Mapping of the solar resource in the coastal region of São Paulo

• Grant number: 14/05344-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2014
• End date: May 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Ramos Martins
• Grantee: Vaítsa Maciel Haratsaris
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Solar energy is a renewable energy resource whose usage is intensifying worldwide because of its benefits regarding environmental and socioeconomic aspects. The utilization of solar resource in Brazil has been showing growth trends in various sectors. There are already national regulations for PV electricity generation systems in connected or non-connected to the electricity distribution grid. However, the scarcity of scientific data on the resource availability and its spatial and temporal variability is one of major barriers for solar energy exploitation in the State of São Paulo. The purpose of this research is improve the mapping of solar resources by integrating data observed in automatic weather stations with data from numerical models used in the preparation of the Brazilian Atlas of Solar Energy. This study will be carried out for the eastern region of the state of São Paulo in terms of physical, socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the region. The final product of the project will be the development of a solar resource mapping that offers greater reliability than those currently available for this region. This product may contribute to the promotion, planning and implementation of government policies and actions, as in service planning and investment for commercial development of solar resource available in the region.