Coppe welcomes researchers from 17 countries and consolidates its protagonism in ocean energy
Planeta COPPE / Blue Economy / Energy / Low Carbon / Ocean Engineering / News
Date: 17/04/2026
Coppe/UFRJ has hosted, from April 10th to the 15th, the 2026 Pan American Marine Energy Conference (Pamec), the main technical forum in the Americas dedicated to offshore renewable energy. Held for the first time in Brazil, the conference reached its fourth edition, reinforcing the institution’s international presence on a central theme for the global energy transition.
With impressive numbers, the 2026 Pamec brought together 118 participants from 17 countries and more than 60 institutions, in addition to counting 109 submitted papers and 59 oral presentations — indicators that highlight the scientific relevance and global reach of the event.
Organized and chaired by Professor Milad Shadman from the Ocean Engineering Program (PEnO), the conference covered a broad agenda of strategic topics for the future of offshore energy, including offshore wind; wave, tidal and ocean current energy; thermal and salinity gradients; renewable hydrogen production; and synergies with the decarbonization of the oil and gas sector.
One of the highlights of this edition was the announcement of Brazil’s entry into the IEA Ocean Energy Systems (OES), an international technical collaboration initiative linked to the International Energy Agency (IEA), within the OECD. The country will be represented by the National Institute for Ocean Research (INPO), coordinated by Professor Segen Estefen from Coppe. For Milad Shadman, “Brazil’s entry into this organization positions the country at a new level of international insertion in the area of ocean energy,” expanding opportunities for cooperation and technological development.
The scientific program highlighted cutting-edge research, with topics such as the performance of hybrid floating offshore wind turbines with integrated oscillating water columns; classification of areas for offshore wind in emerging markets; the development of multilingual skills for the blue economy; wind resource assessment using meteo-oceanographic modeling, SAR remote sensing, and artificial intelligence; decision support tools for sustainable development (Coast-Wind); mapping of current hotspots in the tropical Atlantic; opportunities and challenges for OTEC and SWAC projects in the Pacific Ocean; and wave energy conversion using AI and IoT.
The event had broad participation from students, faculty and researchers from Coppe, such as Professor Segen Estefen and researchers Gabriel Machado and Ehsan Nikkhah (PEnO), as well as Professor Luiz Paulo Assad and researcher Carina Bock (Civil Engineering Program), among others, reinforcing the institution’s role in training highly qualified human resources.
At the closing ceremony, the awarding of prizes to researchers from different countries reinforced the conference’s international character and academic diversity, highlighting works from Colombia, Costa Rica and Canada.
For Milad Shadman, chair of the conference, the success of the 2026 Pamec “is an inspiring demonstration of the growing dynamism in the offshore energy sector” — a movement in which Coppe has been consolidating itself as a protagonist in the articulation between research, innovation and international cooperation.
