Author(s)

Juliana Tavora Bertazo Pereira^*, Eduardo de Paula Kirinus, Wiliam Correa Marques, Tiago Borges Ribeiro Gandra, Gustavo Pessoa de Barros, Helena Barreto Matzenauer

Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil.

The application of marine current turbines for electricity generation could offer a distinct advantage over other renewable energy sources due to the regular and predictable nature of this resource. This paper details the application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a possible tool for decision makers to better understand the environment and the impacts of the marine current turbines. The best areas for generating energy from the currents were found using a tridimensional model (TELEMAC3D). In addition to applying the energy conversion module, these regions were also evaluated for energy production, which was then applied to the AHP. Several databases (Transmission and Transport, Socioeconomic, Conservation Units, Endangered Species and Geological Information) were compared to minimize decision deviation. The results showed the viability of the northern region of the Southern Brazilian Shelf (SBS) as a possible area to harvest energy from the currents, as much of the studied region was limited by human activities in the coastal zone and sensitive biological resources.

AHP, Renewable Energies, Hydrokinetic Turbines, TELEMAC3D

Pereira, J. , Kirinus, E. , Marques, W. , Gandra, T. , Barros, G. and Matzenauer, H. (2014) Exploring the Project Potential of Marine Current Turbines: A Case Study in the Southern Brazilian Shelf Region. International Journal of Geosciences, 5, 1547-1560. doi: 10.4236/ijg.2014.513126.