Page 149 - ISES SWC50

7.14 ISES Section: Brazil

The Brazilian Section of ISES

The Brazilian Solar Energy Society (ABENS, Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar in Portuguese - www.
abens.org.br) is the official Brazilian Section of ISES, and was created on February 17, 1978 with the aim of
promoting the dissemination of and carry out studies on the many areas of solar energy in Brazil.

The years of growth in solar energy research in Brazil coincide with the international oil crisis, a situation that,
at the time, encouraged researchers and authorities responsible for the energy area to look for alternatives
to this crisis. However, having gone through its worst phase in the second half of the 1980’s, the resources
available for carrying out research in the field of solar energy began to suffer a retraction, which decisively
contributed to a reduction in the scientific production of researchers active in this area.

ABENS held several Annual Work Meetings throughout the 1980’s, but never a scientific congress, and the
association remained dormant throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s. The first ABENS scientific conference
CBENS (Congresso Brasileiro de Energia Solar in Portuguese) took place only in 2007, and has been held
regularly ever since, as listed below:

I CBENS (Fortaleza, 8 - 11 April 2007)
II CBENS (Florianópolis, 18 - 21 November 2008)
III CBENS (Belém, 21 - 24 September 2010)
IV CBENS (São Paulo, 18 - 21 September 2012)
V CBENS (Recife, 31 March - 3 April 2014)
VI CBENS (Belo Horizonte, 4 - 7 April 2016)
VII CBENS (Gramado, 17 - 20 April 2018)
VIII CBENS (Fortaleza, 26 - 20 October 2020)
IV CBENS (Florianópolis, scheduled to take place between April and June 2022)

CBENS is now an established event, and usually attracts from 400 to 600 participants, mostly from Brazilian
universities and research centers, as well as participants from neighbouring countries in South America, with
guest speakers invited from all over the globe.

ABENS’ bylaws are based on ISES’ bylaws, and ABENS’ governance body is composed of a President and a
Vice-President, together with the 1st and 2nd Secretary and the 1st and 2nd Treasurer, which are elected by
simple ballot every two years.

ABENS actively promotes gender equality, and has created a Women in Solar Energy Network to discuss
gender equality issues and attract women to the field of solar energy.

Information provided by Prof. Ricardo Rüther – ABENS President Elect 2019-2021
ricardo.ruther@ufsc.br

ISES SWC50 - The Century of Solar-Stories and Visions | 131