Taller Regional de 

Metrología y Retos Tecnológicos en las Ciencias del Clima 

y la Energía Renovable

2-4 de septiembre, 2014

LATU, Montevideo, Uruguay

Salón de Actos/

Regional Workshop on 

Metrology and Technology Challenges of

Climate Science and Renewable Energy

September 2-4, 2014

LATU, Montevideo, Uruguay

Central Hall of LATU
 

September 2, 2014 

Day 1 : Session A – Institutional Awareness/ Día 1- Conciencia Institucional

Theme: Do we have the right policies in place? / Tema - ¿Tenemos las políticas adecuadas?

8:30 Registration/ Registro

9:00 Welcoming Remarks/ Palabras de Bienvenida

Opening Address/ Discurso Inaugural

Ing. Roberto Kreimerman, Minister of Industry, Energy, and Mining/Ministro de Industria, 

Energía y Minería, Uruguay ?

Arq. Francisco Beltrame , Minister of Housing, Land Management and Environment/

Ministro de Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio Ambiente, Uruguay (MVOTMA)

(Could not attend)

LATU – Dr. Rodolfo Silveira, President, LATU

OAS – Embajador John Biehl Del Río, Representante de la OEA en Uruguay

 (Welcome presented by Ruben Contreras)

NIST – Dr. Claire Saundry, Chief/Jefa, IAAO, NIST

9:30 Uruguayan Energy Policy and Climate Change/ Política Energética Uruguaya y el Cambio 

Climático, 

Ing. Ramón Mendez - National Director of Energy, Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining,

Uruguay 

9:50 MCTI’s Experience in Dealing with Climate Change as a Public Policy/ Experiencia del 

MCTI en enfrentar el cambio climático como una política pública

Osvaldo Moraes – Director, R&D Policies and Programs/ Director del Programa y Políticas 

de Investigación y Desarrollo, MCTI-INPE, Brazil 

10:10 Monitoring Air Quality in Buenos Aires/ Monitoreo de la Calidad del Aire en Buenos Aires

Lic. Maria Laura Mayol - Subgerente Operativo de Calidad de Aire y Agua, Agencia de 

Protección Ambiental (APRA) del Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, 

Argentina

10:30 Break

11:00 The Use of Alternative Energy in Urban Centers/ El uso de Energías Alternas en los 

Centros Urbanos

Mauricio Arouca - Head of the Energy Planning Program of COPPE-UFRJ, Brazil

11:20 Climate Change Public Policies and MRV Systems in Argentina/ Políticas Públicas para el 

Cambio Climático y Sistemas de MRV en Argentina

Nazareno Castillo, Director of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable 

Development, Argentina

11:40 Panel Discussion on Renewable Energy and Climate Science/Panel de Discussion sobre 

Energía Renovable y Ciencias del Clima

Representatives from each SURAMET Country

Adriana Rosso, AR; Osvaldo Moraes, BR; Ricardo Alcafuz, CL; Ever Cabrera, PY;

Jorge Rucks, UY. Moderator/Moderador: Hratch Semerjian, NIST, USA

13:00 Lunch / Almuerzo
 

September 2, 2014 Tuesday

Day 1: Session B – Technical Workshop/ Día 1- Taller Técnico

Theme: Renewable Energy – Metrology and Technology Challenges?

Tema: Energía Renovable- Metrología y Desafios Tecnológicos?

14:00 Outlook for Biofuels Regulation in Brazil/ Perspectivas de Biocombustibles Reglamento

en Brasil

Rosangela Moreira de Araujo – Superintendent, ANP, Brazil

14:30 Quality Assurance of Biofuels/ Aseguramiento de la calidad de los Biocombustibles

Rosario Mostazo – Head of Finished Products and Supplies / Jefa de Productos Terminados 

e Insumos, ANCAP, Uruguay

15:00 INMETRO's actions to reduce vehicle emissions and fuel consumption/ Las acciones de

INMETRO para reducir las emisiones de vehículos y consumo de combustible

Romeu Daroda, Head, Automotive Technology Center, INMETRO, Brazil

 (Presented by Humberto Brandi)

15:30 Q&A’s Preguntas y Respuestas

16:00 Break

16:30 Mapping of Solar Resource Distributionin Uruguay - Importance of Data Quality Control/ 

Mapeo de la Distribución del Recurso Solar - Importancia del Control de Calidad sobre las 

Medidas

Gonzalo Abal – Solar Energy Laboratory, UDELAR, Uruguay

17:00 Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energies-Rio Capital of Energy/ Eficiencia Energética y

Energías Alternativas-Rio de Capital de la Energía

Maria Paula Martins – Coordinator of Rio Capital of Energy Program, Brazil

17:30 Intelligent Cities & Smart Grid/ Ciudades Inteligentes y la Red Eléctrica Inteligente;

Mauricio Arouca- Head of the Energy Planning Program of COPPE-UFRJ, Brazil

18:00 Q&A’s Preguntas y Respuestas

18:30 Summary of First Day Discussions / Resumen del primer día de debates

INN, Chile – Mariela Trujillo

LATU, Uruguay - Claudia Santo

19:00 Networking Reception 
 

September 3, 2014 Wednesday

Day 2: Session A – Technical Workshop / Día 2- Taller Técnico

Theme: Climate Science – Metrology and Technology Challenges?

Tema: Ciencias del Clima- Metrología y Desafios Tecnológicos?

8:30 Registration / Registro

9:00 Welcoming Remarks / Palabras de Bienvenida

INMETRO, Brazil – Humberto Brandi

INTI, Argentina – Hector Laiz

9:15 Climate Change and Renewable Energy – A US Perspective / Cambio climático y energía 

renovable - Una perspectiva estadounidense

James Whetstone – Special Assistant for Greenhouse Gas Measurements, NIST, USA

9:45 GHG Brazilian Network Efforts /Los esfuerzos de la red de GEI de Brasil

Luciana Vanni Gatti - Coordinator of Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory/ Coordinador del 

Laboratorio de Química Atmosférica, CNEN- IPEN, Brazil 

10:10 Greenhouse Gas Measuring Network of the Argentine Meteorological Office/ Medición 

de Gases de Efecto Invernadero de la red de la Oficina Meteorológica Argentina

Gerardo Carbajal Benitez - Chief, Dept. Atmospheric Monitoring and Geophysics, National 

Meteorological Service, Argentina 

10:30 Q&A’s Preguntas y Respuestas

11:00 Break

11:30 Standards for UV Measurements (Development of Secondary Standards for Radiometry)

Normas para medidas de UV (Preparación de normas secundarias para radiometría)

Prof. Raul Cordero - Physics Dept., University of Santiago, Chile

11:50 Ethanol, Electronic Management and Flex Fuel Vehicles: Environmental Benefits and The 

Need of Improvements on Emission Measurements Test Procedures/ El etanol, la 

administración electrónica y los vehículos con combustible Flexible y los Beneficios

ambientales y la necesidad de mejorar los procedimientos Medición de Emisiones

Gabriel Murgel Branco - Director, “EnvironMentality” & Former Coordinator of CETESBSão Paulo Project, Brazil

12:10 Air Quality Policies and Measurement Challenges in Uruguay/ Políticas de Calidad del 

Aire y Desafíos en las mediciónes en Uruguay

Magdalena Hill- Engineer, DINAMA, Uruguay 

12:30 Lunch / Almuerzo
 

September 3, 2014 Wednesday

Day 2: Session B – Technical Workshop/ Día 2- Taller Técnico

Theme: Climate Science – Metrology and Technology Challenges?

Tema: Ciencias del Clima- Metrología y Desafios Tecnológicos?

14:00 Climate Change Modelling Activities in Chile/ Actividades para Modelos de Cambio 

Climático en Chile

Ricardo Alcafuz - Chief, Section of Research and Applied Meteorology, DMC, Chile

14:20 Global Changes and Regional Concerns / Cambios globales y las Preocupaciones

Regionales

Holm Tiessen - Director, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research

(Headquartered in LATU)

14:40 Meteorology Challenges and Measurement Support Requirements / Desafíos en la 

Meteorología y el Apoyo para la Medición

Gabriel Pisciottano - Director, INUMET, Uruguay (withdrawn)

(could not attend)

14:40 Q&A’s Preguntas y Respuestas

15:00 Panel Discussion – GHG/Air Quality Measurements/ Panel de Discusión: Gases de Efecto 

Invernadero y Mediciones de la Calidad del Aire

Are they Measurable, Reportable, Verifiable (MRV)? / ¿Son medibles, reportables y 

verificables (MRV)?

Maria Laura Mayol, AR; Maria de Fatima, BR; Mariella Trujillo, CL; Manuel Otazú, PY;

Jorge Zarauz – UY. Moderator/Moderador: James Whetstone, NIST, USA

16:00 Break

Session C - Closing Session/ Session de Clausura

Theme: Planning for the Future – Training and Collaboration Needs?

Tema: Planificación para el futuro - Necesidades de formación y de colaboración?

16:30 Panel Discussion: Development of an Action Plan for the SURAMET Region/ Panel de 

Discusión: Desarrollo de un Plan de Acción para de los países en SURAMET

Hector Laiz, AR; Humberto Brandi, BR; Mariela Trujillo, CL; Maria Celeste, PY; 

Claudia Santo, UY. Moderator/Moderador: Hratch Semerjian, NIST, USA

17:30 Summary and Action Items for the Future / Resumen y Acciones para el Futuro

H. Laiz, INTI, AR

H. Semerjian, NIST, USA

18:00 Closing Remarks/ Palabras de Cierre

Claudia Santo, LATU
 

September 4, 2014 Thursday

Day 3: Session A – SURAMET Specialists Meeting 

Theme: Urban Dome Project for South America?

Tema: Proyecto Urban “Dome” para Sur América

9:00 Presentation on INFLUX Project / Presentación sobre el Proyecto “INFLUX”

James Whetstone - Special Assistant for Greenhouse Gas Measurements, NIST, USA

9:30 Greenhouse Gases - High Precision Measurements and Efforts to Construct the Brazilian 

GHG Network/ Medidas de Alta Precision y los Esfuerzos para construir una Red de GEI

Luciana Vanni Gatti - Coordinator of Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory/ Coordinadora del 

Laboratorio de Química Atmosférica, CNEN- IPEN, Brazil 

10:00 Megacities Carbon Project / Projecto de Carbono en las Megaciudades

Riley Duren - Chief Systems Engineer, Jet Propulsion Lab, NASA, USA (Presented by James 

Whetstone, NIST)

10:30 CO2 and CH4 Measurements in São Paulo and their Relationship to Vehicular Emissions / 

Mediciones de CO2 y CH4 en São Paulo y su relación con las emisiones vehiculares

Maria de Fatima Andrade – University of São Paulo, Brazil 

11:00 Break

11:30 Summary of Initial meeting of the Megacities Carbon Project, Sao Paolo / Resumen de la 

Reunion Inicial del Projecto de Carbono en Megaciudades en San Paulo

Maria de Fatima Andrade – Profesor/Profesora, University of São Paulo, Brazil

11:50 Discussion of Potential Urban Dome Project Cities/Metropolitan Areas in South America 

/ Discusión del Potencial Urbano del “Dome Project” en Ciudades y Areas 

Metropolitanas en América del Sur

Moderator/Moderador: James Whetstone

12:30 Adjourn /Cierre

12/18/2014
 

Acronyms

AR- Argentina

ANCAP- National Administration of Fuels, Alcohol and Portland/ Administración Nacional de 

Combustibles, Alcohol y Portland/, Uruguay

ANP- National Petroleum Agency/ Agencia Nacional de Petrólio, Brazil

APRA- Environmental Protection Agency/ Agencia de Protección Ambiental, Argentina

