Abu Dhabi-UAE: 05 July, 2012 – The students from Masdar Institute of Science and Technology are experiencing the rich learning environment at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, acquiring fresh insights in the technology of future energy through the Practical Experience at MIT program.

Organized by the MIT Energy Initiative, the 11-day program is led by MIT faculty and offers a multidisciplinary, hands-on experience in scientific, technical, and societal themes in energy innovation. This is the second successive year students from Masdar Institute are participating in the program.

Students continue with their exploration and experimentation of the technologies at the laboratories of MIT, while leaving the campus for occasional field strips and short excursions to nearby areas at Boston, Massachusetts. The theory lessons complemented by practical field trips that include industrial sites continue to enhance the students’ overall knowledge experience at MIT.

Sara Al Muhairi, Director, Human Resources, Masdar Institute, led the group of students to the US for the summer program.

Majed Al Marzouqi, Research Assistant, academically and personally equipped himself before the program. Majed’s thesis focuses on capturing the CO2 using chemical looping combustion (CLC) technologies and he has interacted with the Carbon Capture projects team at MIT. He said: “The CLC technologies are discovered theoretically only because MIT has a prototype of this module that could run the simulation experimentally. This gives me the advantage of thinking about the process in real.”

Muna Al Ateibi, Graduate Student and Research Assistant with the Engineering Systems and Management Program, has participated in the field trip and visits to industrial sites. She said: “We have gained insights into the industrial sector, government initiatives, and projects as well as research and development in the area of sustainability across different fields such as energy, agriculture, technology, construction, and other engineering and technology areas.”

Al Ateibi has also acquired knowledge in the integration of various elements including the technology, workforce, production line, processes, strategies, and policies that help drive learning in clean energy. She added: “The renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change are complex subjects that require a comprehensive multidisciplinary and inter-industrial effort to tackle the challenges. The program has considerably expanded my understanding in these areas.”

Huda Al Saadi, Research Assistant, equipped herself for the MIT experience through interactions with last year’s participants from Masdar Institute and has gained an overview of the program. Al Saadi said: “I think each field trip offered me a different experience and helped in my pursuits in renewable energy. Moreover, the site visits have helped me understand the concept behind the technology that is in operation.”

The commitment and enthusiasm of the Masdar Institute students characterize their willingness to go the extra mile to achieve their academic and knowledge building objectives.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.  With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.
 

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced the beginning of the six-week summer internship program.

A total of 16 UAE national university seniors and/or those graduating this year with science, engineering or computer science as major subjects are participating in the program. They have been chosen after a high-level selection committee vetted the applications and allocated projects based on the students’ academic and overall capabilities.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, Dr Lamya Nawaf Fawwaz, Executive Director, Public Affairs, and other leading faculty members were present at the inauguration ceremony that was organized to mark the beginning of the summer internship program. They welcomed the students and asked them to utilize the top-of-the-range facilities at Masdar Institute for their academic pursuit.

The students have begun working as full-time assistants and are being given responsibilities accordingly by the faculty, who is coordinating the research project. More than 15 research project opportunities are offered for internship this summer. The programs focus on advanced technology and sustainability, covering areas such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), water recycling, solar energy, applications for healthcare data and power grid systems simulations.

Dr Ken Volk, Head of Outreach, Masdar Institute, said: “The Masdar Institute summer internship program serves as one of the most effective platforms for Emirati university students to participate in clean energy and advanced technology research. In line with the directives from the country’s leadership, the programs are suitably designed to raise the students’ sense of awareness on environmental, energy and sustainability issues. We are confident the internship projects will strengthen the knowledge base of the students and contribute to sustainably leading the community in general.”

Though each program stipulates specific requirement criteria, a GPA of not less than 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and an IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent) were the common conditions. The students were also required to have a penchant for renewable energy and sustainable technology subjects. The eligibility standards have ensured only those students with adequate qualification and interests have been given the option to join the internship program.

Among the internship programs, ‘MATLAB Simulation Development for Power Grid Systems Development’ project led by Dr Amro Farid, Assistant Professor – Engineering Systems and Management program, and the ‘Detection and Quantification of Emerging Contaminants in Abu Dhabi Recycled Water Using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)’ project led by Dr Farrukh Ahmad, Associate Professor – Water and Environmental Engineering program, have attracted a sizeable number of students.

At the end of the six-week program, the research outcome will be displayed and the best project will be recognized during an award ceremony. Specially invited guests and families of students will attend the ceremony in which Masdar Institute officials and faculty will also participate.

