The Challenges of the Next Decade for the Brazilian Electric System: Capacity, Reliability and Cost

With 17 years of experience in energy planning, Gustavo Ponte is Head of the Power Generation Department at the Energy Research Office, where he leads studies on various power generation and energy storage solutions for Brazil's future power system. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Brasília and a Master's in Urban and Environmental Engineering from PUC-Rio and Technische Universität Braunschweig. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of São Paulo (USP) and has also completed specialization courses in Public Administration and Piping Engineering.

Markus Vlasits started as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in Germany and has been active in the solar PV industry for 17 years in several executive positions. In 2007-2009, he was Production Manager of crystallization and wafering at Q.Cells SE, Thalheim, Germany, where he reached a vice-presidential role in Sales Operations. Moving to Brazil in 2013, he started as CEO of Yingli Green Energy do Brasil. He teamed up with fellow executives to open Faro Energy, an investment company focusing on PV generation projects for commercial concerns, and was its Sales Director until 2018. In 2019, he was an independent consultant and helped start ABSOLAR's Energy Storage Workgroup. In 2020, founded NewCharge, an engineering company focused on energy storage projects for commercial clients in Brazil. He is also active as acts as a technical consultant and advisor for projects related to energy storage. In August 2023, he was elected president of board of directors of the Brazilian Association for Energy Storage Solutions (ABSAE). Markus also organizes energy storage events and conferences, and recently co-organized an energy storage conference panel for Intersolar South America 2021 in partnership with Solar Promotion.

: Roberto Brandão is the Technical-Scientific Director at GESEL (Grupo de Estudos do Setor Elétrico), where he leads research in energy systems planning, regulation, and innovation. He has served as Executive Coordinator for multiple Research and Development (R&D) projects focused on Pumped Storage Hydropower and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), contributing significantly to the advancement of flexible resources in the Brazilian electric sector.

Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia is co-founder and CEO of ABSOLAR (Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association), the national association representing Brazilian solar PV companies and professionals. He is co-founder and a governing board member of the GSC (Global Solar Council), a non-profit body representing regional and national solar associations on international issues. Rodrigo holds a PhD in Materials Engineering and Technology from PUC-RS (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul), a Master's degree in Renewable Energies from Loughborough University (UK), a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from USP (São Paulo University), and has collaborated with the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (Germany) and with ETH Zürich (Switzerland).