BR- Brazil

CL- Chile

CETESB - Technological Company of Environmental Sanitation /Companhia de Tecnologia de 

Saneamento Ambiental/Compañía de Tecnología de Saneamiento Ambiental, Brazil

COPPE- Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute and Graduate School of Research and Engineering at 

UFRJ/Instituto Alberto Luiz y Escuela Graduada de Investigación en UFRJ

GHG – Green House Gases / Gases de Efecto Invernadero

GEI - Gases de Efecto Invernadero 

IAAO- International and Academic Affairs Office/ Oficina de Asuntos Internationales y Académicos 

INN- National Standards Institute / Instituto Nacional de Normalización

IPEN- Electrical and Nuclear Physics Institute/ Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares/

Instituto de Investigación Energética y Nuclear, Brazil

DMC - Chilean Directorate of Meteorology/ Dirección Meteorológica de Chile

DINAMA- National Directorate of the Environment/ Dirección Nacional del Medio Ambiente, 

Uruguay

INPE- Instituto National de Pesquisas Espaciais / National Institute for Space Research, Brazil

INTI- National Institute of Industrial Technology / Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial, 

Argentina

INUMET- Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology / Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorología

LATU- Technological Laboratory of Uruguay / Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay

MCTI- Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation / Ministerio de Ciencia, Technología e 

Innovación, Brazil

MVOTMA- Ambiente / Ministry of Housing, Land Management and Environment/ Ministerio de 

Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio, Uruguay

NASA- National Aeronautics and Space Administration / Administración National de Aeronáutica y 

del Espacio, USA

NIST- National Institute of Standards and Technology, US / Instituto Nacional de Estándares y 

Tecnología, USA

NOAA- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/ Administración National de los Océanos 

y la Atmósfera

OAS- Organization of American States / Organización de Estados Americanos

PY- Paraguay

SMN- National Meteorological Service/ Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, Argentina

UDELAR- University of the Republic/ Universidad de la República

UFRJ – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro / Universidad 

Federal de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

UY- Uruguay
 

Summary Report 

Regional Workshop on

Metrology and Technology Challenges of

Renewable Energy and Climate Science (RECS)

September 2-4, 2014

LATU, Montevideo, Uruguay

a) Workshop Objectives:

Objectives of the OAS-NIST Workshops organized for each sub-region of SIM (Inter-American 

Metrology System) are to:

1) Assess technology, measurements, and standards needs and existing capabilities of regions and 

States of the Americas, and increase awareness of Government agencies interested in 

technology infrastructure;

2) Promote regional and international partnerships to share approaches and best practices for 

expanded utilization of renewable energy, measurement of GHGs and air pollutants, and 

efficient energy use and distribution systems; 

3) Identify measurements and standards training needs to accelerate deployment of renewable 

energy technologies while minimizing their impact on our climate. These will be based on 

priorities developed by SIM members and could be provided through regional workshops 

and/or via collaborative research between the NMIs.

At the end of each workshop, an action plan is developed to further training and regional 

collaboration activities.

b) General Observations:

1. The Workshop organization was excellent, with high quality speakers that included policy 

makers and technical experts. LATU staff provided excellent logistical support, and their gracious 

hospitality was much appreciated.

2. The Workshop Steering Committee deserves our thanks for putting together an excellent 

program that was informative and stimulated much discussion. The program, unlike previous 

workshops, allowed more time for Q&A’s and discussion which was critical for success. Selection of 

only two general topics (Renewable Energy and GHG/Air Quality Measurements) enabled more 

detailed coverage and discussion of these topics.
 

3. Participation by all countries of the SURAMET Region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and 

Uruguay) was critical for the success of the workshop. More than seventy five attendees 

participated in the workshop, representing government policy makers, the NMIs, other research 

organizations, and universities. Participation from metrology as well as meteorology communities

enriched the discussion and encouraged future collaborations.

4. Presentations on current programs related to RECS provided clear indication that these topics 

are of critical importance for the region; however, the size of their economies, the natural 

resources and the needs of each country are quite different, and therefore their emphasis is at 

times on different concerns and technologies.

