Northeast Brazil potential for land-based OTEC implementation

Many technologies are being developed and improved to supply the world growing demand for electricity. One of these technologies is the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), which makes use of vertical ocean temperature gradients to produce energy. Its resources are very large, but restricted to the tropical oceans. Here our objective is to map and discuss important characteristics of Northeast Brazil for OTEC´s implementation. Instrumented buoys and model data are used to determine the spatial distribution and temporal variability of ocean resources, which extend from 0° to 24°S. ETOPO1 bathymetry data is further used to characterize the continental shelf and the location of shelfbreak canyons. Vertical temperature gradients time series for four submerged canyons (Natal, São Francisco, Japaratuba and Salvador) are selected for analysis. Results demonstrate that the Northeast Brazil has the necessary characteristics for the implementation of land-based OTEC power plants. Besides, the resource is seasonally complementary to wind power off Northeast Brazil. A next step would be the use of in situ data, which can provide higher temporal and spatial resolution for the evaluation of these resources.