Avaliação do potencial energético das correntes oceânicas no Brasil

Abstract

The increasing search for energy sources, driven by both the rise in electricity consumption and the urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has boosted the use of renewable energies. In this context, the seas emerge as promising sources to enrich and diversify the energy matrix. This study focuses on analyzing the theoretical potential for energy generation from ocean currents along the Brazilian coast, using results from a global climate model, the Brazilian Earth System Model (BESM). To overcome the BESM’s spatial and temporal resolution limitations, the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) was applied for the regionalization of results. Aiming to consider the effects of climate change on the power density of ocean currents, simulations represented current and future climate conditions, based on the historical scenario and RCP4.5, respectively. The results of these simulations were used as boundary conditions and surface forcing in a nested model with three numerical grids, one with 1/5° and two with 1/15° horizontal resolution, focusing on areas with the highest kinetic energy density on the southeast coasts and the Brazilian equatorial margin, mainly influenced by the Brazil Current and the North Brazil Current. The investigation included an evaluation of the hydrokinetic power density in the ocean on an annual and seasonal scale, as well as an analysis of the potential impacts of climate changes on this emerging energy source. In particular, a region with increasing energy potential and less power variation in the face of simulated climate change was identified, approximately between 80 to 100 m near Rio Grande do Norte.