Repowering and Improving PV Power Plants

Dianne Desan is Regional O&M Manager of Engie Brasil Energia. She is responsible for eight PV plants and biomass operations in Bahia, Minas Gerais and São Paulo. She has deep expertise in the solar industry, and formerly served as Project Engineer, where she was responsible for the design and construction of large-scale PV plants and construction, engineering, asset and contract management, and regulatory affairs specialist, with a focus on regulatory improvements in the power generation sector.

Luiza Bertazzoli is Head of Research and Market Intelligence at Greener Consultoria, a leading Brazilian firm focused on solar energy and the energy transition. She leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to transforming data into strategic decisions, with expertise across distributed and centralized solar generation and energy storage (BESS). Her team combines deep market research, data-driven technologies, and strategic content to support companies, investors, and policymakers navigating the evolving energy landscape. Luiza's mission is to drive a smarter, more human-centered energy transition through data and insight.

Rafael Souza is a Civil Engineer graduated from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), with Master's and PhD in Structural Engineering from he same institution. Currently is R&D Specialist at Brametal, where over the past four years he has been dedicated to developing structural solutions for photovoltaic power plants. He has contributed to the design and deployment of fixed supports and trackers for the Brazilian and Latin American markets, reaching the milestone of 1 GWp in PV plants.

Laís is a Sanitary and Environmental Engineer, PhD candidate, and researcher in the Photovoltaic group at UFSC, where she studies circular economy, which includes reuse and recycling for the solar energy sector and agrivoltaic systems, a technology that provides dual use of land for energy generation and agricultural production. In addition to these areas, she has research experience with projects related to renewable energy cooperatives and energy transition in isolated systems in the Brazilian context. She currently works as New Business Manager at SunR, a pioneer in photovoltaic module recycling in Brazil.

Marília Braga is an electrical engineer and holds a PhD from UFSC, where she works as a researcher in the Fotovoltaica-UFSC group. She is a specialist in photovoltaic systems, with experience ranging from optimization to fault diagnosis, and also participates in projects related to batteries, electric vehicles, and green hydrogen. She is currently the president of ABENS - the Brazilian Solar Energy Association - actively contributing to the organization of national and international renewable energy events.

Rafael Campos is an electrical engineer and PhD in engineering with a focus on renewable energies from UFSC, where he has worked as a researcher in the Photovoltaic Laboratory since 2012. He is currently Performance Coordinator at Trina Solar for Latin America and the Caribbean, leading performance and reliability strategies for solar tracking systems in large-scale power plants. He has also worked as a professor at the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina and has comprehensive experience along the entire value chain of photovoltaic projects - including development, engineering, construction, and asset operation and maintenance. His trajectory combines field practice and applied research on topics such as hybrid plants, energy storage and bifacial gain modeling, with a focus on maximizing performance and mitigating risks in large-scale solar projects.