Paper Title
STATISTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SURFACE WIND SPEED IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL OVER THE LAST 60 YEARS

Abstract
Abstract -Daily surface wind speed data of high spatial resolution (0.1° x 0.1°) over the Northeast region of Brazil (NEB), from 1961 to 2020, were analyzed. The climatology generated at this high spatial resolution showed that there is an East-West gradient of intensities that amplifies in the Northeast-Southwest direction of the NEB between January and December, with emphasis on the July-December period when the highest daily average speed intensities are observed. Given this climate scenario, this study also identified, through the application of a multivariate statistical technique (cluster analysis), six homogeneous wind regions or groups in the NEB: G1 to G6, following a decreasing order of intensity, which were delimited by the limits of the municipalities that comprise them. It was observed that the winds are more constant and of greater intensity in the second half of the year, in the states that make up the east of the NEB. However, climatological normals obtained for 1991-2020 and 1961-1990 revealed areas of the NEB with reduction and increase in wind speed. These results are expected to support implementation strategies for wind farms installed in the NEB, which has 523 of the total 619 wind energy generation farms in Brazil. Keywords - Wind, Climatology, Homogeneous Regions, Climatological Normals, Trends.