as tax benefits and public procurement guidelines.

Free Expression and Judicial Power in Colombia, India, and South Africa

The growth of judicial power globally has renewed scholarly debates about who benefits from increased judicial authority. Using original data, we examine the full universe of constitutional free expression decisions issued by three apex courts—in Colombia, India, and South Africa—across three categories of disputes that feature a diverse array of rights claimants. By so doing, we shed light on the limits of elite-driven accounts of judicial empowerment. We find that even where constitutional courts are empowered by elites seeking to advance their own interests, activist courts can develop a practice of rights-protection that benefits a diverse range of less powerful actors. Moreover, regardless of whether the speech claimants are elite or non-elite actors, these three apex courts regularly rule in favor of free expression for dissenting or unorthodox speech acts. In sum, where issues are peripheral to the governing regime’s core interests, relatively powerless actors are sometimes able to use legal processes to advance their rights and interests.

Environmental variables affecting the behavior of demand and the price of electric power in Colombia

El presente documento refleja los pasos que fueron necesarios para la construcción del estudio sobre el impacto de las variables que afectan el comportamiento de la demanda y el precio de la energía eléctrica en Colombia, como el Fenómeno climáticos El Niño, demanda y oferta energética, y modelamiento del consumo energético por la población. Como metodología se realizó un análisis cuantitativo, utilizando técnicas estadística inferencial con reducción de las variables, se hizo procesamiento de los datos mediante las pruebas de estadísticas Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk, correlación por coeficiente de Pearson, regresión lineal por estimación curvilínea, como resultados se concluyó que la variable de la anomalía de temperatura del Océano Pacifico Niño 3-4 y la variable del precio nacional kilovatio-hora; se encuentran correlacionadas de manera directa positiva con fuerza moderada. Esto permite el establecimiento de recomendaciones con base en las proyecciones realizadas mediante el modelo de suavización exponencial de Holt, para estimar un posible razonamiento de energía si no se realizan las inversiones en nuevos proyectos de generación eléctrica al ver el comportamiento de la demanda creciente.Palabras clave: Demanda y oferta energética, fenómeno de El Niño, Modelamiento

Liberalización comercial en Colombia: ¿modernización o trampa?

Este artículo analiza el comercio exterior colombiano para determinar por qué los resultados de la apertura no han sido satisfactorios frente a los propósitos que la impulsaron. Se plantea como hipótesis que el modelo de desarrollo está sujeto a dicha política y que la liberalización comercial no ha motivado el desarrollo de sectores que agreguen valor. Finalmente, mediante la teoría de los ciclos políticos, se sugiere que la economía colombiana puede estar atrapada en una trampa de dependencia económica internacional a la que ha contribuido la dirigencia política del país.

Optimising the insertion of renewables in the Colombian power sector

Abstract While most of Colombia's power comes from large-scale hydroelectricity generation, it still depends on fossil-fuel-based technologies. Alternative cleaner energy sources have been largely neglected despite their abundance and the likely complementarities between different renewable resources. This limited mix of energy sources has made the system vulnerable to unpredictable and recurrent drought conditions (El Nino) occurring every 4–5 years. In the past, El Nino brought high energy costs and power supply losses. This paper proposes an optimisation model to study the insertion of renewable energy systems (RES) into the Colombian electricity sector. The model considers a cost-based generation competition between conventional technologies (hydro and thermal) and alternative RES (solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind). It aims at minimising system costs, CO2 emissions, and the number of blackout events. The model is solved by following two procedures known as Implicit Stochastic Optimisation (ISO) and Robust Optimisation (RO), and the results indicate that alternative renewables should replace all fossil-fuel-based technologies for economic and environmental reasons. Solar PV seems particularly promising to expand system capacity, as it contributes to both the reduction of the overall system costs and to the ability of the system to cope with extreme dry weather conditions.

La Seguridad Multidimensional y el Poder Aéreo: doctrinas de la OEA y Fuerza Aérea para fortalecer el desarrollo de la seguridad y la defensa. ¿Cuál es el nuevo panorama de Colombia?

El presente artículo de investigación aborda la temática de la seguridad y defensa de las naciones desde la perspectiva de empleo del Poder Aéreo en Colombia frente a los retos de la Seguridad Multidimensional. Para este propósito se aplicó la metodología de revisión y análisis documental, la que permitió efectuar un examen comparativo de los elementos teóricos, conceptuales y prácticos del Poder Aéreo a partir de tres ejes temáticos específicos. El primero relacionado con las doctrinas de Poder Aéreo en Colombia y las amenazas tradicionales a la Seguridad Multidimensional, el segundo en función a la necesidad de articular el empleo del Poder Aéreo a las nuevas amenazas y sus características a partir de la globalización y aplicación de las TIC, el tercero relacionado con la armonía de empleo del Poder Aéreo frente a los escenarios de preocupaciones y nuevos desafíos a la seguridad, elemento donde reside la postura más revolucionaria del concepto de Seguridad Multidimensional. El anterior proceso facilitó la deducción de hallazgos y la deducción de importantes conclusiones dando respuesta al planteamiento problémico.

