Gabriela Meirelles

Brazilian renewable energy pioneer transforming Latin America's energy landscape

Gabriela Meirelles is a Brazilian engineer and founder of Eneva Sustentável, a company pioneering carbon-negative energy solutions in Latin America. Her breakthrough invention - the BioCarbon Reactor - converts agricultural waste into clean energy while sequestering CO2, achieving negative emissions. Since 2021, her projects have provided electricity to 200+ remote communities in the Amazon basin, reducing deforestation by 40% in project areas through sustainable energy access. Meirelles' TED Talk "Energy Poverty is a Choice" has garnered 2.3M views, challenging traditional energy paradigms. She recently launched the Latin America Green Grid, a $500M initiative connecting 12 countries through renewable energy infrastructure. Her team's AI-driven grid optimization system won the 2023 UN Climate Tech Award, outperforming competitors from MIT and Stanford. Notable collaborations include working with Indigenous communities to design culturally-sensitive energy solutions, featured in National Geographic's 2022 Climate Issue. Meirelles' work is highlighted in MIT Technology Review's list of 35 Innovators Under 35 (2024).