The summer internship program aims to equip the UAE national graduates and university seniors with special skills that will guide them in their academic pursuit and later their professional career lives. The program is also part of Masdar Institute’s contribution to developing the country’s human capital in specialized areas such as clean energy and advanced technology.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Mankind likes to change the world around him. He has altered the course of rivers, built islands, planted artificial forests and dried out wetlands.

Topic Science Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

But nowhere is the impact of humanity more apparent than in our urban centres – the sprawling, dense, heavily engineered towns and cities where we group ourselves together.

And while the environmental effects of developments like dam building or deforestation are fairly obvious, the effect that urban development has on the environment and climate is not as well documented, especially in arid and desert climates like ours.

Until now.

A project at the Earth Observation and Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory at the Masdar Institute has, for the first time, begun mapping the climate of parts of Abu Dhabi to see how various types of developments affect its microclimates.

We are exploring the urban heat-island effect – the tendency of metropolitan areas to be significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.

In cities in the West, downtown areas have been found to be 5°C to 10°C higher than the outskirts of a city. That difference can carry considerable cooling costs.

Looking at 25 years of Nasa satellite data on Abu Dhabi, we have found some surprising results.

Our initial research suggests the microclimate trends seen in the West – hotter downtown areas and cooler suburban areas – are reversed in Abu Dhabi, where the suburbs were warmer than the city centre. This turns the conventional understanding of urban microclimate on its head.

The causes are several. The moisture in vegetation reduces surface air temperature, while wind-conscious layout of buildings can create "urban canyons" that channel the wind and reduce the "feels-like" temperature. The presence of tall buildings also increases the total shaded areas from direct solar radiation, which also contribute in reducing downtown temperatures.

Additionally, certain building materials, like marble and stone, are more reflective than others like red brick and asphalt, meaning they trap less heat. These factors combine to reduce the inner-city temperature by about 4°C to 6°C.

By the same token, Abu Dhabi’s suburban areas tend to have less vegetation and low-rise buildings. They often have wider roads, and therefore more heat-trapping asphalt. All of these combine to raise the temperature.

Of all the areas we assessed, the coolest were mangrove forests, which had average summer temperatures 5°C cooler than that of the built-up areas. The obtained results have shown that the close presence of mangroves to urban areas contributes to the reduced overall temperature in downtown Abu Dhabi.

This further strengthens the value and importance of mangroves, which also are the nurseries for fish and a haven for migrating birds. Appreciating the roles that construction, landscaping, road networks, and urban planning can play in a neighbourhood’s microclimate should help Abu Dhabi make its future development more energy efficient and climate savvy. The study, which will run for another one year, can feed into guidelines for urban planning, legislation for construction material, and strengthen the case for more green areas.

Future urban developments made with these parameters in mind could bring significant energy savings by cutting the need to cool buildings. That alone could cut the city’s electricity use by 5 to 10 per cent – saving a huge amount of money, not to mention reducing its ecological footprint. Projects like this one are a first step towards local climate-specific improved urban planning, and we are glad to be a part of that.

Dr Hosni Ghedira is the director of the Earth Observation and Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory at Masdar Institute

The Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) program, an outreach initiative of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced it organized a technical course on solar energy technology for its members.

Held recently at the Masdar Institute campus, the three-module course titled ‘Fabrication and Characterization of Solar Cell Devices’ focused on three topics.

YFEL members learnt about solar cell technology and the fabrication processes for various types of solar cell technology. They also participated in a hands-on lab-based session together with a field visit to the 10MW photovoltaic power plant and the building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) testing facility at Masdar Institute.

A member of the Steering Committee of Masdar PV and a co-owner of IP rights, Dr. Mahieddine Emziane, Associate Professor of Solar Energy Materials & Devices Laboratory at Masdar Institute, conducted the course. The first day addressed the three modules, while YFEL members enhanced their experience through conducting experiments at Masdar Institute Laboratory, the next day. Later, and they visited the 10MW plant, as well as the testing facility at Masdar Institute.

Dr. Lamya Nawaf Fawwaz, Executive Director, Public Affairs, Masdar Institute, said: “The YFEL program aims to educate members on advanced energy and sustainability through short courses, workshops and seminars. Endorsed by the country’s leadership, Masdar Institute focuses on nurturing the leaders of tomorrow and contributes to achieving the long-term objectives of Abu Dhabi. We are confident the YFEL course on solar energy technology will help the youth to learn in depth about solar cells and enhance their knowledge of this key component of renewable energy.”

