Resumo:
Seas and oceans provide a clean and renewable energy source widely accessible near major consumption centers. This source offers a valuable option in the energy transition and decarbonization process. Wave energy, along with the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) onshore device, is one of the most prominent forms of ocean energy. The implementation of this device requires locations with rocky outcrops and a steeper slope to ensure the physical installation and reduce energy dissipation due to friction with the seabed. Brazil has approximately 7,490 km of coastline with varied coastal geometries and geomorphologies, some highly suitable for OWC installation. It is estimated that the Brazilian coastline has an exploitable capacity of 114 GW, divided between wave and tidal energy, and this potential is considered to be of great importance for supporting global decarbonization efforts. This study aimed to identify and quantify the energy potential of suitable locations for installing wave energy farms equipped with the OWC onshore device. These locations were surveyed using QGIS software, resulting in a georeferenced map with a database of 319 sites. The survey revealed an exploitable capacity of 9.73 GW in ten of the seventeen coastal states, with an estimated energy output of 83.7 GWh per year, equivalent to two times the energy consumption of the State of Rio de Janeiro, which has a population of approximately 17.5 million. It is concluded that replacing the same amount of gas-fired thermal energy with wave energy would reduce CO2 emissions by about 44.52 million tons of greenhouse gases per year. This result suggests that wave power generation can be included in studies on the expansion of the Brazilian electricity system, acting as a catalyst in the energy transition.
