Adequacy Map for Offshore Wind Farm Implementation in the Campos Basin Region in Brazil

Abstract

The present work aims to determine the best location for positioning wind turbines beyond the coast of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo states in Brazil. The research is based on a multicriteria analysis that takes into account the wind farm efficiency dependent on factors related to the geographic position and wind conditions. The criteria used in this study were average wind speed, bathymetry, presence of endangered birds, distance to the coast, and distance to oil and gas platforms. This research evaluates the scenario for the farm installation in such areas and the results are expressed in the form of a heatmap. It was found that the municipalities most prone to comission wind farms are Macaé, Campos dos Goytacazes, Marataízes and Vila Velha. Besides this, it is concluded that the Campos Basin region has a promising wind potential that counts with infrastructure already installed due to the presence of the oil and gas offshore industry.