One of CINE’s goals is to improve electricity storage technologies (photo: CINE)
Published on 01/22/2025
Agência FAPESP* – The Center for Innovation in New Energies (CINE) has received a new boost in its mission to improve technologies for producing energy from renewable sources and processes with a low carbon footprint. At an event held last November, the agreement between the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) with FAPESP and Shell, which fund the center founded in 2018, was renewed.
Supported through the Engineering Research Centers program (ERCs 17/11631-2 and 17/11986-5), the agreement will enable 15 new research and development projects to be carried out over the next five years. The focus will be on making technologies for producing energy from renewable sources more efficient, economical and sustainable.
Ana Flávia Nogueira, director of CINE and a professor at UNICAMP’s Institute of Chemistry, emphasized the importance of basic research as the foundation of technological innovation, comparing it to the essential structure of a solid building.
“Progress in innovation depends on a solid foundation. With this agreement, we want not only to create new technologies, but also to strengthen the national industry, which is essential for the country’s autonomy. In addition, we’re seeking international partnerships to develop the core technologies for the energy transition,” said Nogueira.
The researcher also celebrated the global impact of CINE, which, even with a small team, stands out for its scientific excellence, such as the more than 500 articles published internationally. “We’ve tried to advance what we call the level of technological maturity. We made a lot of progress in the first phase of CINE and we want even more,” she told Agência FAPESP.
“FAPESP is delighted to renew its partnership with Shell and UNICAMP in the Center for Innovation in New Energies. This is a key agenda for Brazil and São Paulo. There are many new issues in renewable energy generation and storage. We’re sure that CINE will repeat the success of previous years,” said Carlos Américo Pacheco, executive director of FAPESP’s Executive Board.
The rector of UNICAMP, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, highlighted the importance of integrated actions for an effective energy transition and reflected on Brazil’s historic opportunity to lead this transition, given its abundance of renewable natural resources.
Meirelles emphasized that “Brazil has an essential role to play in the energy transition, and CINE is ready to support the national industry. Partnerships with companies such as Shell are essential for universities to effectively contribute to sustainability and develop technologies that strengthen Brazil’s position on the global stage.”
Representing the rector of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Jr., professor Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior of the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP) reflected on the unique capabilities of Brazilian public universities, emphasizing that many innovations are only possible because of the collaborative and multidisciplinary environment of these institutions. He also commented on the challenges facing innovation in Brazil, such as the dependence on external inputs and technologies, which threaten national security.
“We must invest in science and technology, not only to develop solutions but also to ensure the country’s independence in critical areas. Our big challenge is to produce synthetic fuels and other energy alternatives in a sustainable way, ensuring that the discoveries made here benefit Brazil and can be disseminated globally,” he stated.
The vice-chancellor of UFSCar, Maria de Jesus Dutra dos Reis, thanked Shell for the partnership, emphasizing the commitment of large companies to social responsibility and the importance of FAPESP’s support in strengthening universities. “The role of universities goes beyond knowledge; it’s a social responsibility towards society,” noted Dutra.
The event was also attended by the general coordinator of UNICAMP, Maria Luiza Moretti, and the manager of Shell’s Energy Transition and Low Carbon Program, Alexandre Breda.
From left to right: Alexandre Breda (Shell), Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior (USP), Antonio José Meirelles (UNICAMP), Maria de Jesus Dutra dos Reis (UFSCar), Maria Luiza Moretti (UNICAMP) and Ana Flávia Nogueira (CINE/UNICAMP) (photo: Osvaldo Furiatto)
Research programs
The new CINE projects will be divided into four interconnected research programs: Energy Generation, Advanced Energy Storage, Green Hydrogen and Computational Materials Design. Initially, the scientific team involved in the projects will consist of researchers associated with 11 Brazilian teaching and research institutions.
BRL 82.4 million will be invested in this phase, of which BRL 62.4 million will be financed by Shell, through the Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) clause of the Brazilian National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). FAPESP will invest another BRL 20 million.
In Energy Generation, there is a solar energy project that uses innovative material based on perovskite crystals, a cheaper raw material with a lower carbon footprint in its production compared to the silicon crystal panel widely used today. The researchers intend to create prototypes to be tested in representative environments.
“The big advantage of perovskite is its cost. It’s difficult to say how much cheaper it is compared to silicon, but initial forecasts suggest that it’s about a third of the cost. Of course, when the material is actually on the market, it could be much less than that,” Nogueira explained to Agência FAPESP.
Perovskite can be used to make flexible solar devices for applications on building facades, vehicle roofs, and even eyeglass lenses. However, the material degrades rapidly when exposed to moisture, oxygen and UV radiation. To increase its durability, CINE researchers are developing encapsulants and materials that convert UV into visible light, extending the life of solar cells.
The Advanced Energy Storage Program is improving electrical energy storage technologies with better performance and affordable costs. The goal is to use these technologies to store energy when there is a surplus and deliver it when there is a demand, thus compensating for the intermittency of renewable energy sources.
“Thinking about solar and wind, there’s sun during the day and more wind at night. So it’s very important to store that energy at times of peak generation for later use. That’s where batteries come in. We’ve been studying lithium-oxygen batteries and sodium batteries, for example,” says the researcher.
For its part, the Green Hydrogen Program will be dedicated to identifying innovative materials that will help reduce the cost of key components of so-called electrolyzers, the equipment responsible for producing green hydrogen by splitting the water molecule. The researchers are also looking for ways to increase the efficiency of this equipment.
The Computational Materials Design area will use CINE’s computing and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to perform feasibility analyses of scenarios, assessing in advance the probability of success of certain development paths for the other programs, thus shortening the path to success for the technology under analysis. “This is a cross-cutting program. The idea is to use machine learning both to improve the materials we’re producing and perhaps to discover new materials. So this division is very important because it permeates and supports all the others,” Nogueira emphasized.
* With information from CINE.
Source: https://agencia.fapesp.br/53752
