Abu Dhabi rolls out the red carpet as Solar Impulse 2 enters final straight

Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), the solar-powered plane attempting to become the first aircraft in the world to circumnavigate the Earth without using a drop of fossil fuel, will complete its epic journey in the early hours of Tuesday morning, returning to the city where its adventure began in March last year.

More UAE residents soon to call Masdar City home as Leonardo Residences officially breaks ground

Residential apartments now under construction at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi will add to the thriving community taking shape at one of the world’s most sustainable urban developments. The senior management of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, and of the Abu Dhabi-based property developer Reportage Real Estate marked the official ground-breaking of the 170-unit Leonardo Residences at the City today.

Masdar Passes 10-Year Milestone

Today, Masdar employees and alumni gathered in Masdar City to mark ten years of achievement in advancing the clean energy industry in Abu Dhabi and around the world. Under the banner “Seizing the Next Decade,” participants were invited to reflect on Masdar’s significant and widespread impact to date and the promise of the next ten years, as part of an organisation defined by the spirit of partnership, collaboration and innovation.

Global Thought Leaders to Address How Innovation Can Accelerate Sustainable Development

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) will bring together leading global experts – from academia, industry and government – to address how promoting innovation and cross-sector collaboration can accelerate solutions that tackle energy and water security, climate risk and sustainable development.

UAE Announces Four New Renewable Energy Projects in the Pacific under $50m Fund

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) today signed partnership agreements with four new Pacific island countries to deploy renewable energy projects under the US$50 million UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund. Grant funding is provided by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs managing the initiative and Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, leading implementation. The solar-powered projects – in the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and the Solomon Islands – are expected to be completed in 2016. The announcement brings the total number of projects under the fund to date to 10.

Mohammad bin Rashed, Mohammad bin Zayed and Egypt’s President Sisi Award ZFEP 2015 Winners

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashed al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, His Excellency Abdulfattah El Sisi, President of the Republic of Egypt and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Awarded the 7th Zayed Future Energy Prize winners at an awards ceremony today during the opening of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Women in Sustainability Unite at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Tours Masdar City

Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, and a former mayor of New York City, toured Masdar City yesterday to learn how Abu Dhabi’s low-carbon mixed-use development is pioneering a “greenprint” for how cities can accommodate rapid urbanization and dramatically reduce energy, water and waste.

Masdar’s Global Clean Energy Achievements to be Showcased During ADSW 2014

Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, will showcase its past year’s global contribution to clean energy development at the 7th World Future Energy Summit during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) – the region’s largest gathering on sustainability. Masdar will use the platform to highlight a year in which it has inaugurated solar and wind projects in the UAE, UK, Seychelles and Mauritania, installing over 750 megawatts of renewable grid capacity in the process.

5 Pacific Countries to Receive Grants from UAE’s $50m Renewable Energy Fund

The United Arab Emirates today signed partnerships with five Pacific island countries to deploy renewable energy projects, financed from the US$50 million UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund. The solar and wind projects – in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu – represent one of the largest capital investments in the region’s clean energy sector. With grant financing from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), project completion is expected in late 2014.

HRH Crown Prince of Denmark Visits Masdar Projects during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

HRH Crown Prince of Denmark today visited two of Masdar’s flagship projects including Masdar City, the low-carbon urban development, and Shams 1, the 100-megawatt concentrated solar power plant in Abu Dhabi. The Crown Prince was in the United Arab Emirates to participate in the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) where Denmark yesterday signed a framework agreement with the UAE to explore and co-develop renewable energy projects.

Sustainability Festival Attracts Thousands to Masdar City

The Festival at Masdar City – a two-day celebration of sustainability for the whole family, attracted thousands of UAE residents to Abu Dhabi’s low-carbon urban development today. The event, which ends tomorrow, forms part of this year’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week – a week-long series of events and conferences dedicated to advancing sustainability.

Masdar Announces Winner of its International Blogging Contest Focused on Water and Energy Challenges

Masdar announced the winner of its international blogging contest. Masdar initiated the competition to drive international discussion about the interconnected water and energy challenges facing communities around the world. The contest received more than 70 entries and engaged thousands of readers as it sparked worldwide discussion of sustainability issues in advance of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the largest gathering on sustainability in the history of the Middle East.

First Eco-Friendly Credit Card Launched in the UAE

Major leading UAE financial institution, First Gulf Bank (FGB), will launch the UAE’s first green Visa Credit Card next week in association with Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, at the sixth World Future Energy Summit during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. The First Gulf Bank Masdar Card allows members of the community to become more involved in different environmentally sustainable initiatives. The product falls in line within a series of socially geared products that FGB has developed recently.

Queen Rania of Jordan to Speak at Opening Ceremony of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Taking place January 13-17, ADSW is the largest gathering on sustainability in the history of the Middle East and will address the interconnected challenges that affect the global adoption of renewable energy, water security and sustainable development.

Masdar Releases Sustainability Report

Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, today published its first sustainability report. The report highlights the company’s sustainability milestones and provides a benchmark by which to measure future efforts.

Masdar Signs Framework Agreement with Jordan to Accelerate Renewable Energy Development

The agreement was signed during the sixth World Future Energy Summit (WFES), a global platform that addresses the future of renewable energy and sustainable development in the Middle East and the world. In attendance at the summit was Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan who delivered a keynote speech, underscoring the importance and growing commitment to renewable energy in Jordan and throughout the region.

​Masdar Launches Wind Farm in Republic of Seychelles

Seychelles currently relies on expensive diesel generators to meet its electricity demand. With fuel accounting for 25 percent of the country’s total net imports, Seychelles is committed to diversifying its energy mix and reducing its reliance on fuel imports. Being an island country, with limited options to produce electricity, wind power generation presents a viable solution to meet a national target of 15 percent energy from renewable sources by 2030.

Masdar’s Mauritania Solar Project Underscores Commitment to UN ‘Sustainable Energy for All’

Sustainable Energy For All was created to mobilize actions in support of three key objectives: universal access to modern energy services; double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Masdar Sponsors Two “Green” Films at 6th Annual Abu Dhabi Film Festival

In addition to sponsoring the films, Masdar will host a private screening of Trashed, a documentary film about the ever-increasing global problem of waste and overflowing landfills. The private screening will be joined by the movie’s director Candida Brady, and will be held at the Emirates Palace. The event will also include a question and answer session between the director and students and faculty from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology – the Middle East’s first graduate research institution dedicated to renewable energy and clean technologies. The movie features Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons.