PANEL 4: Solar Energy in Latin America: Today and Tomorrow

Francisco Beltran is a Doctoral Researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, specializing in the integration of solar photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems with ground source heat pumps for low-carbon heating in cold climates. His work focuses on system design, techno-economic analysis, and user adoption in residential and urban energy systems. He is actively involved in master’s level teaching at KTH, contributing to courses such as Energy Management, Solar Energy for Buildings and Cities, Energy Supply Systems for Cities, and Energy Systems for Smart Cities. He has also been appointed Academic Coordinator of a new Master’s Programme in Energy and Sustainability to be launched in 2026 at Universidad de Montevideo, Uruguay. Francisco serves on the Board of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), representing Young ISES, and is a member of the Secretariat and Board of the Future Energy Leaders Programme in Uruguay. In 2024, he was selected as a Global Future Energy Leader by the World Energy Council, reflecting his commitment to advancing research, education, and international collaboration across the energy sector.

Marília Braga is the president of ABENS – the Brazilian Association of Solar Energy and the Brazilian section of ISES, actively contributing to the organization of national and international solar energy events. She is an electrical engineer and holds a PhD in photovoltaics, having worked for over a decade as a researcher at the Fotovoltaica-UFSC group with extensive field experience and close engagement with the solar energy sector. In addition, she coordinates and contributes to research projects on battery energy storage, electric vehicles, and green hydrogen, strategic areas for the future of the energy sector.

Professor Eduardo A. Rincón Mejía is a researcher at the Autonomous University of Mexico City, affiliated with its Energy Program since October 2004, and a professor at the UAEMex since 1975. His work focuses on the development of efficient and cost-effective solar collectors using anidolic optics for a wide range of applications, such as solar food processing, especially solar cooking, as well as small, high-performance wind turbines. He is a life member of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), where he served as Secretary General (2008-2009), and of the ANES (National Solar Energy Association), where he served as President (2002-2004). In 2016, he was named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), where he chaired its Solar Energy Division (2013-2014). Author of the books: “State of the art of solar energy research in Mexico” (1999), “Fundamental aspects of Continuum Mechanics” (2015), “30 years of development in Solar Energy in Mexico” (2006) and co-editor of the book “Sustainable Energy Technologies” (2018). State of Mexico Award 1988 in Sciences and Arts, Technology and Design category. “Ignacio Ramírez Calzada” Award 1996, awarded by the UAEMéx. In March 2023, he joined the Mexican Academy of Engineering as a full member of the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Commission. In the Federal Public Administration, he held the position of General Director of Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at the Ministry of Energy of the Federal Government of Mexico (2018-2019).

MONICA MARCELA GOMEZ LEON holds a PhD in Physics from the National University of Engineering (UNI). In 2011, she won the L'Oréal-UNESCO-Concytec National Award "For Women in Science."

Her work focuses on functional materials for environmental and health applications, as well as the use of renewable energy in high Andean regions. She has led several research projects with competitive funding and has been recognized as a Distinguished Researcher in the National Registry of Science, Technology, and Technological Innovation (RENACYT) of Concytec (Peru).

Pablo Roberto Dellicompagni is a Researcher at CONICET (Argentina) affiliated with the Institute of Non-Conventional Energy (INENCO–UNSa), where he serves as Director of the Solar Thermal Concentration Research Group (CONSOLTER). He holds a Ph.D. in Renewable Energy Sciences (National University of Salta) and a degree in Electromechanical Engineering (National University of Santiago del Estero). His research focuses on concentrating solar power technologies, thermochemical and latent heat storage, and the integration of solar process heat into industrial applications, particularly lithium carbonate production. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, contributed to international collaborations such as IEA Task 64 (Solar Process Heat) and ERANet-LAC projects, and was awarded the Franco-Argentine Innovation Award (2022). Since 2024, he has been President of the Argentine Association of Renewable Energies and Environment (ASADES).