What is Masdar’s European strategy?
Masdar will continue to make strategic investments and establish and strengthen partnerships in European countries that are proving to be leaders in the renewable energy industry, including Germany, Spain, Finland and the United Kingdom, among others. They will continue to engage with European governments and renewable energy industry in the coming year.
As part of its European strategy during the past year, Masdar has announced a number of investments and partnerships, including:
Masdar PV: In May 2008, Masdar invested in a new company, Masdar PV in Erfurt, Germany. Masdar PV is constructing a thin-film PV manufacturing facility, which, once complete, will use advanced production technologies to bring PV closer to grid parity. The US$230 million German plant marks the first phase of Masdar’s US$2 billion investment in thin-film PV manufacturing, and one of the largest investments ever made in solar.
Torresol: Torresol Energy, a joint venture between Masdar and Spanish engineering group Sener, has three solar power plants under construction in Spain with an approximate combined value of €800 million, one of which will be a CSP Central Tower Receiver System. The joint venture will feature the first-ever commercial deployment of this technology by 2012.
WinWind: In 2008, Masdar invested €120 million in WinWinD, a leading Finnish manufacturer active in the design, development and assembly of technologically advanced 1 and 3 MW wind turbines. This investment signals Masdar’s strategy to lead in all forms of renewable energy and allows it to move rapidly into the worldwide wind market, enabling a diverse renewable energy asset portfolio.
London Array: Masdar entered into the London Array offshore wind farm project through joint venture agreement with E.ON, which currently owns 50 percent of the landmark project. DONG Energy owns the remaining 50 percent of the project. The wind farm will be located in one of the three strategic areas the UK government has identified for offshore wind farm development. When fully operational, it will make a substantial contribution the UK Government’s renewable energy target of providing 10% of the UK’s electricity from renewable sources by 2010.
What are the types of suppliers they are looking to develop relationships with?
As part of the Masdar Initiative, a long term strategic commitment by the government of Abu Dhabi to accelerate the development and deployment of future energy solutions, Masdar City will take sustainable development and living to a new level and will lead the world in understanding how all future cities should be built. The City is a cleantech cluster which is already attracting the world’s best in all areas of sustainability from renewable energy to biomass. All types of companies from innovators, incubators, research and development, pioneers and solution providers will be part of the journey to create, work and live in Masdar City.
Masdar City will be built over seven years at an investment in excess of US$20 Billion. Its masterplan design meshes the century-old learnings of traditional Arabic urban planning and architecture with leading-edge technologies to create a sustainable, high-quality living environment for all residents. The City will be built in seven carefully designed phases, incorporating the latest technological advances generated in its clean-tech cluster and globally. The first buildings under construction already demonstrate Masdar’s innovation appetite: Masdar headquarters building will receive its power required for construction from a vast PV array on its roof built ahead of the remaining structure – a world-first.
Strategically located at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s transport infrastructure, Masdar City will be linked to surrounding communities, as well as the centre of Abu Dhabi and the international airport, by a network of existing road, and new rail and public transport routes. The City will be car free and pedestrian friendly. With a maximum distance of 200 meters to public transport and amenities, and complemented by an innovative personal rapid transport system, the compact network of streets will encourage pedestrians and community social life.
Utility services at the City will include energy, district cooling, wet utilities (water, wastewater, re-use water, and storm water), telecommunications and waste management. Infrastructure support projects at the City will include landscaping, common areas, leisure areas, access roads, bridges, tunnels and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) services as well as development management.
To accomplish its ambitious endeavour, Masdar requires access to leading edge thinkers and companies through mutually beneficial partnerships. Masdar is currently embarking on a global drive to attract industry partners to participate in this historic endeavour.
Partners should be innovators and thought leaders in the fields of:
• Information and Communications Technology
• Transportation
• Energy Utilities
• Infrastructure City Management and Real Estate
By attending the European Future Energy Forum, you will have a unique chance to meet with different units within Masdar and a number of their existing partners.