5. SURAMET NMIs have, in general, well established metrology capabilities. However, Climate 

Science related activities present new challenges for most of the NMIs, especially as they relate to 

chemical metrology expertise. Collaborations, joint activities and additional training will be of 

benefit for most of the NMIs. 

6. It was clear that different SURAMET countries have special capabilities they could bring to the 

table (e.g., Argentina in air quality monitoring, Brazil in biofuels, Chile in atmospheric modelling, 

and Uruguay in hydro, wind, and solar energy). This would make it more feasible to organize 

activities that could address global issues such as renewable energy, GHG emissions and climate 

change.

7. Well established programs on monitoring of air quality in megacities such as Buenos Aires 

(Argentina) and São Paulo (Brazil), as well as in Uruguay, represent an excellent foundation for 

future efforts to develop networks for urban dome GHG monitoring.

8. Three Panel Discussions helped focus us all on common experiences, issues and needs, and 

helped develop an action plan for the SURAMET Region.

c) Summary of Presentations:

Presentations from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay demonstrated that thoughtful policies on RECS 

are in place in these countries; but they are still struggling with implementation of these policies.

Most of SURAMET Countries are making attempts to provide GHG inventories; consistency of 

methodology and reliability of measurements continue to be an issue.

There was general consensus on the need to improve data quality, therefore its credibility, in order 

to encourage science based policy implementation and mitigation efforts.
 

Renewable Energy:

There are some excellent undertakings on implementation of Renewable Energy policies in the 

region. Rio Capital of Energy project in Brazil is supporting a large number of small projects. Buzios 

Intelligent City project is one of these and a very good example for an integrated approach. These 

and many other projects in the region are providing incentives for micro/mini-generation of 

electricity from solar and wind energy.

Presentations were made on some comprehensive efforts on solar mapping in Uruguay, Chile, 

Antarctica, and other locations to spearhead enhanced use of solar energy. Unfortunately, the 

capabilities to calibrate many of the instruments utilized for RECS related activities are lacking in 

SURAMET. For example, pyranometers used for solar mapping in Uruguay are being sent to WRC 

Labs in Davos, Switzerland for calibration; ozone monitoring instruments are sent to EMPA in 

Switzerland for calibration; ozone spectrophotometers are calibrated at NIST or PTB (Germany).

A presentation from Brazil summarized their activities on Biofuels, which continue to be the back 

bone of the Brazilian energy policy. These activities are being further expanded into Aviation Fuels, 

and into Biodiesel. Expanded use of these fuels will require certification of a large number of 

testing laboratories by INMETRO.

A presentation from ANCAP, the only refinery operator in Uruguay and producer of biofuels, 

emphasized the importance of Quality Control in their production streams, and the need for CRMs 

which are not readily available, especially because of customs barriers.

Air Quality Monitoring:

Presentations were made on comprehensive air quality monitoring efforts in several large cities in 

South America (Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Uruguay). These are excellent efforts with high technical 

quality; many are following U.S. EPA guidelines. 

However, many of these efforts are relying on CRMs imported from other regions and NMIs, 

making them costly and jeopardizing the reliability of measurements.

Results were presented from a comprehensive study of emissions from automotive vehicles using 

ethanol, biodiesel, and flex engines in São Paulo, Brazil. The importance of matching testing 

protocols with actual driving conditions was emphasized. Application of novel remote sensing 

methods to detect modified engines were discussed. 

Plans for the development of a new Automotive Technology Center at INMETRO was discussed. 

This facility will represent an entirely unique capability in South America, and will create additional 

standards and measurements needs for INMETRO. The objective of the latter is to reduce fuel 

consumption and vehicle emissions. 
 

