Dubai, UN body launch energy R&D centre

The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy has signed an agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) to establish a regional centre to build capabilities in sustainable energy and research and development (R&D).

The centre will act as an incubator for innovation excellence in sustainable energy technologies for businesses and enterprises in the UAE and the Arab World. The agreement was signed during World Green Economy Summit, which was held in Dubai recently.

Dubai has been chosen as a regional hub to provide services for the Middle East and North Africa region, as it has launched and embraced many of the leading green economy and sustainability initiatives and projects while keeping pace with the global scientific developments in various environmental fields to promote the process of sustainable development.

The centre will complement the activities of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's (Dewa) Solar R&D Centre, stimulate regional markets, and encourage investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies adapted to meet local needs.

 The new centre will be the first incubator of its kind in the region that exclusively focuses on sustainable energy technologies and services. It will enable researchers in clean energy to bring their innovations to the market. This will be done through training and mentoring, and by showing researches how to access financial resources to start their businesses and link them with regional and global markets.

"We work to achieve the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to produce renewable energy locally, sustainably manage natural resources and support growth of a new promising sector, and the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build a green economy in the UAE. We also support the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, to diversify Dubai's energy mix to include 71 per cent from natural gas, 15 per cent from solar energy, 7 per cent from clean coal, and 7 per cent from nuclear power. These efforts support the direction of Dubai, the UAE, and the region as a whole to increase dependence on renewable and clean energy," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.

"We are pleased to work with Unido to build a centre to develop innovation in sustainable energy. This supports the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 to build a sustainable environment and increase dependence on clean energy. It also supports the Dubai Plan 2021 to establish Dubai as a sustainable city, whose environmental elements are clean, healthy, and sustainable," added Al Tayer.

"By linking research with business, the Unido- Dubai Supreme Council of Energy Centre will provide entrepreneurs and young people with the right opportunities, creating a technology-transfer innovation ecosystem that would allow them to thrive and build successful business models," said Pradeep Monga, Special Representative of the Director General of Unido on Energy and Director of the Organisation's Energy Branch.

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