First author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications and technical reports, Dr. Emziane is also a member of the scientific committees of a number of international conferences. In addition, he is a member of international professional organizations such as International Organization of Palaeobotany (IoP), Market Research Society (MRS) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Dr. Emziane, a Chartered Scientist (CSci.), spent the past 17 years working in the area of semiconductor materials and devices especially PV, Thermal Photovoltaic (TPV), Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV) and tandem solar cells. Among the founding faculty, he joined Masdar Institute in 2007 from Oxford University (UK), following which he spent one year as a Visiting Scholar at MIT (USA). He holds all his degrees in Applied Physics and Materials from France.

Zainab Ali Al Ali, Senior Outreach Officer and Coordinator of YFEL Program, said: “The three-module course aimed to hone the skills of YFEL members in solar energy-related technologies and offered them an opportunity to conduct experiments at the Masdar Institute laboratories. The program included lectures and practical experiments including a visit to the 10MW PV plant and Dr. Emziane’s field testing facility. This course offered those YFEL members an opportunity to widen their knowledge base in solar energy technology.”

The YFEL program opens doors for its members to acquire maximum knowledge, skills, experience, and network. The course on solar energy technology is part of YFEL annual course programs and offers members the opportunity to share their innovative ideas in advanced energy and sustainability with their peers as well as industry and academic leaders.

YFEL offers participants exceptional and unmatched access to top global leaders, senior business executives and academics engaged in alternative energy and sustainability through events such as World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi and other major events held globally. It is mandated to educate, inspire and empower students and young professionals to become future leaders capable of solving the world’s most pressing challenges in advanced energy and sustainability.

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 27 June, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland, today announced they co-organized a two-day workshop to highlight the importance and relevance of the applications and benefits of clean energy and smart grids under the umbrella of intelligent urban energy systems.

The workshop, held from 10-11 June was the second in a series of events on the intelligent governance of urban systems. Titled ‘Clean Energy and Smart Grids in the Gulf: Potential and Applications’, the workshop on the first day covered smart grids, while the following day focused on clean energy.

Over 30 professionals including policy-makers, managers and academics from the region, covering expertise from the energy sector, intelligent systems, as well as policy and governance, attended the Abu Dhabi workshop. The event aimed at facilitating the creation of a community of experts in the management and governance of intelligent urban systems in the region and beyond.

Prof. Matthias Finger from EPFL, provided the welcome remarks, while Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis, Engineering Systems and Management program, Masdar Institute, and Prof. Peter Armstrong, Mechanical Engineering program, Masdar Institute, spoke about ‘Advances in Smart Grids Research’. They highlighted the potential benefits that smart infrastructures can bring to a hot climate arid region like the GCC. They also highlighted ongoing research at both Masdar Institute and EPFL and outlined how appropriate governance of these infrastructures can make clean and smart energy a reality. Corresponding research includes behavioural analysis of demand response to different incentive schemes, the potential of pre-cooling of buildings’ slabs for reducing peak hour cooling demand and the institutional structure necessary to implement smart grids successfully.

The ‘Challenges in Smart Grid Applications’ were debated by Osman Ahmed from Siemens, Tim Peck from IBM, and Dohyun Goh from the Global Green Growth Institute, Abu Dhabi. Smart-grids in cities as a means to improve the performance of urban energy systems were discussed among others. Various aspects of governance and regulation of smart grids, including likely paths for their development were also covered during the session.

Ramiz Alaileh of the Regulation and Supervision Bureau Abu Dhabi, Bruce Smith from Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), and Katarina Uherova Hasbani from Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, subsequently addressed the governance perspectives on smart grids and smart energies, highlighting the existing efforts at RSB, ADEWA, and DEWA to pilot and deploy smart metering in the region.

On the second day, Pierre Rossel of EPFL, Hannes Reinisch from PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis offered their perspectives on ‘Clean Energy and the Gulf Region’. The discussions covered clean energy for cities including microgrids in the urban network, technology comparisons and GCC-specific challenges. Other areas covered by the speakers included economic viability of clean energy technologies and energy storage, and governance and regulation of clean energy, including investments. A roundtable concluded the discussions of the day.

The workshop was aimed at identifying the challenges and the opportunities regarding the transition of urban systems towards cleaner energy practices. It also explored how intelligence, in particular the active use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), can and already does contribute to cleaner urban energy practices. Participants also discussed how the governance of such intelligent urban energy systems can and must be improved. Finally, the participants also had the opportunity to visit the concrete renewable energy applications that are being piloted and implemented at Masdar City.

Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis said: “Smart grids hold the key to effective implementation of renewable energy and for managing the demand for energy especially during the resource-straining peak summer hours. Positive incentive schemes, where instead of pricing, smart-grid users are offered a benefit for curtailing their consumption at critical times could work well in the current tariff environment providing benefits for both the government that subsidizes energy consumption and the users. Professionals at the workshop analysed and identified both the technical and institutional areas that need to be focused on to implement such an intelligent system. We are confident the event offered ample insight for the participating professionals on the transition of urban systems towards cleaner energy practices.”

Dr. Matthias Finger said: “It became obvious, at the workshop, that technology and institutions must be considered together. The smart grid and smart energy technologies can only deploy their full potential if all the different actors, including the utilities, the regulators and the policy makers play their appropriate roles and are optimally coordinated. In other words, technological and institutional engineering are complementary and offer a unique potential for energy efficiency gains and reduced consumption.”

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced undergraduate interns will be offered an opportunity to develop simulations on the dynamics of power grid systems as part of the internship program this summer.

The project titled ‘MATLAB Simulation Development for Power Grid Systems Simulations’ is part of the internship programs that will be available to UAE national graduates or university seniors. A total of 17 UAE national graduates have been selected for the six-week summer internship program that opens on 1 July.

Working alongside a team of masters and post-doc researchers, undergraduate interns will learn to use MATLAB software – a very powerful, easy-to-learn technical computing language. They will also adapt or improve existing MATLAB simulation for a number of trial scenarios, expected to learn the underlying knowledge for that specific simulation, learn one aspect of power system simulation, for example, power flow analysis or economic dispatch and will report their results.

Prospective students majoring in Electrical Engineering are preferred, while those with Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science majors are accepted if the stream includes a course in electrical circuits and electronics. However, a first course in differential equations and linear algebra is mandatory, while previous of knowledge of a programming language like C++ or JAVA will be an added advantage.

Dr. Amro M. Farid, Assistant Professor — Engineering Systems & Management, Masdar Institute and Research Affiliate — MIT Technology Development, said: “At Masdar Institute, we endeavor to link the often theoretical topics learned during undergraduate engineering programs with the practical industrial challenges of today. Such a strategy creates a win-win for all; capitalizing on the already invested engineering education, delivering results that will benefit Abu Dhabi while highly engaging the interest and enthusiasm of young engineers working on the projects.

“In my laboratory, the Emirati interns will take their undergraduate knowledge of MATLAB and simulate the dynamics of power plants and transmissions systems. This work is fundamental to determining the reliability and cost-efficiency of our existing energy systems and we believe the students will capitalize on this opportunity and gain further academic benefits.”

University seniors and/or those graduating this year with science, engineering or computer science as major subjects were eligible to apply for the summer internship program.

The Masdar Institute summer internship program will conclude with an award ceremony honoring the most outstanding performers across more than 15 project options. Results obtained from the research will also be displayed for the specially invited guests and families of students during the ceremony.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced a research paper co-authored by one of its students has won the ‘Best Paper Award’ at the Pacific Asia Workshop on Intelligence and Security Informatics (PAISI) 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The first-ever paper by Mustafa Amir Faisal, a Computing and Information Science student at Masdar Institute, was selected the winner from among a total of 16 research papers that were presented at PAISI 2012. Mustafa’s paper won the award for its research innovation, potential significance, rigorousness of research methods, clear presentation, and relevance to the PAISI audience.

PAISI is one of the leading academic events in intelligence and security informatics in the Asia-Pacific region. The PAISI proceedings are published in the prestigious Lecture Notes in Computer Science series by academic publishing company Springer Verlag. Around 80% of PAISI’s participants are from academia and 20% from industry.

In his paper titled ‘Securing advanced metering infrastructure using intrusion detection system with data stream mining’, Mustafa proposes a general framework for intrusion detection in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in smart gird and the use of state-of-the-art data stream mining techniques to detect anomalous events, which mean possible intrusion attempts, in the AMI system.

Other contributors to the paper include Dr. Zeyar Aung, Assistant Professor, Masdar Institute, Prof. John Williams, Professor of Information Engineering at MIT’s Engineering Systems Division and Director of Auto-ID Lab, and Dr. Abel Sanchez, Executive Director of MIT’s Geospatial Data Center and a Lead Scientist/Software Architect of Auto-ID Lab.

