CNPEM hosts 4th Low-Carbon Hydrogen Workshop

Conceived and carried out since the first edition by the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a social organization linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), the Low-Carbon Hydrogen Workshop reaches its 4th edition, consolidated as a strategic space for the integration between academia, industry, public bodies and funding agencies

 

Among the participants of this edition were experts from UNIFEI (Green H2 Center), IPEN, USP, UFSCar, Unicamp, Senai-Cimatec, Itaipu-Parquetec, WEG, Shell, Carbonic (Startup, RCGI-USP), EPE, FAPESP, MCTI, and FINEP. The presentations covered everything from integrated biomass energy solutions to institutional research programs and policies to promote the energy transition.

 

Researcher Flávio Leandro de Souza, from CNPEM, organizer of the four editions, highlighted that the workshops reflect the evolution of the sector in the country: “CNPEM is beginning to consolidate itself as a protagonist in the development of a disruptive and 100% national technology, in which all components of the chain are designed in Brazil, without dependence on imports. This allows us to think of complete and competitive solutions, based on abundant resources in the country itself.”

 

Also from CNPEM, researcher Carlos Driemeier (LNBR) presented the lecture “Studies focused on the technological development and use of low-carbon hydrogen”, in which he evaluated the impact of already commercial technology (electrolyzers) on the Brazilian electrical scenario and highlighted the potential of hydrogen produced by photoelectrolysis in decentralized applications, with the incorporation of biomass in this context.

 

Paulo Resende, Energy Transition Manager at FINEP, presented data that reveal how the energy sector has been one of the fields with the highest investment rates from the institution since 2023, although specific contributions to hydrogen are still timid. According to him, “there is a problem which is the fact that Brazil does not yet have a mature industrial chain, neither for the manufacture of equipment and solutions for hydrogen, nor

for the application of the industrial solutions that are developed. The workshop contributes to the solution, to overcoming this gap that we have today in the country. In this sense, the workshop converges with the guidelines and priorities of the country’s technological policies, which is the reason why it becomes, in my opinion, an essential action of the CNPEM to promote technological consolidation, to promote innovation for this segment.”

 

Chrislaine Marinho, chemical engineer at WEG, reflects on the current reality of low-carbon hydrogen in Brazil: “Today it is still a very expensive process, but I believe that by investing in technology now, learning and understanding how to improve, we will be able to offer competitive solutions when the market is more consolidated. For WEG, hydrogen represents a market with great potential. And it is on the right path, developing systems to generate this input.”

 

Professor Renato Gonçalves, from the São Carlos Institute of Physics at USP, also highlighted the relevance of the meeting: “This is the third workshop I have participated in, and I consider it a milestone because it brings together companies, government agencies, professors and researchers working on the energy transition. Here it is possible to understand better the guidelines and direction Brazil is taking regarding green hydrogen, a strategic input for sectors such as transportation, energy, and fertilizers. It is a space that integrates different leaders and allows for the construction of a broader vision of the hydrogen use and production in Brazil.”

 

Throughout its editions, the workshop has been monitoring the evolution of the Brazilian hydrogen scenario. The first meeting highlighted the need to position Brazil in the global debate. The second edition moved on to regulatory discussions. The third reflected the consolidation of standards and the gain in technological scale. The fourth meeting, now, expands the debate to diverse applications and routes, such as the use of biomass, reinforcing CNPEM’s unique contribution to building a low-carbon hydrogen economy.

 

In recent years, CNPEM has dedicated itself to the development of devices and new materials for electrolysis, ultrafine catalysts capable of reducing costs, and integrated strategies to harness Brazilian biomass on the green hydrogen route. This combination of skills accelerates the creation of technological solutions aligned with Brazil’s potential to become a global leader in the sustainable production of this energy vector.