PRELIMINARY MULTICRITERIA ANALYSIS OF OFFSHORE WIND POTENTIAL IN SALINÓPOLIS PARÁ

Resumo

This paper presents an enhanced multi-criteria assessment of offshore wind energy potential in Salinópolis, Pará, situated in Brazil’s eastern Amazon coast. The approach integrates geospatial techniques, environmental exclusion layers, and technical-economic parameters to support renewable energy planning. High-resolution data (5 km) from the Global Wind Atlas (wind speed at 100 m), CEPEL (2017), and CPRM (2018) were employed, including bathymetric constraints and port accessibility. Monthly climatic series (1991–2021) were integrated into GIS platforms (QGIS and ArcGIS), and decision-making was structured through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), following the frameworks by Silva (2019) and Ho et al. (2018). Exclusion zones (marine protected areas, navigation routes) and socio-environmental constraints were overlaid to define four progressive suitability levels (theoretical, technical, environmental, and socio-political). To validate mechanical feasibility, blade performance simulations were conducted using ANSYS under local wind loads and atmospheric density conditions. Results identified wind speeds above 6.2 m/s and power density up to 173 W/m², suitable for fixed-bottom offshore turbines. Figure 1 demonstrates the nonlinear correlation between wind velocity and power output, while Figure 2 illustrates turbine response and energy capture efficiency under Salinópolis-specific scenarios. The study reinforces the coastal zone's strategic value for offshore development, emphasizing the need for Marine Spatial Planning (UNESCO, 2011) and hybrid system integration in future deployments. This comprehensive methodology supports replicable assessments in other tropical coastal regions undergoing energy transition.