Region’s NMIs have good capabilities in physical measurements, but relatively little on chemical 

measurements that would benefit RECS activities. INTI (Argentina) is putting new emphasis on 

health and environment related activities, including standards for GHGs, air quality, and solar 

measurements. INMETRO (Brazil) expressed their willingness to work with the other SURAMET 

NMIs towards joint development of CRMs. INN (Chile) may have to reinvent its chemical 

measurements capabilities. LATU (Uruguay) is expanding its chemical metrology efforts. 

GHG Measurements:

A summary of NIST Programs on Renewable Energy (Smart Grid, Solar Energy, and Building Energy 

Efficiency) and Climate Science (GHG and Aerosol Measurements) was presented. GHG 

Measurements carried out as part of recent undertakings in Indianapolis (INFLUX) and Los Angeles 

(LA Megacity Project) was discussed. Similar undertakings are being contemplated for South 

America (São Paulo) and in Asia to develop the framework for Verifying GHG Measurements in 

Urban Environments.

Results of a very comprehensive Brazilian study on Monitoring GHGs over the Amazon Region were 

presented. This work is carried out as part of a WMO/GAW Global CO2 Monitoring Network, in 

collaboration with NOAA in the US. Results demonstrate the impact of climate variations and 

deforestation on GHGs in the atmosphere. Special precision requirements for gas standards to 

ensure reliability of data were discussed.

Results were also presented on another comprehensive study carried out by Argentina’s GHG 

Measurement Network over Argentina and the Antarctic. They showed alarming levels of CO2, as 

well as decreasing levels of CFCs as a result of the Montreal Protocol implementation. They also 

send their gas bottles to NOAA for analysis; other instruments are calibrated at EMPA in 

Switzerland, again highlighting the need for enhanced regional capabilities.

It was gratifying to hear about some of the high quality Atmospheric Modelling Efforts in Chile, 

Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. These efforts highly complement the air quality and atmospheric 

monitoring efforts, and demonstrated the benefits of closer collaboration between NMIs and 

universities.

Finally, a brief summary of the projects funded by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change 

Research was presented by the program Director. This program has focused on “bigger picture” 

issues, especially the impact of highest levels of urbanization encountered in Latin America, longer 

chain hydrocarbons emitted into the atmosphere, the impact of agricultural trends, deforestation, 

large scale land use changes, and human risk aversion effects on climate. This represented a very 

different and worthwhile perspective on climate change issues. More details of the program can 

be found on http://www.iai.int/ .

The last day of the workshop was devoted to a discussion of a potential “Urban Dome Project for 

South America”. Presentations were made on GHG Measurement Program over the Amazon 

Region, LA Megacities Carbon Project, and the CO2 and CH4 Measurements in Metropolitan Area of 

São Paulo (MASP). A brief summary of the discussions held during the previous week in São Paulo 

between INMETRO, USP, IPEN, SPE, JPL, NOAA and NIST on the feasibility of initiating an Urban 
 

Dome project in São Paulo was presented. The parties expressed their interest in such a project 

and further discussions will be held.

d) Action Items under Consideration:

1. Discussions (and perhaps tutorials) should be held on GHG emission inventories (perhaps at the 

next SIM GA in Colombia) to develop more consistent (standardized?) approaches and 

methodologies.

2. Increased collaboration in the area of atmospheric modelling, among SURAMET countries and 

with universities in the region, was encouraged.

3. Need to develop training opportunities for measurement of vehicle emissions (an area also of 

interest for CAMET countries).

4. Need to develop GHG instrument calibration capabilities in the region and initiate joint efforts to 

develop CRMs that could be shared regionally.

5. Organize training workshops on: a) PV solar panel calibrations; b) calibration of UV (solar) 

radiometers; c) GHG CRMs; and d) calibration of anemometers for wind measurements. (Items (a) 

and (c) were also of interest for CAMET countries).

6. Organize a discussion group for CRMs needed for monitoring of atmospheric GHG levels and the 

required accuracy levels.

7. Consider a partnership among National Metrology Institutes of the region to meet the new 

measurement and standards challenges represented by RECS technologies.

8. Promote enhanced collaboration between the metrology and meteorology communities in 

SURAMET.

12/18/2014