Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS’s) are designed to provide emergency power when the main power source fails. To avoid this impact and to protect effectively the loads, one solution is to provide a redundant loading system using a dual power energy source other than the UPS to achieve an automatic static transfer when necessary. In this work, an additional module has been designed and connected between a critical load and the output of two independent UPS systems; if primary UPS fails, the module automatically transfers the load to the other one with a minimum transfer switching time. The results presented demonstrate a transfer switch time below 3 ms, compared to commercial products of 4 to 6 ms.

In the Andean regions, low temperatures (5 to −25 °C) combined with the wind effect give the sensation of extreme cold. Besides, in the rural areas, dwelling structures are very rudimentary, being based on adobe walls and galvanized steel corrugated roofs. The combination of weather issues and construction without thermal insulation considerations put people in extreme living conditions. Using local and cheap natural fibers as thermal insulation is a great alternative especially to upgrade/refurbish rudimentary constructions. In areas above 3000 m over sea level, natural fibers are vast and cheap (∼0.15 USD/kg), especially fibers named “Ichu”. In this study thermal properties of natural fibers were characterized according to the ASTM C177. Results show that the thermal conductivity varies from 0.047 to 0.113 W/m K, for mats with unidirectional oriented fibers, being fine Ichu wh...