Brazil Faces the Challenge of Scaling Up Innovations in Energy Transition
This is the conclusion of experts who participated on Saturday morning (15th) in an event promoted by Itaipu at COP30 in Belém
Brazil has vast potential for innovation in the energy transition, as demonstrated by technologies developed by Itaipu Binacional and Itaipu Parquetec, such as green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, biogas, and biomethane. The main challenge, however, is how to ensure that pilot projects become large-scale solutions capable of helping slow global temperature rise and climate change.
This was the central topic discussed on Saturday morning (15th) during the event “From Potential to Action: Innovative Solutions for Energy Matrices,” promoted by Itaipu at the Brazil Pavilion in the Blue Zone, as part of the COP30 program in Belém. The event featured the participation of the Deputy Secretary for Carbon Market Implementation at the Ministry of Finance, Thiago Barral; Itaipu’s Administrative Director, Iggor Gomes Rocha; the binational’s Renewable Energy superintendents, Rogério Meneghetti (Brazil) and Pedro Domaniczky (Paraguay); and CIBiogás President, Felipe Marques.}
Barral highlighted that the Brazilian government has worked over the past three years to create a favorable environment for innovative projects through public policies and updated regulatory frameworks that share an integrated and strategic vision for the country, such as the Future Fuel Law, the Carbon Market Law, the Green Mobility Law, the Climate Plan, the New PAC, and the New Industry Brazil plan.
“These legal and regulatory frameworks provide legal certainty for investments that are so important and require long-term maturation,” Barral stated. According to him, Brazil has all the conditions to establish its own innovation and development model on the global stage. “Now, we need partnerships between the public sector—with capital and support mechanisms—and the private sector, also with capital, to scale up the investments we need so much,” he added.
Iggor Gomes Rocha addressed Itaipu’s role in promoting energy transition innovations. During the first week of COP30, the company presented two of its newest projects in this field: synthetic oil (the base for producing sustainable aviation fuel) and a boat powered by green hydrogen. For the director, beyond scaling projects, it is essential to increase investment in research.
“Itaipu goes beyond the legal obligation for energy companies to invest in R&D. In addition, part of the royalties paid by the company is also reinvested in this area. Innovation is neither a cost nor an obligation; it is fundamental for companies, including to ensure the country can retain its talent by creating opportunities for them,” he argued.
Pedro Domaniczky added that, for Itaipu, the river basin where the plant is located serves as a testing platform for innovations that can be replicated elsewhere, and that the company is open to sharing these technologies—such as the recent developments in floating photovoltaic generation on the reservoir and the use of organic waste to produce biogas.
Regarding the latter, Felipe Marques argued that Brazil has all the conditions to assume global leadership in the sector. The country is already the largest “non-subsidized” biogas market (second only to Germany, which stimulates production by paying a premium for “green energy”).
“In Brazil, we don’t have that. Generation happens strictly under the market logic of selling kilowatt-hours. So what is needed to scale up and tap the full potential? First, infrastructure to transport the product more easily, and a more secure regulatory environment. But we are on the right path,” he emphasized.
Role of Hydropower Also on Saturday morning, Itaipu participated in the event “The Role of Sustainable Hydropower in the Transition to Clean Energy in Latin America,” promoted by the International Hydropower Association (IHA) at the COP30 Global Renewables Hub. In Latin American countries, hydropower accounts for 41% of the electricity matrix, providing support for the rapid growth of solar and wind sources in recent years. In Brazil, this share is about 60%, forming a kind of “backbone” of the national electricity system. “Here at COP, when we talk about energy transition, two words stand out: flexibility and security. And hydropower is the source best suited to meet these two needs,” said Eddie Rich, president of the IHA, who moderated the panel. The session also featured the participation of EPE President Thiago Prado; Abrage Director Camila Fernandes; Icold Vice President Enrique Cifres; the head of the Energy Division at the Inter-American Development Bank, Marcelino Madrigal; and Itaipu’s Renewable Energy Superintendent, Rogério Meneghetti.
