The Masdar Institute, which is located in Masdar City, is the Middle East’s first graduate research institution dedicated to innovations in clean energy.
Secretary Clinton used her speech to affirm the strong relationship between the US and the UAE, and to commend Masdar for its ambition and commitment to advancing and commercialising innovations in renewable energy and clean technology.
“The UAE is so well positioned to compete in the 21st century because of your commitment to clean, renewable energy,” she said to an audience studded with dignitaries. “We are fully committed to supporting your work and we will do everything we can through our academic institutions, like MIT, through our government, like the US Department of Energy and the US State Department, and through our private sector, to bring more jobs and to bring more innovative entrepreneurial spirit here to the UAE.
“I want my country to know how advanced you are in pursuing clean renewable energy,” Clinton added. “I want the world to know that the US is partnering with you because we are betting on Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
“We are betting that this incredible investment represented by Masdar is going to pay off, and when it pays off it will not only mean a better life for the people of this country and this region, it will have ripple effects throughout the world,” she said.
Following a guided tour of the facilities at Masdar City, Clinton was officially welcomed by Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO and Managing Director of Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based firm that has been focused on the development and deployment of sustainable energy solutions.
“We are privileged and honored to welcome Secretary Clinton to Abu Dhabi and Masdar,” he said. “Cooperation between our nations is built on mutual trust, respect and friendship. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship by working together to address the challenges of delivering viable, scalable clean energy to the world.
“Secretary Clinton’s visit to Masdar is a testament to the strength of this relationship and our leadership’s commitment to the development of renewable energy and climate change mitigation,” Al Jaber added.
During the tour of Masdar City, Clinton was able to see firsthand the innovations, progress and momentum building at Masdar, made possible by global collaboration. One such example was Clinton’s visit to Masdar’s advanced concentrated solar power (CSP) “Solar Beam Down” project, a joint venture between Masdar, Cosmo-Oil of Japan and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The innovative “beam down” technology is an example of the global collaborative research conducted at Masdar.
Visiting the Masdar Institute campus, a graduate level institution established in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Clinton was also shown the sustainable facilities that have been designed to improve both the living and working experience of the students and faculty through smart, energy efficient and high performance building design.
“I express my gratitude to the people of the UAE for being innovative, creative and at the same time very practical about how you intend to achieve your goals,” Clinton said. “We are proud to be your partner and we are looking forward to achieving real progress for your citizens and the world at large.”
The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked closely with Masdar on initiating the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) process.
This bilateral preparation effort began on 26 April 2010, when the DOE and Masdar signed a Memorandum of Understanding on clean energy cooperation. The UAE served as host to the first CEM Preparatory Meeting in Abu Dhabi on 28-29 June 2010. Having brought together officials from the participating countries, this meeting provided an invaluable forum for productive multilateral dialogue on the transformative policy and program initiatives that were publicly announced at the Ministerial in Washington, DC.
The second Clean Energy Ministerial will be held 6-7 April 2011, in the United Arab Emirates.
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