Our History
Who we are
COPPE is the Graduate School of Engineering of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Founded in 1963, COPPE is the largest engineering, teaching and research center in the Latin American region. Over 12,000 master and doctoral candidates have obtained their degrees at COPPE, under the supervision of 325 full-time professors. Currently, COPPE has approximately 2800 students and a staff of 350 employees. Its 116 modern laboratories make up Brazil's largest research centre in engineering.
The COPPETEC Foundation (Coordination Foundation for Projects, Research and Technological Studies) is a non-profit private institution hand in hand with COPPE/UFRJ research vision. It bridges the gap between private and public sector funders and COPPE researchers. Over the past 50 years, the COPPETEC Foundation has managed more than 13,000 contracts in several technological areas relevant to societal development.
The Energy Planning Program (PPE) is one of the 13 post-grad programs at COPPE. It includes 11 full-time professors and offers two Master in Science (MSc) courses on Energy and Environmental Planning and a Doctoral Degree on Energy Planning, certified by the Program for the Support of Scientific and Technological Development in Brazil (PADCT).
CenergiaLab - Centre for Energy and Environmental Economics - was established in 2002 as one of the research branches of the Energy Planning Program (PPE) of the Graduate School of Engineering (COPPE) of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. CenergiaLab is an important energy planning think-tank for Latin American and global issues, developing innovative interdisciplinary knowledge on energy, economy and environmental sustainability through the promotion of research and teaching activities, outreach initiatives, and collaboration work with private and public organisations. CenergiaLab includes five professors, post-doctoral fellows, doctoral and master students in energy planning from Brazil, South-American, and European countries. The laboratory is accredited by the National Petroleum Agency of Brazil for R&D funds according to registration number 0994/2020 and a Sustaining Member of the Integrated Assessment Model Consorcium (IAMC) since 2021.
PRH-41/ANP/Finep - Program for Energy and Environmental Planning in Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels - is an interdisciplinary program within the energy and environmental field, focusing on applied research in the oil and gas, biofuels and renewable energy sectors. The PRH-41 was implemented in 2020 by the Energy Planning Program (PPE), part of the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Engineering Research (COPPE) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).
Comments
Innovative knowledge
Susanne Hoffmann | Assistant Professor, Chemistry Graduate School, UFRJ
“For more than seven years, Cenergia Lab shaped my life in a very positive way. In several challenging research projects, I found myself gaining core competences as a researcher and friendships for a lifetime!”
Mauro Rodriguez | Principal Analyst, Wood Mackenzie
“In Cenergia Lab, I had the opportunity to be mentored by World-class scholars. Not only learnt about energy systems modelling tools, but also about social and professional values. It is a place for innovation and creative thinking shared with my colleagues of different backgrounds (economist, mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, etc.). These colleagues, over the time, also became friends for life.”
Raul Miranda | Associate Professional, IRENA
“The Centre for Energy and Environmental Economics has contributed to the energy transition for nearly two decades. The Lab excellence and its prominent group of researchers guided me to gain an holistic view of energy systems analysis, not only considering energy security and climate issues, but also other dimensions of sustainability (e.g.: water and land resources).”
Larissa Nogueira | Research Scientist at TNO
“At Cenergia I had the opportunity to interact with different entities inside and outside academia. Participating in different projects added great value to my academic research and opened many doors in Brazil and abroad. I am thankful for all the lessons learned and interactions with my colleagues and promoters.”
Esperanza González | Economist at IDB
“Cenergia provided me the opportunity to work with outstanding researchers who supported and encouraged me during my academic path. I am glad I had the chance to spend so much time in such a multicultural environment. Cenergia is not only a lab, it is a community full of kind people.”
Rafael Soria | Assistant Professor at Escuela Politécnica Nacional
“During my MSc and DSc studies, I had the opportunity to share experiences with a great group of researchers from different regions in Brazil and also from other countries. Cenergia Lab creates opportunities to include young researchers in flagship international projects, integrating everyone in an incredible inclusive environment that favours friendship and teamwork.”