Friday, May 23, 2008

How I See It

UAE, MIT team up to develop global energy leadership

Today we are faced with one of the biggest global challenges of our time: The world’s growing energy demand. As the energy market continues to evolve, the time has passed for talking about solutions — it is time for action. The government of Abu Dhabi and the Masdar Initiative have taken a first step in encouraging partners around the world to work together to create future energy solutions. Building the next generation of energy leaders is a global responsibility, so Masdar has taken the initiative with MIT to create the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), Masdar’s intellectual centerpiece.

MIST is the first phase of development leading to Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, based in Abu Dhabi, and powered entirely by renewable energy. Students and faculty of MIST will be some of the first residents in this city of the future, eventually growing to 50,000 inhabitants, and will have the unique opportunity to experience the groundbreaking technologies they are studying and developing.

On May 5, representatives from the United Arab Emirates, the MIT community and members of its Industrial Liaison Program gathered in Boston to discuss Masdar’s partnership with MIT — a vital component of our investment in future energy, infrastructure and education. Masdar is at once providing a collaborative platform and the necessary leadership to make this a reality.

Abu Dhabi and Boston’s technology R&D sector have thrived on a single philosophy: learning by doing. Each started small, forged unique paths and became known as trailblazers. Before the 1960s, Abu Dhabi did not even have paved roads. Today, due to the vision and action of our founding father and president, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, it has one of the most exciting and fastest-growing global economies.

While in Boston, we shared Abu Dhabi’s newest vision, which is to create new kinds of energy resources. We envision energy that is clean, sustainable, diverse, based on the best science and technology, and affordable.

Abu Dhabi is committed to accelerating, developing and deploying new energy solutions because it envisions a world where energy is an enabler, a unifying force rather than a divisive one; a world that is not held hostage by energy; a world where every academic, company and individual can contribute and thrive.

Why is Abu Dhabi doing this? The answers are simple: because we can, because we should, and because we believe it is a natural extension of our involvement in the energy markets.

However, we believe that building tomorrow’s energy leaders is a global responsibility. To this end, Abu Dhabi’s collaboration with MIT to launch MIST — the world’s first graduate-level institution devoted to alternative energy — will provide the research and educational capacity needed for generations to come. There are 14 MIST faculty members at MIT and 100 students expected in the 2009 entering class. MIST students will collaborate with leading scientific institutions worldwide on advanced energy research through the Masdar Research Network.

Masdar City will enjoy tax-free-zone status and advantages for renewable energy industries, attracting hundreds of companies and organizations from around the world, eager to build this new energy future and creating the Silicon Valley for clean technologies. The Masdar Initiative is a collaborative platform, and we are hopeful that one of those companies will be yours.

Abu Dhabi and Boston are at a crossroads, with an opportunity to develop capabilities that will foster our own growth. We ask you to join us in doing what was, not so long ago, considered to be in the realm of the unthinkable. Join us in creating a new energy future for the world.

 

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber is CEO of the Masdar Initiative.