Wave Energy Resource along the Coast of Santa Catarina (Brazil)

Abstract

Brazil has one of the largest electricity markets in South America, which needs to add 6000 MW of capacity every year in order to satisfy growing the demand from an increasing and more prosperous population. Apart from biomass, no other renewable energy sources, besides hydroelectricity, play a relevant role in the energy mix. The potential for wind and wave energy is very large. Brazil's Santa Catarina state government is starting a clean energy program in the state, which is expected to bring more than 1 GW of capacity. Assessment of wave energy resources is needed along the coastline. This work studied the potential wave energy along the north-central coasts of Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil, by analysis of the hindcast data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The annual offshore wave power was found to be equal to 15.25 kW/m, the bulk of which is provided by southeastern waves. The nearshore energetic patterns were studied by means of a numerical coastal propagation model (Mike21 SW). The mean wave power of 20 m isobaths is 11.43 kW/m. Supplementary considerations are drawn on realistic perspectives for wave energy converters installations.

Economic Assessment of Overtopping BReakwater for Energy Conversion (OBREC): A Case Study in Western Australia

“…(1) in a preliminary study on the economic assessment of the OBREC, it was recognized that the higher the design wave height, the greater the cost saving by using the OBREC breakwater instead of traditional coastal protection; therefore, for a conservative economic analysis, a lower value of design wave height and related wave period should be assumed; (2) the tendency to underrate significant wave height values during storm conditions performed by the ECMWF dataset is evidenced in several studies [58,62,[70][71][72][73]. This behaviour turns directly into not-reliable long-term return level estimates for extreme wave analysis, leading to a weak description of wave climate [74,75].…”

“…Hence, the use of the ERA-Interim dataset could be considered adequate for slightly conservative wave power potential and studying the long-term variation in wave height [74] but, at the same time, should be examined carefully during detailed resource assessments or for arriving at the design wave condition. The MIKE 21 SW model has been validated by comparison with data from buoys and satellites by several authors [58,62,[76][77][78][79]. This model was previously applied along the Victorian coast by the Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria, and comparison between computed values and waverider buoy records of H s was carried out [80].…”

“…Following a conservative approach, according to [58], the energy period has been assumed as 1.14 T m .…”

“…Following a conservative approach, according to [58], the energy period has been assumed as 1.14 Tm. The nearshore wave energy patterns have been determined applying the MIKE 21 SW model for wave propagation in nearshore regions.…”

Full-Scale Prototype of an Overtopping Breakwater for Wave Energy Conversion

“…Several case studies have been analyzed, making the hypothesis of the extension of existing traditional breakwaters with this innovative embedded WEC technology, and satisfactory results have been found. An application study has been investigated, for example, along the coast of Santa Catarina in Brazil, which represent one of the most favorable regions in the Atlantic Ocean for the OBREC, mostly for the low seasonal variability, the very low occurrence of calm sea state and few extreme annual storms (Contestabile et al, 2015). The annual average wave energy flux along the coast of this area has been computed in 14 kW/m and, in the hypothesis of an extension of 500 m of the existing breakwater, the technology would generate 3500 MWh of energy, which provides the household consumption for ~6500 habitants.…”