Coppe reinforces its strategic role in the new national initiative for renewable energy in the ocean

Brazil is taking a decisive step in consolidating the blue economy and transitioning to a low-carbon energy matrix with the creation of the Thematic Center for Renewable Energy in the Ocean – Blue Energy. This new national initiative will be dedicated to the development of clean energy generation technologies in high seas and will include the strategic participation of researchers from Coppe/UFRJ as well as the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), and the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV). The project is led by the National Institute for Ocean Research (INPO).

Awarded approximately R$ 15 million in funding from the Financing Agency for Studies and Projects (Finep), the Thematic Center will play a structuring role in the articulation between science, innovation, and public policies for the sustainable use of the ocean. Activities will be concentrated on four technological fronts considered strategic for the country’s energy future: wave energy conversion, harnessing tidal currents, systems based on the ocean’s thermal gradient (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion – OTEC), and offshore production of low-carbon hydrogen.

For the General Director of INPO and professor at Coppe, Segen Estefen, the initiative positions Brazil competitively in an emerging technological field of high strategic value. “The wide availability of renewable resources in the ocean and Brazil’s recognized experience in offshore activities are decisive differentiators. The project allows us to transform the ocean into a strategic ally in the energy transition, with the sustainable production of electricity, hydrogen, and desalinated water, increasing energy security and reducing emissions,” he emphasizes.

In addition to technological advancement, the Center will have a direct impact on the training of highly qualified human resources. Of the total resources, R$ 4.3 million will be allocated to research grants for master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral students, strengthening the national scientific base and ensuring the continuity of technological development in the sector.

The initiative also reinforces Coppe’s role as a bridge between academic research and industrial application, by articulating the development of prototypes with the potential for commercial scaling. Among the strategic objectives is the generation of solutions for sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as offshore oil and gas, steelmaking, fertilizers, transportation and cement production — key areas for meeting Brazilian climate goals.

According to the professor from the Ocean Engineering Program (PEnO), the Center will operate at a critical stage of the innovation cycle: “Offshore renewable energies are still in the pre-commercial phase, which requires advances in technological maturity levels (TRL). The Energy Center will operate precisely at this intermediate stage, enabling proof-of-concept projects and the detailing of designs for real-scale application. At the end of the project, each technology will have a pilot project for installation at sea, paving the way for large-scale commercial applications.”

With this initiative, Coppe reaffirms its strategic role in national energy planning, in consolidating the blue economy, and in building innovative solutions capable of positioning Brazil as an international reference in ocean renewable energies.

*Information from INPO Communication