Masdar Institute announces YFEL events schedule for World Future Energy Summit 2013

Specially chosen YFEL members will be interacting with government heads, energy industry leaders and clean energy innovators at WFES 2013 - part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2013.

The event is organized under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Around 30,000 participants from 150 countries are expected to attend Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2013that will be held from 13-17 January at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC). The WFES 2013 will run from 15-17 January.

A key element of the annual WFES and a Masdar Institute outreach initiative, the YFEL program offers students and young professionals a platform to participate in global forums and engage industry leaders in discussions on developments in advanced energy and sustainability. At WFES 2013, YFEL members will offer project presentations, launch new initiatives and participate in debates,as well as attend ministerial panels and plenary sessions at the dedicated YFEL stand.

YFEL 2012 has more than160members out of which122 are from various universities in the UAE as well as from 20 top-ranked overseas academic institutions.Emirati philanthropist His Excellency Sultan bin Rashed Al Dhaheri, member of the Federal National Council and the Chairman of the Committee on Finance and Economic Council,has supported the YFEL program with successive individual financial contributions.The corporate sponsor of the YFEL program for the year wasAbu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Dr Lamya N. Fawwaz, Executive Director, Public Affairs, Masdar Institute, said: "The World Future Energy Summit gathers heads of states, thought-leaders, decision-makers, industry experts, scientific researchers and academicians. The event reflects the UAE leadership's vision that has facilitated knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas in the clean energy space. Such an eminent forum will serve as an occasion for the YFEL's promising young professionals and students to learn from today's leaders and use their efforts towards becoming future leaders and champion new energy solutions."

During WFES 2013, the YFEL stand will host Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and Adnan Amin, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), for a ministerial panel on 'Sustainable Energy For All'.

On 15 January, Dr Steven Griffith, Executive Director of Institute Initiatives and Professor of Practice, Masdar Institute, will moderate the first debate on 'Should tariffs be imposed on solar panels imported to the US from China?'On the second day, Dr Ken Volk, Outreach Manager, Masdar Institute, will moderate a debate titled 'Should countries implement actions that address population issues impacting worldwide sustainability?'

Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director, International Energy Agency, will address the YFEL members onthe second day. A host of industry leaders will take part in the plenary session on'The view from Industry -CEOs of Renewable Energy Companies Energy Companies'. The panelists will include Roy Adair, CEO, Hydro Tasmania, Australia; Bader Al Lamki Director, Clean Energy Masdar, UAE; Santiago Seage,Chairman & CEO, Abengoa Solar, Spain; Tulsi R Tanti, Chairman and Managing Director, Suzlon Group, India; and Jean-Pascal Tricoire, President and CEO Schneider Electric, France.

Connie Hedegaard, EU Commissioner for Climate Action, will also share her experience with the YFEL members.

On the third day of WFES 2013, His Excellency Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President, Republic of Iceland, will offer the keynote address at the YFEL stand. A plenary session on 'How Technology and Innovation Will Shape the Future?' will have panelists including Dr. Nawal Al Hosany, Director - Sustainability, Masdar, and Director, Zayed Future Energy Prize Masdar, UAE; Morgan D. Bazilian, Deputy Director, Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US; Harish Hande, Founder Selco, Social Entrepreneur, India; Martin Hiller, Director-General, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), Austria; and Richard Kauffman Senior Advisor to Secretary, US Department of Energy, US.

In addition, the YFEL members will attend the fifth Zayed Future Energy Prize award ceremony at Emirates Palace on the first day of WFES 2013. On the second day, successful YFEL members will receive their certificates at a graduation ceremony that will be organized at the Masdar Institute campus.

Part of the Masdar Institute's Outreach program, YFEL offers young professionals and students from the UAE and abroad an opportunity to become more engaged in finding solutions to the world's biggest challenges - achieving energy efficiency and tackling climate change.

It also aims to bring young professionals closer to government representatives, business leaders and other organizations active in the area of alternative energy and sustainability.