Innovation
Innovation is a core value in Copel’s strategic framework, serving as one of the pillars for sustainable growth, process improvement and customer loyalty. In a dynamic and competitive environment, the search for innovative solutions is no longer the exclusive responsibility of the Research, Development and Innovation (PDI) areas regulated by Aneel, but has become a transversal demand throughout the company.
Innovation management at Copel follows an integrated and strategic approach, focusing on results and alignment with long-term objectives. This model is supported by the structure of the Vice Presidency of Strategy, New Business and Digital Transformation, which has been improving institutional processes and structures to ensure that innovative projects have an effective impact on sustainable growth, putting the issue of innovation up for debate at the highest decision-making levels. In addition, the Investment Policy establishes guidelines for investments in innovation, with the aim of accelerating initiatives of interest to the company.
To ensure the governance and effectiveness of investments in innovation, the Strategic Innovation Forum was created in 2024, subordinate to the Investment and Innovation Committee (IIC). The forum actively monitors the project portfolio – including innovation contracts – and reports its performance to the IIC, ensuring the efficient allocation of resources and transparency in the disclosure of indicators, reaffirming Copel’s commitment to accountability to stakeholders.
Copel integrates the vision of a single company, where PDI initiatives, although managed autonomously by its subsidiaries, become part of a portfolio integrated with strategic planning. This synergy promotes the dissemination of good practices and strengthens the culture of innovation in all areas.
Highlights that exemplify this strategy include:
- The adoption of Open Innovation practices, which enable partnerships with startups, educational institutions and technological institutes to develop scalable and innovative solutions.
- The launch of Copel Volt, a program that promotes the experimentation of proofs of concept (PoCs) with financial and technical support, consolidating the company’s role as a catalyst for disruptive ideas.
- The creation of Copel Ventures I, an exclusive Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) fund with an initial investment of R$150 million, aimed at boosting startups in the Seed and Series A stages, with a focus on solutions that contribute to the energy transition.
- The intensification of initiatives in urban mobility and smart cities, which drive operational modernization and the reduction of carbon emissions, strengthening the consumer experience and expanding access to energy.
In addition, Copel recognizes the need to engage and foster innovation throughout the organization. In 2024, Copel Distribuição won 1st place nationally in the ABRADEE Innovation Award, standing out among the country’s distributors.
Copel Geração e Transmissão
In operation since 2000, the Research, Development and Innovation Program (R&D+I) of Copel Geração e Transmissão (Copel GeT) was responsible for the development of projects that brought direct and indirect benefits to the company. In recent years, Copel GeT has advanced in actions aimed at innovation with initiatives that encourage the sharing of ideas, knowledge and dissemination of good practices – always seeking to encourage creativity and innovative behavior to improve existing processes or create solutions, products and services for this subsidiary.
Inov+ GeT allows any Copel GeT employee to register an innovation proposal at any time and present it to a Management Committee. Using its own methodology, it promotes the development of both projects and intrapreneurs.
It also has ETGET, a biannual event that aims to share and discuss Copel GeT’s technical work.
Copel Distribuição
The company recognizes the need to engage and foster innovation within Copel DIS. Innovation together with a change in culture are the foundations for the distributor to be the most modern in Brazil and, thus, reach new levels of excellence.
With the challenge of promoting innovation in a highly regulated environment, Copel DIS proposes to co-create solutions for the development of innovative solutions.
Another initiative focused on innovation is the +Dis_aí Program, which consists of capturing ideas from any employee, and generating some innovation, by registering their idea on the program channel. In this way, the intrapreneur finds a way to obtain resources to put his idea into practice. +DIS_aí is Copel Distribuição’s main ideation program. Democratic, it encourages Copelian protagonism by allowing everyone to contribute with innovative ideas and proposals for the Company’s processes, regardless of the role performed, work sector, city of employment or specialty.
Accessible 24 hours a day and 7 days a week via computers or mobile devices (tablets and cell phones), even available in the field, the platform allows ideas to be registered the instant they come to the mind of any employee, taking advantage of those moments when inspiration arises or when problems manifest and are experienced.
More than just a platform for registering ideas, +DIS_aí is a complete ideation program that follows all phases of the process, including evaluating the alignment of the idea with strategic objectives, improving the proposal and implementation phase.
Copel knows that being innovative involves those who produce and generate ideas, as well as those who implement them. It is understood that capturing, executing and disseminating projects and suggestions for improvements are sources for a continuous process of developing competitive and innovative differences. Therefore, during all phases of the program there is the opportunity for several collaborators to participate and collaborate, including the proponent himself, with studies, prototyping and pilot projects. The program has been running since 2018 with excellent results.
Open Innovation
Over the last few years, Copel has been building a solid track record in open innovation, extending its boundaries beyond organizational limits to accelerate the development of innovative solutions and expand markets. This integrated approach has enabled the company to optimize processes, reduce deadlines and costs, and add new services through strategic partnerships with startups, educational institutions and technological institutes.
Anchored in a clearly defined strategic vision, Copel has directed its efforts towards transforming open innovation initiatives into levers for the energy transition and for democratizing access to renewable sources. After pioneering experiences – such as Copel+, which paved the way for a collaborative culture of innovation – the current programs have been structured to reflect the company’s strategic positioning.
Evolution of Results and Indicators
The governance of open innovation initiatives is monitored by the Innovation Department of the Vice-Presidency for Strategy, New Business and Digital Transformation, which tracks performance using indicators such as the number of contracts signed for proofs of concept, rollouts and investments.
The annual evolution demonstrates Copel’s ability to transform challenges into opportunities and to allocate resources strategically, ensuring transparency and efficiency in the execution of innovation projects.
Strategic Partnerships and Results Aligned with Vision 2030
In 2024, the open innovation strategy was geared towards specific challenges, with initiatives that dialog directly with Copel’s strategic planning, Vision 2030, and the commitments made under the Net Zero Ambition Movement and the Global Compact. Among the actions carried out are partnerships with the Conecta Startup Brasil program and collaboration with Energy Systems Catapult through the INES (Innovation to Net Zero in the Electricity) program. These initiatives have eliminated market barriers and promoted high-impact solutions for decarbonizing the electricity sector, expanding energy access indicators and contributing to sustainability.
Copel Volt
Open innovation is a reality and companies from various sectors have sought competitiveness through this type of innovation. Its main characteristic is to find solutions for organizational processes, new markets, or improvements in existing solutions, relying on startups’ partnerships.
Corporate Venture Capital
Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) is an exclusive fund, wholly owned by Copel, which has Vox Capital as manager and aims to develop solutions in services and products linked to the electricity sector, covering the pillars of decarbonization, decentralization, digitalization and demand disruption. The five main areas for prospecting solutions are: renewable and clean energy; energy as a service; smart cities and electromobility; asset and facilities management; and innovative internal processes.
