The existence of the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) headquarters in Abu Dhabi marks a significant turning point due to the political, economic and security role of renewable energy, according to Sultan Al-Jaber, chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar).

The success of the UAE’s bid to host IRENA, he added, has put the spotlight on our nation’s environmental record. Pundits the world over have been quick to ask what business the UAE - a major oil producing nation - has in playing host to an international agency responsible for mitigating climate change and championing the development of renewable energy.

Speaking at a press conference today to welcome the first batch of post-graduate students to Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI), Al-Jaber said the Institute already playing a role in building this expertise by developing detailed analytical models to measure carbon footprints and supplying technical skills to international organisations.

MI, the backbone of Masdar Initiative, is not only be the Middle East’s but the world’s first not-for-profit research-driven university to focus solely on renewable and sustainable energy and advance technologies, offering postgraduate studies, Al-Jaber added.

Masdar City will be home to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) headquarters. The Masdar initiative aims to establish the capital as a knowledge-based economy in key areas of technology and a leader in renewable energy.

The 196-member IRENA needs an economic and political arms, and more importantly an academic and scientific research arm, noting that the new international body will nominate 20 students in September next year for programmes at MI.

Investing in renewables was the only sector that survived the global financial crisis, according to Al-Jaber.

"Growth of renewable energy sector is unexpectedly huge, he noted adding that the U.S had dedicated US$ 150 billion for this significant sector.

Tomorrow Sunday, 92 elite students from 22 countries, including 12 from the UAE, will start 2-year graduate level science and engineering degree programmes which are focused on the study of alternative energy and sustainable technologies, according to Al-Jaber.

The first batch was selected on the criteria set by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). These were among 1200 applicants from 77 countries including a large number of Arab countries and residents in the UAE.

This unique institution will play a key role in developing a talented workforce of scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs specialized in sustainability. Established in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), students and faculty will live and work in the city and be shuttled around in pods that look like something out of a science fiction film.

MI’s first five years of operation will cost an estimated $1.2 billion (Dh4.4 billion) - money well spent if it means saving the planet.

MI aims to foster a culture of research in the region to help advance the energy sector. Its activities will focus on the integration of education and research which spans across the scopes of technology, policy and systems.

 

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