Determining potential location for development planning of ocean current energy for electricity resources in Bengkulu

This study aims to determine the potential locations for alternative energy sources from waves and currents. Located in the Indian Ocean, the hydrodynamics potential of Bengkulu waters is quite high. In this study, we used data obtained from the OSCAR satellite series and bathymetric data obtained from Dishidrosal. The data series for currents are 5-year from 2019 to 2023 and were analyzed to classify the distribution values of ocean currents and bathymetry to generate the seabed topography profile. The method used in this study employ Inverse Distance Weighting and Fuzzy Logic. The sea surface current velocity is represented by the distribution of the average current speed (cm/s), which is divided into three classes slow (3.08–3.50), medium (3.5-7.84), and fast (7.84 – 12.65). The fuzzy analysis results show the estimation of suitable sites using defuzzification results at approximately 12 m. The classes for sea depth (m) were shallow (0.13-5.0), medium (5.0-20), and deep (20-315.35). The potential location is in the northern part of the province, specifically in North Bengkulu, Central Bengkulu, Bengkulu City, Seluma, and South Bengkulu, which topographically allows energy accumulation. These three districts can be designated as locations for the development of alternative electrical energy using ocean waves and currents.