Notice of a forthcoming series of grant-funded Challenge Competitions to demonstrate and scale up clean technologies in Brazil

Click here to access the competition documents

The new Brazil Energy Programme (BEP) is launching a series of grant-funded Challenge Competitions to demonstrate and scale up clean technologies in Brazil.

BEP aims to use UK experience and expertise to support Brazil’s emergence as a renewable energy powerhouse. The programme will do this by providing regulatory development advice and by funding pilots to test new technologies within the Brazilian environment.

BEP is part of the UK Government’s £1.2 billion Prosperity Fund, which aims to develop partnerships to support inclusive economic growth, mutual prosperity and progress towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The objective of the challenge competitions is to select scalable UK-led demonstration projects of innovative low carbon technologies in the solar, storage, smart grids, biogas and biodiesel sectors that solve specific challenges faced by Brazilian partners.

Up to £9 million of grants are available to be awarded to a number of demonstration projects.

The first set of pilots will be focused on solar, storage and smart grids and a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) will be launched on 17^th August 2020.

The first pilot to be implemented will install photovoltaic panels, batteries and smart monitoring systems to provide energy to low income families in a community in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. The pilot involves strong community engagement and will be executed in association with a utility company.

The timelines for solar, storage and smart grids Pilots 2 and 3, and for future pilots focused on biogas and biodiesel, will be announced at a later date.

Further information

BEP is implemented on behalf of the British Government by a consortium of Adam Smith International (ASI), Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), Carbon Limiting Technologies (CLT), Hubz, and Instituto 17.

Additional details will be published on BEP’s official website in due course. Check back here for updates or follow CLT’s LinkedIn page to keep track of the latest announcements.

Who can apply

Project partnerships are encouraged and can include technology partners, subcontractors, and/or research organisations from the UK and/or internationally. Full eligibility criteria will be published soon.

Challenge Competition 2020 Q&As

Brazil Energy Programme of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

1. What is the Brazil Energy Programme?

The UK Government’s Prosperity Fund will invest £22m to support Brazil’s energy transition to a lower carbon economy through the Brazil Energy Programme (BEP). The programme aims to leverage Brazil’s enormous potential as a global leader in renewable energies for social impact.

The BEP will be implemented between June 2020 and March 2023 and will focus on regulatory, policy, market and technological innovations in renewable energy sectors such as solar, storage, smart grids, biogas, biodiesel, wind and natural gas as a transition fuel.

2. What are the challenge competitions?

The objectives of the challenge competitions are to promote UK-led demonstration projects of innovative low carbon technologies in the solar, storage, smart grids, biogas and biodiesel sectors that solve specific identified challenges faced by Brazilian industry partners.

The aim of technology demonstration is to prove the technical and financial viability of technologies so that they can be deployed at scale and reduce poverty, improve energy access, and promote gender equity and social inclusion.

Challenge competitions will lead to grants being awarded to consortia or single business applicants to address the challenge described in the guidance documents.

3. What are the market opportunities in Brazil and where can we find out more about them?

Further information about the market opportunities in Brazil can be found at: https://www.great.gov.uk/markets/brazil/.

4. How do we apply?

The application process will start with a Pre-Qualification stage, which will lead to a shortlist of respondents being invited to form consortia to apply to the full application stage.

5. Who can apply?

6. How much funding is available?

A total of £9 million is expected to be available which will be shared between the nine anticipated challenge competitions. You should be aware that the challenge competitions will not all be the same value.

7. When will the first challenge competition launch?

 We expect to launch the Pre-Qualification stage for the first challenge competition on 17^th August 2020.

8. How do I know whether my technology is eligible for a BEP grant?

The key element to judge eligibility is how your technology responds to the challenge statement set out in the guidance notes when the competition is launched. If your technology can respond to the entire challenge statement on its own or as part of a collaboration, you are eligible to apply.

9. Will I need a partner in Brazil?

No. It is not a requirement that you have a consortium partner in Brazil.

10. Will I need to set up a subsidiary company in Brazil?

No. A subsidiary company in Brazil is not a requirement.