On-site energy production and water treatment

In November 2020, the installation of a solar photovoltaic lighting system contracted for the Juri Juri Kawsay Amazon Scientific Station located in Arajuno was carried out. The coordination / management was carried out by the director of the Institute for Amazonian Studies, Dr. Ivan Jacome. The architect Ursula Freire attended as technical staff and Professor Fidel Rodríguez as Coordinator of the Amazonian Scientific Station. The installation was carried out by Peter May from CodeSolarEnergia S.A. https://www.codesolar.com/

Eight square meters of photovoltaic panels produce approximately 1000 to 1300 W / h, powering 20 bulbs, a computer, a radio and a USB connector. The coolest place was selected to place the battery set and thus extend its useful life, and the most open and protected place possible was selected to install the panels. After 20 years, the station finally has energy independence, facilitating the development of studies related to biodiversity.

In places as remote and ecologically complex as Arajuno, installing a small-scale on-site energy production system is the most sustainable option (considering how to dispose of or process the most toxic components of batteries and panels). History shows without fail that the introduction of roads and the centralized electric power system inevitably "bring the city to the countryside", which means that these places end up being altered or destroyed on an ecological and cultural level due to the waterproofing of the soil. with concrete ... the felling of trees ... the penetration of television and the internet ... noise and light pollution ... the cutting of natural paths used by animals and insects ... or the introduction of plastics , pesticides, processed foods and / or chemicals.

And who traditionally bring the city to the country? The architects.

Fortunately, projects like this show that architects are changing, learning, and exploring economic, easy-to-install and maintain, natural, and beautiful ways to not only transform "the city into a country," but also restore the countryside to its healthier natural state. more biodiverse and complex.

Let us imagine a new fantasy: that all future architects who graduate from the Central University, spend at least one night in the domains of the station and experience firsthand the embracing effects of deep and wild nature. A night where the light of the moon, the running water and the concert of insects and animals remind them that they too are living beings, instinctive, sensual, simple, fragile and above all insignificant ... so that the next time they have the challenge of building a concrete building, wondering if that new building is really necessary? If it is valid that this building is a monument to the ego? or ... if there is space for a garden, a plant, some trees and animals that bring some joy and health to people and the planet.

Finally, we must also meditate on a nightmare. The evidence collected by the investigation "Quality of the water of the Oglán River through phytoplanktonic bioindicators in the Juri Juri Kawsay Scientific Station" suggests that the waters of the Oblan river at the height of the Station suffer contamination by coliforms (human feces ) and amoebas due to discharges from the communities located above. It also undergoes a process called eutrophication that causes a total alteration of the ecosystem where larger animal species such as crabs or fish disappear, leaving an overpopulation of smaller and microscopic species such as algae, fungi and bacteria. This means that a river so beautiful and apparently pristine from the outside is actually a source of gastrointestinal, skin or fungal diseases. In short ... you should not swim in the Oblan river at certain times. So, having fulfilled the dream of equipping the Electric Power Station in-situ after 2 decades, now we must fulfill in much less time, a new dream, equipping all black and gray water treatment systems in-situ. the area that affects the Oblan river so that residents, students, teachers and researchers can go to the station and return healthy. This is a challenge for architects, urban planners, biologists, engineers and ecologists. 

*The Juri Juri Kawsay Scientific Station and its generation of waste as garbage that cannot be degraded by the environment, and evacuates gray and black waters into the Oglán River. There is a statistical study that evaluated the "water quality of the Oglán River in the area of ​​influence of the Juri Juri Kawsay Scientific Station through phytoplanktonic bioindicators (Navicula, Gomphonema, Euglena, Anabaena, Chlamydomonas and Oscillatoria) according to the number of visitors (20 to 80), and through the study of  temperature, total dissolved solids, flow rate and visitors versus phosphates. The physical and chemical characteristics of water showed that there is an inverse relationship between the number of visitors and phosphates, while a direct relationship between the flow and temperature relationship. Concluding that the water in the Oglán River near to the station is altered.TPlease read the full article here:

https://remcb-puce.edu.ec/remcb/article/view/881