Addressing the Energy Challenges of the 21st Century

The presentations took place in Abu Dhabi as part of the royal visit to the region. Masdar is Abu Dhabi's new economic development program to drive innovation in energy, technology and sustainable resources. Through collaboration with leading research institutions across Europe, Asia and North America, its projects will address key global issues, including energy security, climate change and sustainable development.

'It may seem odd that a country blessed with some of the world's largest hydrocarbons reserves is taking a pioneering role in the field of alternative energy,' explained Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company that is mandated to drive the Masdar Initiative. 'We see renewable energy sources as complimentary to traditional hydrocarbons, given the rapid growth in overall world energy demand. To help meet this demand, Abu Dhabi is leveraging its substantial resources and expertise in the world's energy markets to develop the technologies of the future' he added.

Masdar has formed strategic alliances with some of the most prominent names in global industry and academia - including the UK's BP, Shell and Imperial College - to develop initiatives and programmes in such areas as solar energy, biofuels, hydrogen power and carbon management.

'The Masdar Initiative demonstrates the vision of the government of Abu Dhabi, a vision that we in BP share. We recently launched BP Alternative Energy, a new business that over the next decade will invest up to $8 billion on developing low-carbon and renewable energies, and we look forward to collaborating with Masdar, sharing our experience and our technology in support of Abu Dhabi's vision,' said David Dalton, BP Chief Representative in Abu Dhabi.

BP and Masdar are exploring a number of areas of mutual interest in the alternative energy and low-carbon power space, including the feasibility of hydrogen power generation. 'We believe hydrogen power presents a unique opportunity for Abu Dhabi to lead the world in low-carbon power generation and at the same time maximise the value from its existing oil and gas reserves', Dalton added.

The Masdar Initiative includes a 250 million dollar Clean-Tech Fund, a special economic zone for advanced energy industry, a planned graduate teaching and research institute in Abu Dhabi, a carbon management unit for carbon emission reduction as well as the Masdar Research Network, a unique collaborative research framework with leading international scientific and research institutions.

Nejib Zaafrani, Managing Director for Shell Abu Dhabi, expressed his enthusiasm for the scope of opportunities available, explaining that 'Masdar is a unique and ground-breaking initiative. We are proud to work with Masdar on greenhouse-gas reduction, which is very much a part of Shell's overall drive to provide for a sustainable environment for the coming generations. Shell's own energy efficiency improvements are already delivering global CO2 savings of about 1 million tonnes a year. In addition, we have invested over $1billion in alternative energy sources like wind, solar and hydrogen since 2000'.

For Imperial College London, energy research is a strategic priority. Through its Energy Futures Lab, world-class research departments are tackling the major energy issues facing the global community over the next 20-50 years. The Lab is collaborating through Masdar with five global research centers, and is also partnering with BP and Shell on two major research programmes in advanced modelling of urban energy systems and novel technologies for cleaner utilisation of fossil fuels.

'The projects developed under the Masdar Initiative in collaboration with its international partners are for the long term. The important thing is the direction of change towards a lower carbon world, and we are delighted to see Abu Dhabi taking a lead in this work,' BP's Dalton concluded.