As part of the Assilah festival, Masdar continues to contribute to the global debate for viable energy solutions.
Morocco, Sunday, July 11th 2010 [ME NewsWire]:
Masdar, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mubadala development company and the Abu Dhabi based company focused on developing commercially scalable and sustainable energy solutions, has successfully participated and hosted an international renewable energy conference as part of the 32nd Assilah International Cultural Festival in the Kingdom of Morocco.
The conference, entitled “Renewable Energy - A Leap Towards Human Development”, was a major draw for this year’s festival and attracted esteemed speakers and delegations from around the world.
The success of the conference is being hailed by observers as an important milestone for Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as the region further strengthens its growing reputation as a leader in the promotion and implementation of renewable energy.
Talking on the success of the Moroccan conference Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive of Masdar said: “Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, has the potential to ensure the sustainability of our economy and of our society. But most importantly, it is one of the critical solutions to mitigating the global threats of climate change.
“The United Arab Emirates has made a significant commitment to address the threats of climate change, but, it is important that other countries in the MENA region also realize their potential. It makes me optimistic for our future that the Moroccan government, which has recently announced a number of major energy projects, has invited Masdar to host this conference. I hope this is a catalyst for more collaboration between our countries and with the other countries of the MENA region.
“The Assilah International Cultural Festival is about bridging gaps between cultures, the exchange of ideas and the sharing of knowledge. This year the Festival has offered us a platform to bridge the gaps of innovation and knowledge of the renewable energy and clean technology industry,” he concluded.
In bringing together delegations from around the world that share Masdar’s vision for the future of renewable and sustainable energy, Masdar believes that conferences such as these will lead to collaboration and knowledge exchange and are essential to overcoming the barriers that currently exist in the adoption of clean energy solutions.
The UAE was invited to be this year’s guest of honor in recognition of the country’s cultural achievements. The Assilah International Cultural Festival has focused predominantly on the arts, music and literature that represent elements of culture. This year energy has been added as a theme to the festival as a result of its growing importance on the global agenda and the role it plays to the UAE and its culture.
In addition to Masdar a number of other UAE organizations including the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community development also had an important role to play and effectively participated.
The Asilah Arts Festival in Morocco was founded in 1978 by the former foreign minister, Mohammed Ben Eissa and the artist Mohammed Malihi, is one of the most important art festivals in Morocco. Over the past three decades, this event has helped to promote dialogue, cultural exchange and solidarity. As well as this the Festival is widely known as a celebration of the values of peace and tolerance.
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Image Captions:
Image1- From left. HE Amina Benkhadra, Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, (Morocco). HH Sheikha Rasha Al-Hamoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, (Kuwait). Mohamed Benaissa, Former Minister of Foregin Affairs and Cooperation (Morocco), Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO Masdar (United Arab Emirates)
Image2 – Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO Masdar
About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted initiative advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies and solutions. Masdar is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), a wholly owned company of the government of Abu Dhabi through the Mubadala Development Company.
Notes to editors:
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber Speech
Assilah International Cultural Festival
July 2010
Your Highnesses, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to be among so many distinguished guests and to be part of a festival that has promoted cultural exchange and dialogue since 1978.
For 32 years the Assilah International Cultural Festival has been fully dedicated to the arts. This year, it opens its doors to recognize and embrace the importance of renewable energy.
The United Arab Emirates is recognized for its rich energy resources and leadership in the sector.
Similar to how our art, music and heritage define our culture and define who we are—so does our energy expertise and abundance.
Today, energy is an important part of our culture. It has allowed our nation to thrive and our culture to flourish.
In ensuring that we preserve, not only a principal element of our culture, but also our leadership position in the energy industry, we are aggressively pursuing the next generation of clean energy technologies.
Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, has the potential to ensure the sustainability of our economy and of our society.
But most importantly, it is one of the critical solutions to mitigating the global threats of climate change.
The United Arab Emirates has already taken several steps towards actively pursuing renewable energy and addressing these threats, which include:
· The inception of the Masdar Initiative and the launch of the World Future Energy Summit and the Zayed Future Energy Prize
· Our commitment to host and support the establishment of the International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA
· Our 7 percent renewable energy target by 2020
· Our association with the Copenhagen Accord this past February, and
· The establishment of a dedicated Directorate of Energy and Climate Change within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
These steps are a testament to the foresight of our leadership and their unwavering dedication to advancing clean technologies.
However, our efforts alone will not be enough to tackle the challenges that lie ahead of us.
With the world’s population growing to 9 billion by 2050…
Energy demand doubling…
CO2 emissions rising…
and the planet’s temperature increasing…
We must… collectively strive to adopt energy efficiency measures and deploy renewable energy technologies.
Effectively doing so, will require that we collaborate.
That we share knowledge,
And that we exchange ideas….
Collaboration, will support and drive innovation and accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies.
The Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates share the same commitment to addressing the threats of climate change and the same ambition in pursuing renewable energy.
Like the UAE, Morocco has associated itself with the Copenhagen Accord.
Their 9 billion US dollar solar energy initiative, which will deliver 2 GW by 2020, and the 140MW wind facility in Tangiers, are a testament to this ambition.
We can and we should work together.
Learning from each other’s experiences will enable us to overcome some of renewable energy’s biggest hurdles: Cost and Scalability.
Sharing our knowledge and experience will allow us to bring down cost and improve scalability for future projects.
This is essential to effectively achieve our targets in a meaningful and commercially viable way.
I would like to take this opportunity to commend His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Benaissa for his visionary approach and commitment to preserving Assilah, and for extending us the invitation to participate in this Festival.
The Assilah International Cultural Festival has always been about bridging gaps between cultures, the exchange of ideas and the sharing of knowledge.
This year the Festival offers us a platform to bridge the gaps of innovation and knowledge of the renewable energy and clean technology industry.
We must take advantage of this opportunity to learn from each other…and to deliver
against the promise of Assilah.
Thank you.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Meray Atef
press@masdar.ae
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