Multiparametric Identification of Favorable Regions for Wind or Solar Generation in the State of Pernambuco

Abstract

The capacity for renewable energy generation, particularly solar and wind, tends to grow over the years. However, locating regions favorable to the development of solar and wind generation is not trivial and is subject to errors due to the social, environmental, economic, political and administrative aspects of the regions. Therefore, this article proposes an algorithm based on digital image processing, capable of performing a variable weight multi-parameter evaluation and quantifying how favorable a given territorial region is for the implantation of wind or solar plants. Maps of the region under analysis are taken as input information. The region taken as a case study is the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, due to the access to data related to the evaluated characteristics: solar radiation, solar insolation, precipitation, air humidity, temperature, electrogeography, demographic density, environmental protection areas, slope, hydrography, wind speed, urban spot and the presence of aerodromes. It was possible to list for each type generation (wind or solar, exclusively), the 15 most favorable regions for the implementation plants. Furthermore, the proposed technique presents a practical indifference to the territorial extension of the evaluated region, which can comprehend a micro-region or an entire continent, requiring only that sufficiently detailed maps of the evaluated characteristics be provided.