On March 24, 2010, Mr. Frank Wouters, Chief Executive of Masdar
Power, will be at GLOBE 2010 to speak about the Masdar Initiative - a start-up
renewable energy project based out of Abu Dhabi that aims to see
this region become a world leader in clean-energy.
The primary goal of the Masdar Initiative is to establish an
entirely new economic sector in Abu Dhabi around clean energy
industries by focussing on energy security, climate change, and the
development of human expertise in sustainability. In turn, this
will assist the region's economic diversification while enhancing
Abu Dhabi's existing reputation for its environmental stewardship
and contribution to the global community.
The key objectives of the Masdar Initiative are:
- To position Abu Dhabi as a world-class research and development
hub for new energy technologies, effectively balancing its strong
position in an evolving world energy market.
- To drive the commercialisation and adoption of these and other
technologies in sustainable energy, carbon management, and water
conservation. In doing so, Masdar will play a decisive role in Abu
Dhabi's transition from technology consumer to technology
producer.
Masdar City is the physical
embodiment of the Initiative. Home to 40,000 residents and 50,000
commuters this high-density sustainable city aims to become the
"silicon valley" for clean, green, and alternative energy. In it,
over 1500 companies will converge to address climate change and
current and future technologies will be funded, researched,
developed, tested, and implemented in order to champion renewable
energy technologies.
An ambitious yet achievable project, Masdar City aims to:
- Be carbon neutral
- Run on 100% renewable energy
- Be zero waste
- Have the world's greenest commercial buildings
- Be the centre of excellence in sustainable technology
- Be a Global exemplar of sustainability research and development
in practice
Currently the Masdar Initiative is focused primarily on wind and
solar power, with plans to branch out into other renewable avenues
in the future. In fact, the Masdar Initiative is expected to grow
two or threefold.
Some of Masdar's biggest investments in renewable energy have
been in Spain but the US remains an attractive target - in
particular for the possibility of setting up joint ventures to
build solar or wind farms - and no doubt Mr. Wouters will be using
GLOBE 2010 as an opportunity to explore future investments with
like-minded technology developers and financiers.
What are your thoughts about the Masdar Initiative? Let us know
in the comments section below, and be sure to join us when Mr.
Frank Wouters speaks at the GLOBE 2010 Opening Plenary. To find out
more click here.
Be sure to also connect with us on Twitter: @GLOBE_Series and join discussions about the
business of the environment with other GLOBE 2010 participants in
our newly formed GLOBE Conferences & Trade Fair LinkedIn
group.