Brazilian Reference Center for
Hydrogen Energy
             
             
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History

On March 23rd, 2001, the direction committee of the Brazilian Reference Center for Hydrogen Energy - CENEH carried out its first meeting at the University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas - Sao Paulo State. This meeting marked the beginning of the official activities of the center after a preparatory process that lasted two years.

In fact, this process started during the Fourth Meeting of the Renewable Energy Forum, which happened in November, 1998, in Recife - PE, Brazil. The Forum gathered the five existing National Centers for Renewable Energy at the time:

  • The Brazilian Wind Energy Center, located at Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE;

  • The Brazilian Center for the Development of Thermo-Solar Energy - GREEN SOLAR, settled at Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Minas Gerais - PUC-MG;

  • The National Reference Center for Small Hydropower Utilization - CERPCH, located at Escola Federal de Engenharia de Itajuba (MG) - EFEI;

  • The Brazilian Solar and Wind Energy Reference Center - CRESESB, at Centro de Pesquisas de Energia Eletrica - CEPEL;

  • The National Biomass Reference Center - CENBIO, sited at Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP.

Along with this Meeting, there was also the First Workshop for Hydrogen Energy in which the proposal for establishing a Brazilian center for hydrogen was made.

In the two following years there were a number of contacts between the participating institutions that were involved in areas concerning hydrogen energy utilization. Those contacts resulted in the signature of the convention for establishing the Brazilian Reference Center for Hydrogen Energy (CENEH) at the end of 2000. The parties that ratified the agreement are the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), São Paulo State Enviroment Secretary (SMA-SP), the University of Sao Paulo (USP), the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Minas Gerais State Power Company (CEMIG) and Vitae Civilis - Development, Environment and Peace Institute. The present headquarters of the Center is at UNICAMP in Campinas - Sao Paulo State.