Masdar
The city of the future
Despite having the second highest carbon footprint
per capita in the world (after Qatar), Abu Dhabi, in its
bid to become the global beacon for all things green,
has created the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company,
otherwise known as Masdar. This ambitious project
aims to create the world’s first truly carbon-neutral
city and coincides with Abu Dhabi’s stated goal of
generating 7% of its electricity from renewable
energy sources by 2020.
Masdar is a multibillion dollar, multi-faceted
alternative energy project that was established in
2006. The project encompasses all areas of the entire
future energy value chain.
Masdar is the catalyst for the annual World Future
Energy Summit, and the incubator for a myriad of
innovative business ideas, concentrated on a multitude
of different areas, culminating in an anticipated breakthrough which will dictate how cities will be designed
henceforth.
Occupying the central exhibition space at this year’s
World Future Energy Summit, Masdar’s vision is
emphatically conveyed via special interactive video
displays. They outline the various aspects of the
project, from the Smart Grid through which the
electricity generated by the recently connected 10
MW solar power plant will run, to the unmanned
transport pods which will ferry passengers around the
city in the absence of cars.
60