GIS-based assessment of the renewable energy potential in the North Littoral of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil.

Abstract

The present study aims to present a methodology based on GIS to identify and locate the renewable energy potential as a contribution to sustainable energy exploration in coastal zones. The developed methodology was applied to North Littoral of Rio Grande do Sul, including 17 municipalities. A database was developed containing thematic layers of coverage and land use, hydrography, geology/geomorphology, digital terrain model (DTM), insolation, solar radiation, wind energy potential, and statistical information about population, agricultural production and electrical energy consumption. Processes of spatial selection, attributes selection, reclassification, overlays, and qualitative and quantitative analyses were applied in order to creating a general table of the predominant energy sources, the diversification of the energy matrix and the possible harnessing potential. The results show that all of the coastal municipalities offer at least two renewable energy sources that can be exploited, fourteen of which possess very high or high renewable energy potential.