Offshore wind

The production of electricity from offshore wind has been growing since the end of the 20th century, especially in European countries, where around 84% of the world's installed capacity is concentrated. In order to help Brazil, which already has high wind potential on land, to start exploiting this resource at sea, this study identifies regions with high offshore wind potential off the Brazilian coast. The methodology applied takes into account average wind speed records at 100 m height, bathymetry and distance from the baseline throughout the Brazilian EEZ, using multi-criteria analysis integrated with a geographic information system. It also considers marine environmental conservation units as exclusion areas. The results obtained indicate three regions with high potential for offshore wind: a) the north coast of the Brazilian Northeast; b) the coastal area stretching from the extreme south of Bahia to the Cabo Frio region, in the state of Rio de Janeiro; and c) the coast of the southern region of the country, from Florianópolis to the extreme south of Rio Grande do Sul, and estimates the power available in these areas at around 3 TW.