Dr. Scott Kennedy, Associate Dean for Research, Masdar Institute, said: “Students and the faculty continue to mark their excellence by winning awards at international forums. The award for Mustafa Amir Faisal is another strong indicator for the profound levels of research work conducted and guided at Masdar Institute. In academia, the best paper awards in conferences and workshops are regarded as distinguished achievements. Winning such an award reiterates the fact that Masdar Institute’s research endeavors are well respected by the international research community, thereby bringing more acclaim to the Abu Dhabi-based institution.”

PAISI 2012 best paper award is based on the overall quality of the research work. The general criteria include novelty of research contribution, potential impact of research, soundness/correctness of methods and data, clarity of presentation, and relevance to the PAISI audience.

Dr. Zeyar Aung said: “To win the best paper award for one’s first publication is quite a rare achievement. This award can help boost Mustafa’s future research and academic career. Mustafa’s paper is significant for intrusion detection system (IDS) for advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) because smart grids have become a global trend nowadays and AMIs are being deployed in many countries at a rapid pace. And IDS is very important for AMI security because it serves as the second line of defense, after the first line of defense mechanisms such as authentication, authorization, and access control, are compromised.”

Mustafa Amir Faisal said: “This is truly a momentous occasion for me as this is my first-ever research paper. But I have to thank my guides and co-authors for their contribution that has turned the paper a true winner among other presentations at PAISI 2012. Masdar Institute has directed me along the right path for my future and I am grateful to the institution, the MIT faculty and my peers. I believe the PAISI 2012 award has given me the right momentum to proceed further in my research work.”

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced Iman Ustadi, one of its First Year UAE national students, has started her six-week internship at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland as part of a student exchange and internship program for the summer.

At the same time, Paul Tait, a PhD student from the University of Edinburgh, will join the Masdar Institute group for his summer internship. The student exchange/internship program also marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Masdar Institute and University of Edinburgh in CO2 capture.

Dr Steve Griffith, Executive Director for Institute Initiatives, Masdar Institute, said: “The student exchange program between Masdar Institute and University of Edinburgh is the first step in a long-term collaboration and the work that the students will achieve this summer will be the starting point for larger collaboration projects. We see long-term potentials and believe these opportunities will materialize into real collaboration projects, bringing durable benefits to Abu Dhabi and the emirate’s knowledge and human capital building efforts.”

Supervised by Dr. Mohammed Abu Zahra, Chemical Engineering Program, Masdar Institute, Iman will work on the evaluation of the integrated Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) power plants with CO2 Capture. Iman will work closely with the team from the University of Edinburgh to study the Natural Gas market in Scotland, comparing it with the UAE market, and evaluate the effect of the CCS deployment on the demands in the NG market.

Iman’s project will study the effect of the implementation of CO2 capture processes on the NGCC power plant including the direct technical effect on the power plant efficiency, availability, gross electricity output and operational conditions. In addition, Iman will evaluate the effect of the CO2 capture implementation on the NG market and future demand. The internship will be part of her thesis work and she will be utilizing it to learn more from the interaction with the team from the University of Edinburgh.

On the other hand, Paul will carry out experimental work on CO2 capture solvent characterization. The findings of this student exchange/internship program will be jointly published and presented at a joint workshop that will be held later this year.

Dr. Mohammed Abu Zahra said: “Our aim is to have these strong connections with both academic and R&D institutions to give the chance for our students to spend some time at these institutions, learn and widen their knowledge and experience. Following Iman, we foresee more students to become part of this exchange/internship program in the coming months.”

Dr. Abu Zahra, who spearheaded the collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, is also exploring the option for more research and internship collaborations for carbon capture with other leading European and Asia-Pacific institutions.

Iman Ustadi said: “I am extremely pleased with the opportunity for doing an internship in the University of Edinburgh. Although it is my first days in Edinburgh, I have a strong belief in the valuable outcomes of this internship, which will widen my knowledge in carbon capture and storage, especially because currently, I am at the beginning stages of my research.

“While in Edinburgh, I am also keen to know more about what Scotland and other countries, similar to the UAE, think about the CCS technology and the significance of the measures they are implementing. During my internship here, I would like to get the most from the expertise that will offer valuable content for my research and help me register further progress.”

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced it joined stakeholders to mark its collaborative contribution to global sustainable development goals through the launch of the UAE Solar Atlas and driving discussions at the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil.

