Análise do potencial energético para o uso de energia solar fotovoltaica em Humaitá, Amazonas

Abstract

The municipality of Humaitá, Amazonas, faces energy security challenges due to its dependence on diesel-powered thermoelectric plants, which generates frequent blackouts and environmental impacts. The scarcity of studies on renewable energy in the region motivated this research, which aims to evaluate the energy potential for the implementation of photovoltaic systems in Humaitá, considering seasonal meteorological variables. For this purpose, hourly data on solar radiation and air temperature (2019-2023) from the ERA5 reanalysis database were analyzed, as well as cloudiness, estimated by the Transmissivity Index (Kt), and energy production, which was simulated for a photovoltaic panel using data from SunData. Finally, Pearson's correlation was performed to analyze the relationship between the variables. The results indicated solar radiation values ranging from 326.25 W/m² (February) to 448.78 W/m² (September), with the highest peaks in the dry season. The monthly average air temperature values ranged from 26.92 °C to 29.84 °C, with average maximum temperatures exceeding 33 °C and minimum temperatures remaining above 24 °C throughout the year. The Transmissivity Index (Kt) showed that during the rainy season the city has cloudy skies, and during the dry season, partly cloudy skies. The simulation of photovoltaic solar energy production resulted in a monthly average of 62.21 kWh, with the dry season having the highest values, such as 72.02 kWh/month in August. And the correlation between the meteorological variables and the energy generated showed that radiation was the primary generation factor (r = 0.87; p < 0.05), while emperature presented a spurious association (r = 0.91; p < 0.05), mediated by radiation, and cloudiness (Kt) confirmed its limiting role (r = 0.86; p < 0.05). Thus, it is concluded that Humaitá has potential for the implementation of photovoltaic systems, capable of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and bringing energy security and directly contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals in the Amazon region.