Energetic Potential And Variability Of Ocean Currents On The Southern Coast Of Brazil

The energy in ocean currents has characteristics that make it one of the most important energy resources available and currently untapped. Thus, it is important to know the current systems and map the available energy resources. The Weibull distribution of two parameters was used to quantitatively describe the energetic potential and the system of ocean currents along the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, in the regions of Rio Grande and Tramandaí and the coast of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. Based on the time series obtained for each region at different depths, the method of maximum likelihood in the velocity distribution, adjusting the scaling parameters (c) and form (k) of the model, were calculated. From these parameters, the values of average speed, maximum and minimum speed, standard deviation and coefficient of variation for each data set were calculated. The region of Rio Grande showed the highest average power density of 9 W/m², while Tramandaí had the lowest values. The current velocities observed have low values for the utilization of this energy resource in the region.