The delegation members from Masdar Institute including officials, faculty members and student members of the outreach initiative Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) program engaged most of the nearly 120 heads of state and government, contributing to further the debate on sustainability, global environment and climate change. The Masdar Institute delegates participated in various panel discussions during the Summit that was held from 20-22 June.

Prior to the Summit, Masdar Institute delegates also participated in the ‘Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum: Innovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want’ that was held from 14-18 June, as well as the ‘Sustainable Development Dialogues’ that was organized from 16-19 June in Rio. The Rio+20 Summit additionally witnessed more than 500 on-site side events organized by governments, major groups, organizations from the UN system and other international organizations from 13-15 June during the preparatory committee (Prepcom-III) meetings.

The UAE pavilion that hosted Masdar Institute, Masdar and other Mubadala entities attracted several high-profile visitors during the summit. The pavilion proudly displayed the hourly/daily/yearly solar irradiance maps for the Solar Atlas that were produced by a robust satellite-based mapping tool developed and validated at the UAE Research Centre for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment at Masdar Institute. An accurate assessment of the three solar irradiance components is expected to simulate the efficiency of available power generation technologies.

Dr Lamya N. Fawwaz, Executive Director, Public Affairs, Dr Steve Griffiths, Executive Director of Institute Initiatives, Masdar Institute, and other officials led the participation through interacting with government and industry leaders as well as participating in side panels. Representing the UAE Research Centre for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment at Masdar Institute were Dr. Hosni Ghedira, Director, and Dr. Taha Ouarda, Deputy Director. The Research Centre continues to play a pivotal role in the development of a Global Atlas on Solar and Wind Energy.

Engaging stakeholders during a C3E event at the UAE Pavilion, Dr Lamya Fawwaz said that she facilitated the participation of two female students in the International Antarctica Expedition 2012 as part of Masdar Institute’s efforts to support and develop the leadership skills in the UAE and worldwide. Both students joined polar explorer Sir Robert Swan on his ‘Leadership on the Edge’ program, designed to build participants’ team and leadership skills and provide a suitable environment to debate key issues facing Antarctica and the planet at large.

Dr Fawwaz also pointed out that as a member of the Masdar Institute Women Advisory Committee, she has contributed to the decision-making process on sustainability and clean energy policy. The Committee advises the President of the Institute on areas that concern the community groups and reflects Masdar Institute’s commitment to the development and promotion of women’s leadership and empowerment. She also identified several measures that will facilitate the education and empowerment of women to lead the clean energy revolution.

Dr Griffiths led the discussions for a panel titled ‘Masdar Institute’s Role in Shaping the Future Energy Landscape’ on 21 June, while Dr. Ghedira participated as a member of the panel. With the support of the partners, they highlighted Masdar Institute’s successful global and local collaborations that have kept the Abu Dhabi-based research institution in the forefront of innovation.

Additionally, speaking at another session titled ‘Innovation in Green Growth Technology for Developing Countries’ on 19 June, Dr Griffiths elaborated on how Masdar fits into a philosophy of capacity building, innovation, and R&D. His talk addressed the major question with big demonstration projects that have always remained the pathways to generate long-term benefits. Masdar and Masdar Institute collectively address this question, at least in part, by generating a larger and sustained community, he said and put into perspectives the lessons learned and funding models derived from the Masdar experience. The session was organized by Brookings Institution of the US, the Institute for Energy Economics (IEE) at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) of South Korea.

Earlier, Dr. Taha Ouarda shared his insights with delegates on ‘Adapted Wind Resource Modeling in the GCC Region’. Dr. Taha Ouarda is also the Head of Water and Environmental Engineering program at Masdar Institute.

Mandated to offer the youth and students an avenue to engage energy industry leaders, the Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) program facilitated the participation of two Masdar Institute students – Maitha Al Kaabi and Rasha Abd Rabu – who showcased their research projects at the Summit. Other Masdar Institute officials including Ibrahim Alsharif, Research Assistant, with Event Officers Khaula Al Nuaimi and Shaikha Al Khayyal briefed visitors about various aspects of the research offerings and sustainable projects at the campus.

Speaking at the Women Leaders’ Forum on Gender Equality and the Empowerment Rasha Abd Rabu pointed out that women make up 65% of university graduates in the UAE, in addition to now being the majority of graduates in high school and college. She added that the though the numbers are increasing in almost all graduate schools especially in engineering, it has not resulted in higher female labor force participation, as currently women engineers and scientists make up just about 25%. She also emphasized that institutions and organizations need to provide support, networking, encouragement, and funding to women in engineering.

