Masdar Smart City and Robotics - GineersNow Engineering Magazine Masdar: The Future of Sustainable City in Abu Dhab | Page 11

as part of the UAE leadership’s
commitment to the Sustainable
Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative.
Since the launch of this category,
nearly 2,000 students have
participated in projects run by
award-winning schools and
academies. Over 9,000 students
in total have benefitted along
with 37,000 people living in local
communities. Almost 1.5 million
kWh have been generated, solar
panels with a total capacity
of 263 kW installed and CO2
emissions cut by over 1,000
tonnes. business environment was further
illustrated by the 64 percent
increase in registered companies
in Masdar Free Zone (MFZ) last
year.
Our annual Sustainability Report
for 2015 demonstrates that we
have firm foundations to build on
by outlining a range of significant
achievements. During 2015, we
secured the production of 2,962
gigawatt hours of total renewable
energy, displacing a total of 1.39
million tonnes of carbon. Masdar
City’s personal rapid transport
(PRT) system was used by more
than 33,000 passengers each
month on average during the
period. Our attractiveness as a From
a
wider
industry
perspective, one of the main
technical hurdles for sustainable
renewable energy, and therefore
one of the main points of focus
in terms of innovation, is energy
storage. With effective storage
technology in place, energy from
renewable sources will evolve
from its traditional peak-sharing
energy providing role to providing
reliable base-load generating
capacity, enabling electricity
grids to absorb even more clean
FACING
CHALLENGES
& PROVIDING
SOLUTIONS
Q: What are the stumbling blocks
or bottlenecks in the renewable
industry?
power. Overall, renewable energy
is the fastest growing power
sector worldwide, accounting
for the majority of new installed
capacity, so the future for the
industry is bright indeed.
Q: How do we provide cheap
energy in poverty stricken areas?
Masdar has led the way in
providing renewable energy to
remote regions and communities
away from the national grid.
For example, Masdar has led a
UAE initiative to bring secure
sources of renewable energy to
11 remote Pacific Island counties.
These projects include innovative
solar and wind solutions that have
provided 6.5MW of clean energy
and saved US$1 million dollars in
diesel fuel imports.
The most important consideration
when designing energy access
projects in remote areas is to
consider the specific needs of the
community and of the geography.
No two projects should be the
same. For example, our
project in Samoa features
collapsible wind turbines due
to the prevalence of cyclones.
ADVICE TO
THE YOUNG
ENGINEERS
The
momentum
towards
the widespread adoption of
sustainable and renewable
energy can only be maintained
through the collective action
of our young scientific,
technological and engineering
talent.
My advice to young engineers
would be – think big and work
hard. There is no limit to what
you can achieve with bold ideas,
dedication and determination.
You have the power to create
the new innovations that will
secure our future.
JULY 2016
Future Cities & Robotics
11