Masdar

Winner of Special Award 2015

Masdar, the Renewable Energy Company of Abu Dhabi, is on a mission to advance the clean energy industry in the United Arab Emirates and around the world.

With a focus on mature technologies in solar and wind power, Masdar leads the Middle East with its commitment of 1.7 billion dollars to renewable energy projects. It is responsible for the generation of nearly 1 gigawatt of clean power. Its goal is to increase that amount to 1.5 gigawatts by 2020.

Established in 2007, the Masdar Institute, an independent, graduate-level research university, is dedicated to advancing renewable energy and sustainable technologies. In a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Within the UAE, Masdar has launched initiatives that involve lighting efficiency, photovoltaic solar installations, wind power farms and an advanced energy efficient desalination program. True to its commitment to building a low-carbon economy, Masdar has engineered and designed the Abu Dhabi Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Network. This system will sequestrate carbon and reduce Abu Dhabi’s carbon emissions.

Abroad, Masdar also invests in small and medium-sized applications in often challenging conditions and geographies. Its clients include governments of developing countries, and foreign aid programmes.

To date, it has delivered 14 projects in five countries and has 13 ongoing projects across nine different countries. Masdar Special Projects delivers complex renewable energy and clean technology projects aiming to increase secure access to energy; reduce fossil fuel imports; and displace carbon emissions.

The projects also offer skills training to local populations and develop custom-made installations to mitigate risk from extreme weather. One example is its work on a solar power plant in Mauritania, which since opening in 2013 has produced more than 44 gigawatt-hours of clean power annually, thus generating 10% of Mauritania’s electricity.