The intense participation by Masdar Institute once again reiterated the research-based institution’s commitment to furthering the cause of sustainability through contributing to the implementation of meaningful initiatives.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and other collaboration partners today jointly announced the official commissioning of the UAE Solar Atlas. The beta version of the Atlas was released earlier in April 2012.

The data on solar energy will be freely available online from early 2013 and can be accessed by government organizations or private enterprises for assessing the technical feasibility of any proposed renewable energy project. The data would also be fed into IRENA’s global geo-referenced renewable energy (RE) potentials database.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Rio+20 Earth Summit 2012 that is being held from 20-22 June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Six days of open-ended informal intercessional were also held in the build-up to the Summit, including the third and final Preparatory Meeting.

A delegation from Masdar Institute is actively participating in the summit as part of the overall Masdar initiative. Masdar Institute is part of the UAE Pavilion that also hosts Masdar and other Mubadala entities. The Solar Atlas is prominently displayed for the benefit of the visitors and stakeholders.

Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Special Envoy for Energy & Climate Change, United Arab Emirates, and CEO of Masdar, said: “The official launch of the UAE Solar Atlas comes at a time when investment in solar energy is witnessing an uptrend. This multi-stakeholder initiative will immensely help investors to assess risks and commercial viability before implementing new solar energy projects. Masdar is proud to be part of this project that will provide further momentum to greater adoption of clean energy sources.”

Adnan Amin, Director-General of IRENA, said: “The official release of the UAE Solar Atlas at the Rio Summit signifies the remarkable commitment of the global partner organizations in bringing clean energy closer to the community. This Internet-based platform is designed to raise awareness of technology opportunities and serve as a repository for high quality renewable energy resource data, offering an avenue for those seeking to choose the solar energy route as part of their energy mix.”

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said “The commissioning of the Solar Atlas ensures renewable energy markets regularly receive reliable and stable data on the annual solar irradiance. Such data can prove extremely valuable for deploying various technologies including roof or land area for photovoltaic cells. The MENA region offers abundant potential for tapping solar energy and we believe the UAE Solar Atlas, supported by the country’s leadership, will encourage other countries in the region to implement renewable energy projects in this part of the world.”

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a leading role in initiating the national contribution to the IRENA Global Atlas Project. Other local stakeholders include the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), UAE National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) and Masdar Power.

International partners in the IRENA Global Atlas initiative include the Energy Research Centre (ERC) of the UK, ParisTech (France), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the US, and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank.

Dr Steve Griffith, Executive Director of Institute Initiatives, Masdar Institute, pointed out that the UAE Solar Atlas is part of the Global Atlas for Solar and Wind Energy project and developed by Masdar Institute’s UAE Research Centre for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment. Dr. Hosni Ghedira, Director of the Center, represents Masdar Institute, while Ali Nimer, Acting Director, Administration and Management Services, represents IRENA. A team of 12 researchers and engineers contributed to building profiles of solar and wind resource quality, land use, and grid connectivity in collaboration with local and international partners.

Dr. Hosni Ghedira said that the UAE Research Centre for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment is mandated to develop the UAE solar and wind energy resource maps, in addition to developing regional knowledge and leadership in renewable energy assessment and mapping for the Arabian Peninsula and countries with similar climate, mainly in Africa.

A robust satellite-based solar mapping tool developed and validated at the Center was utilized for producing hourly/daily/yearly of three solar irradiance maps for the Solar Atlas. The accurate assessment of the three solar irradiance components helps to simulate the efficiency of available power generation technologies. An accurate assessment of the spatial distribution of solar resources, with detailed and bankable data for specific potential sites, is expected to help attract investments for creating new solar energy capacity.

Dr. Hosni Ghedira added that collaborating on capacity development among stakeholders in participating countries, as well as assisting developing countries to build their renewable energy technology databases were the other aspects.

The UAE Solar Atlas is the outcome of the agreement signed between Masdar Institute and IRENA. The agreement announced at the World Future Energy Summit 2012 in Abu Dhabi also covers exchange of information; joint implementation of project activities, analyses and research studies; as well as defining technical compatibility and methodological harmonization and data transparency protocols for solar and wind data.