Entre la guerra y la política. Una mirada comparativa de los procesos de paz en América Latina: los casos del FMLN y el M-19 (1986-1992)

Hace 25 años la guerrilla salvadoreña del FMLN firmaba la paz con el gobierno del partido ARENA. Este acontecimiento se daba dos años después de la firma de acuerdos entre el M-19 y el partido liberal en aquel momento en el poder en Colombia. Tanto el FMLN como el M-19 dejarían las armas y pasarían a las urnas a través de la conformación de partidos políticos, uno con un éxito electoral rotundo y otro con un fracaso de la misma amplitud. El objetivo de este artículo es dar una mirada en perspectiva comparada a los dos procesos para comprender cómo se desarrollaron las negociaciones, en qué contextos se construyeron los respectivos acuerdos y, por último, qué bases solidificaron para los futuros proce- sos de participación política.

Violence Entrepreneurs, Law and Authority in Colombia

ABSTRACTLocal power in Colombia has been profoundly restructured since the mid‐2000s, with the partial demobilization of paramilitary groups and the state's direct presence at the local level. This has led to the articulation of claims to new rights by internally displaced people, paving the way for new conditions of access to property and citizenship. However, paramilitary groups and their political and economic allies remain a de facto power in some areas. This contribution argues that a situation of rupture, seemingly characterized by a re‐monopolization of state violence, does not necessarily lead to the marginalization of criminal actors but to a reconfiguration of the links between statutory institutions and unofficial networks. This argument is based on an ethnographical exploration of claims regarding citizenship and property rights. The analysis of the strategies of rights claimants sheds light on the formation of both political authority and political subjectivity.

Representación indígena en el periodismo colombiano: el cómo y el por qué

Tomando como caso de estudio la representación de los medios colombianos de la Minga de Resistencia Social y Comunitaria del 2008 (MRSC), este trabajo muestra como los dos diarios de circulación nacional, El Tiempo y El Espectador, y los noticieros Caracol y RCN, cubren las demandas y propuestas políticas de organizaciones indígenas, sector tradicionalmente excluido en Colombia. Basado en el análisis de contenido de 238 artículos de dichos periódicos y de los noticieros emitidos durante esta movilización, este articulo muestra las técnicas visuales y de lenguaje utilizadas para criminalizar e/o invisibilizar, dependiendo del caso y contexto, los actos políticos de dichas comunidades. Como conclusión se discute cómo este tipo de representación es producto de tres factores que afectan el periodismo en los medios masivos en Colombia: el monopolio de los medios masivos, los problemas en el ejercicio del periodismo, y la afinidad ideológica entre el periodismo y el poder.

LOS RESTOS DEL BUEN GOBIERNO O LOS RETOS DE UNA CIUDADANÍA PARA GOBERNAR EN COLOMBIA: UN ANÁLISIS DESDE EL PODER POLÍTICO

This work is part of research progress within the project on the structure of public power in Colombia. Contains a related development analysis exercise of g...

Victoriano Lorenzo, the cholo guerrillero

Victoriano Lorenzo was the only Panamanian general executed for his role in Colombia’s Thousand Days War (1899–1902). Sometimes termed a “cholo guerrillero”, Lorenzo led Indigenous peoples into battle in alliance with the liberals against the conservatives who had taken power in Colombia. Lorenzo’s actions provide an example of the complicated relationships that Indigenous leaders sought to negotiate with liberals in Latin America at the turn of the twentieth century. Observers have long debated whether a political ideology motivated Lorenzo’s involvement with the liberals, and whether he can best be understood as a caudillo, nationalist, or socialist. An examination of his attitudes toward ethnic identities and women’s involvement in his struggle reveals that the actions of marginalized peoples were a primary factor that informed his political engagement.Victoriano Lorenzo est le seul général panamien à avoir été exécuté en raison de son rôle dans la Guerre de Mille Jours (1889–1902) en Grande Colombie. Lorenzo, qui fait partie de ceux que l’on appelle parfois les ‘guerrillero cholo’, a entraîné les peuples indigènes dans la lutte, menée aux côtés des libéraux, contre les conservateurs qui avaient pris le pouvoir en Colombie. Les actes de Lorenzo nous offrent un exemple des relations complexes que les chefs indigènes cherchaient à négocier avec les libéraux en Amérique Latine au début du vingtième siècle. Les observateurs ont longtemps débattu pour déterminer si l’engagement de Lorenzo aux côtés des libéraux était l’effet d’une idéologie politique, ou bien s’il faut voir en lui un caudillo, un nationaliste, ou un socialiste. L’examen de son attitude envers les minorités ethniques et l’implication des femmes dans son combat révèlent que les actions des communautés marginalisées ont joué un rôle crucial dans le développement de son engagement politique.

Presidencialismo vs. provincialismo. El control de los poderes locales en Colombia

Grâce à l’analyse des sources documentaires tels que des lettres de notables locaux et le président de la République, la presse, les affiches, les témoignages de quelques contemporains, ce travail décrit l’une des élections les plus critiques de la première moitié XIXe siècle. En effet, il marque l˲arrivée au pouvoir de la faction la plus modérée du libéralisme. Notre hypothèse est que le pouvoir présidentiel en Colombie a vu réduire ses actions dans les provinces, en raison de la puissance qu˲ ils avaient les Chambres provinciales sur la liste des candidats qui devaient être nommés au poste de gouverneur.

Analysis of current practices for detecting market power in colombia’s wholesale power market

The current practices for detecting market power in Colombia’s wholesale power market are discussed in this paper. A miscalculation of the Lerner Index, the most common measure of market power, leads to an overestimation or underestimation of market power. Different alternatives to calculate the Lerner Index are proposed in order to have a more accurate estimate of market power. Numerical results indicate that it is necessary to carefully review the current approach in Colombia.