For IRENA, the project is a model for its capacity-building activities in the developing world, and for augmenting its own capacity to generate and manage a global potentials atlas/database. The UAE Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment at Masdar Institute aims to develop regional knowledge and leadership with participation and data-sharing opportunities for IRENA and the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) member states. The UAE Atlas project set up a team to achieve two objectives – to collect and combine existing databases on wind and solar potentials in the UAE into one open web-portal platform from which solar and wind energy maps can be accessed; and train university students and researchers in solar/wind resource mapping, both to run data collection and analysis and to continue education of future participants.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, will continue to seek collaborations with global industry leaders to contribute to innovation and shape the future energy landscape, according to Dr Steve Griffiths, Executive Director of Institute Initiatives.

Dr Griffiths was offering a presentation during the panel discussions on ‘Masdar Institute’s Role in Shaping the Future Energy Landscape’ at the Rio+20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Organized by the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, the three-day Summit opened on 20 June. More than 50,000 representatives from governments, companies and environmental and lobby groups have convened to set new goals across seven core themes including food security, water and energy at the summit.

Masdar Institute currently has existing partnerships with global industry majors for research in sustainable biofuels for aviation, smart grids and smart buildings (SGSB), and carbon capture and storage (CSS), photovoltaics, microelectronics, industrial efficiency, and other technology domains.

The highlight of Masdar Institute’s collaboration project at Rio+20 Summit is the Global Solar and Wind Atlas, developed in partnership with various international and government organizations. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a leading role in initiating the Global Atlas Project in the UAE on behalf of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Other local stakeholders include the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), UAE National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) and Masdar Power.

International partners for the Atlas project include the Energy Research Centre (ERC) of the UK, ParisTech (France), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL of the US, and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank.

Masdar Institute’s Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment has developed the unique resource for obtaining and disseminating mapping information for renewable energy in the UAE and globally. It has also pledged to develop the architecture of the global atlas, and host and maintain the atlas servers at the campus.

Dr Griffiths said: “The recipe for developing the future energy mix includes advancements to make renewable energy sources predictable, dispatchable, and available where needed. Also required is basic and applied research in science and engineering to improve existing technologies and uncover breakthroughs that change the technological landscape. The wide spectrum of our partnerships, including the Global Solar and Wind Atlas project, address these key issues and position Masdar Institute among the leading institutions focused on advancing the clean energy and advanced technology sectors. Masdar Institute’s high-caliber faculty serves as the driving force, facilitating and guiding student research. The faculty’s academic and research strength enables us to identify and lead research in key energy domains, making Masdar Institute a preferred institution to collaborate with on energy research.”

In addition to the partnerships for the Global Solar and Wind Atlas project, Masdar Institute is partnering with Masdar PV in thin-film photovoltaics research and The Boeing Co, Etihad Airways, Honeywell UOP and Safran on the sustainable biofuels project. The collaboration with Siemens covers an R&D program for Smart Grids, Smart Buildings (SGSB), and Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS) in form of scholarships and R&D funding.

A large-scale research program with Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) marks Masdar Institute’s local partnership to improve the efficiency and overall environmental performance of aluminum production. At the same time, collaboration with Technische Universität (TU) Dresdenin Germany is supported by the Saxony government in Germany and Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). The collaboration will establish research labs at TU Dresden and Masdar Institute focusing on three-dimensional chip stacking, a potentially faster and more energy efficient semiconductor technology.

Collaborations with Toyota Motor Corporation and IRENA have set the stage for scholarship programs that will benefit those eligible students who are keen on sustainable development and innovations in renewable energy.

Dr Griffiths added: “Our recent track record in human capital development indicates the extent of our reach in the high-technology industry and clean energy. The entire second batch of Masdar Institute students graduated in May 2012 having successfully defended Master’s degree theses dealing with topics of relevance to Abu Dhabi’s industrial and economic development. This was possible only because of the guidance provided by the faculty, who lead the student’s research efforts.”

Headed by Dr Griffiths, the Office of Institute Initiatives aims to maximize industry, government and academic relationships between Masdar Institute and world-class partners. University partnerships are with founding partner MIT and other universities that bring additional collaborative breadth. The office focuses on building new research partnerships with companies and agencies and then supporting the translation of the research discoveries into new inventions and eventually technological innovations that support industrial and economic development.

Currently, The Office of Institute Initiatives has successfully developed relationships with dozens of external entities leading to more than two dozen sponsored research contracts, 40% of which represent collaboration with local stakeholders. In addition to his role in establishing new external partnerships, Dr. Griffiths oversees the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Technology Transfer Office, and establishment of major research centers.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.